Today in XBLA: MLB Stickball

MLB Stickball looks like a fun take on a classic. The launch date for this title has been set for a little while now, but I’m still excited to give this demo a shot. I’ve never been a huge fan of baseball games, but with just the right twist, they can become a lot of fun. As the environments change, so do the rules, just like growing up and playing ball in the streets… so this full on experience looks like it will be a lot of fun for a reasonable 800 MSPoints.

It's announced: Scene it Box Office Smash (and NXE?) 10/28/08!

On October 28, 2008, “Scene It? Box Office Smash” will be released. The game that is supposed to involve heavy use of the “New Xbox Experience” and the Avatars has been dated. Does this mean the “NXE” will debut before then? Or will it come later, along with a title update for the game to add the enhanced feature? Only time will tell, but this has been the title people have been waiting for to confirm the arrival of the NXE!

New Marketing Vocabulary and Images from Microsoft

The holiday marketing season is almost upon us. As soon as the vampires go away, the trees and fake snow will come out. Along with a few new marketing gimmicks from Microsoft. “Jellies,” “Arcs,” “Circle Connection Swirls,” and “Less Tech, More Fun” – if you don’t know these terms, it’s something to look out for in an Xbox 360 aisle near you.

On September 23rd, Microsoft released a little bit of information to the partners about new advertising techniques and methods, trying to show the lighter and more family oriented ideas behind the Xbox 360. As seen above, these new “Jellies” logos will provide an attractive candy-like image to your “Rated E For Everyone” displays.

You can now download the entire 58 page document (31.0 MB) in all its straight-from-Microsoft PDF glory. If you’re looking for a reduced file size one (may not open with some older versions of Adobe Acrobat), you can download this 23.3 MB that I trimmed down (file compression, not content removal!).

XNA game YoHo Kablammo rated! See the Gallery!

Only small groups know much of anything about the game Yo-Ho Kablammo! The game, as you can see above, took 2nd place in last year’s Dream Build Play contest, then disappeared. Canalside Studios own website hasn’t updated since October of 2007. However, rumblings from the underground say that the game has been passed along to Microsoft and the ESRB, gaining an “E for Everyone” rating.

From their website: “Over the seven seas, 4 infamous pirates have been pillaging, looting and causing havoc to any that cross them. Now meeting face to face they must battle each other to claim the ultimate prize of fame and glory, welcome to Yo-Ho Kablammo.

Releasing the game will be an impressive accomplishment for the team of students.

Here is a small profile from their website: “Canalside Studios has a diverse mix of students from complimentary disciplines – a blend of creative and technological expertise. Students involved with Canalside Media develop both their skills and their professionalism. Graduates from Canalside Media are experienced in the design and production process and skilled in working to client specifications and commercial deadlines.

Also, check out the gallery of images from the upcoming YoHo Kablammo!