So did anyone like Scrap Metal enough to actually buy it? I think it's much better with the "Advanced Controls" that mimic an RC controller, but it still leaves much to be desired IMO. I'm usually a sucker for a "bargain", but even a 400 point rebate and a free month of Live isn't enough to get me to buy this game yet.

I did not find myself enjoying Scrap Metal at all. Bummer too, cause I wanted to like it.

ebay dotd today is $30. Not sure if it's still in stock though.

It's probably worth noting LucasArts confirmed yesterday a remake of "Secret of Monkey Island 2" is coming this summer. I'm definitely excited about that one, and will more than likely snag the remake of the original off Arcade in the near future.

Actually, it was worth noting five posts above yours.

I was curious about how Scrap Metal sold in relation to Toy Soldiers, so I checked out 360voice.com. Again, it's non-scientific, but probably a pretty fair indication. On the first day, Toy Soldiers was played (retail version) by 1371 members; on its first day, Scrap Metal drew 472 members. So it would seem even the rebate isn't enticing enough to make that game a hit. I'd imagine a very small online community for that game. It's a shame, it had potential, but I really was disappointed with the result (at least with the demo and the pricing).

I'm really looking forward to getting Perfect Dark this week. Some reviews are trickling in and it seems that it'll be pretty hard. It's so easy to forget about how hard FPS were prior to Halo and the mechanic of hiding in cover to heal up. I had the same problem with the Call Of Duty Classic -- I'm not used to trying to find health packs. I sucked in that game and I'll likely suck in this one. Looks like I'll have to play on easy.

I look forward to the challenge. Did PD have the same cheat unlock system Goldeneye had with the timed runs?

I thought Scrap Metal was ok....not as bad as everyone says. I was going to buy all the games this week, but I thought Toy Soldiers was ok at best. The demo did not impress me too much.

Wow. You liked Scrap Metal more than Toy Soldiers? I think Toy Soldiers is a blast -- the mechanic of building up units and then manning them yourself is brilliant and makes it the first tower defense game since Monsters that I really enjoyed.

I guess I'm not a BIG fan of Tower Defense games. I thought it was ok...but the demo just left me underjoyed.

I've decided that I'm going to conquer Bejeweled 2 by the end of the year. It's going to be a long grind, but I'm thinking 30 minutes or an hour each day might do it. It's the sort of game that's perfect for the xbox in the bedroom as I'm winding down.

I'm at level 50 of 280. Each level takes longer than the last to finish so I'm not delusional enough to say I'm almost 20% done. Nope, looking at the leaderboards I'm going to need about 60,000,000 points. I just passed 2,000,000, so I guess I'm at 3.33%.

Onward!

Also, I have daughters that can play it in my stead.

Thats dedication for sure. By the time your done, you'll see the Bejeweled game board even with your eyes closed.

You sir have my best wishes on your endeavor. IMO, Bejeweled 2 features the most impossible achievements ever. On top of that, hopefully you don't make a ton of progress in the Endless mode and run into the bug that just erases your save data. You may want to look into that possibility first.

I've read about it and it seems related to live connectivity. Can't predict it, can't copy the save file so if it happens, it happens.

I'm doing Endless before action because of the double-achievement bug when completing the last original mode. I figure doing Action twice is much more possible than Endless twice!

Maybe I'll shoot for 300,000 to 600,000 points (0.5-1%) each sitting.

Giant Bomb Perfect Dark Quick Look.

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anyone played it yet? i am at work and just purchased it from xbox.com. can't wait!!!!

I played the first level this morning. Definitely took a few minutes to get used to. I switched to the COD controls immediately, which made it easier. Very fast/high sensitivity on the cursor, but the auto-aim works better than manually aiming. Didn't play online or anything, but it's still a lot of fun 10 years later.

I'm surprised to see Perfect Dark has 20 achievements, don't arcade games usually have 12.

questions:

--is there voice chat in the multiplayer?

--myself, my best friend and his son are Goldeneye freaks -- can he and his son play split screen on his 360 with me online on my 360? We will probably just play hours and hours the Goldeneye maps.

The creators said in an interview they were the first XBLA approved for 20.

For some reason, that makes me want the game more, I'm not sure why. I never did care for the fact that arcade games were only allowed to have 12 achievements. The same with most retail games maxing out at 50 (though Orange Box was a wonderful deviation in that category). As long as the achievements have a value that ends in a 5 or 0, do as many as you freaking want. Just my two cents.

Some footage of Twisted Pixel's new XBLA game Comic Jumper. I guess the demo is running at PAX East. I think I'm in love.

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^Doesn't really look that special to me. Looks like a cartoony Shadow Complex. I almost couldn't make it through horrible intro video.

^^ If it's half as fun as Splosion Man it'll be worth it's weight in gold. Bad intro though.

Of course, XBLA Games don't weigh anything.

Was hoping said intro was bad in a way that was like the Splosion Man ending, which was bad in the most epically awesome way.

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