Breaking News: XBLIG Ratings Scam?

 

According to articles in the XBLIG/XNA Community there have been rumors of a Ratings scandal responsible for a number of games being knocked out of their places on certain high priority lists like "Top Rated.

Upon investigation of the Top Rated section of the Xbox Indies Marketplace, I noticed a few odd things in the placement of the games themselves: Bonded Realities has over 1000 ratings and has a 4.25-Star average, Solar has nearly 3000 ratings. Apparently it's a coincidence that all the Lacrosse games are on the Top Rated list--2010, 2011 and the other title as well.

The strangest change in placement is Cthulhu Saves the World's position--being a fan favorite and highly acclaimed title, it only has 1781 Ratings with a 4 star average. The whole thing seems to be a big mess, and the developers have been busy informing the Xbox Indie/XNA Community about the apparent disruption in the lists.

I want to reiterate that the rating changes don't reflect on my personal opinion as a reviewer--newly higher rated titles aren't of lesser quality, it's just that their normal placement has had a sort of paradigm shift--some games are naturally on the lower end of the spectrum while others are on the upper side.

Any XNA developer who's published a game knows that these lists determine your overall sales and success, and getting placed (and staying) on these all-important listings. In light of this manipulation, the official XNA Community Twitter has launched an investigation that will look into the matter at hand.

A number of titles have been negatively affected by this conniving scandal, some of which are well-known games like Cthulhu Saves the World. This supposed scam also seems to be favoring certain games like College Lacrosse 2010--is there a direct correlation? 

Perhaps, but only Microsoft knows for sure.

Whatever the case, these tactics are underhanded and I believe it's not something the XNA Community is happy about one bit. Many developers and even reviewers are spreading the word and are eager to hear the actual findings from the official XNA Community representatives from Microsoft.

 

Xbox Indie developers work hard on their titles, and to see something like this happen in their own virtual backyard, so to speak, is unnerving--this unbalances the playing field and distorts many aspects of the ratings system itself. Rather than helping the games, the ratings system has been convoluted in such a way that hinder certain titles.

The original Tweet made by the official XNA Community account.

Updates to this post will come as news arrives, however for now be sure to read up on GameMarx's Ratings Scandal Article for more information. Also, if that article doesn't satiate your thirst for knowledge in this matter, check out Achievement Locked's article as well as The Armless Octopus' Xbox Indies Sabotage article for supplementary reading.

Stay tuned for updates!

--Deeke777

  dek777@gmail.com

Breaking News: Cthulhu Saves the World Update!

 

Zeboyd Games officially announces it's update of the popular Xbox Indie RPG "Cthulhu Saves the World" with a new lengthy and zany title: Cthulhu Saves The World: The Super Hyper Enhanced Championship Edition Alpha Diamond DX Plus Alpha FES HD – Premium Enhanced Game of the Year Collector’s Edition (without Avatars!).

Yes, it's quite a mouthful, and it not only adds to the whole parody theme that is prominent in Zeboyd titles, but also gives a humorous twist to what many gamers have found is a seriously good title.

Cthulhu Saves the World appeared in the Indie Games Winter Uprising or IGWU for short, and is one of more popular Xbox Indie RPG's on the marketplace. CStW has been hailed across the gaming community as a fantastic game and has received positive reviews overall. Personally I believe that is a must-have for any RPG fan, especially die-hard gamers that are looking for a great way to convert MSP into hours of fun.

 

Some of the new features that the this expanded version will include are: 

• Director's Commentary Mode: Specific Tokens are peppered all across the game, each of which detailing certain interesting factoids about the game itself with a myriad of different subjects--basically you get a first-hand glimpse inside of the developer's influences and ideas for CStW.

•  Re-Balanced Gameplay: Certain monsters and abilities have been modified to re-balance the game, changing it for the better. There is also a new Insanity difficulty and a ridiculously-difficult dungeon for the best of the best to test their mettle.

•  A Hint to Zeboyd's Next Title: The new update also includes an obscure hint at Zeboyd Games' next game title--this tidbit is sure to tease fans of the tentacled demon from all over the community.

 Awesome YouTube video for "Hey There Cthulhu", a song set to video footage of CStW.

For the official press release to CSTW:SHECEADDPAFH – PEGYCE (WA!) and more information on Cthulhu Saves the World and its upcoming update, visit Zeboyd Games' website.

 

Follow Zeboyd Games on Twitter

 

Like Cthulhu Saves the World on Facebook

 

CStW on the Xbox Live Marketplace!

--Deeke777

   The XBL Indieverse

   dek777@gmail.com

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Breaking News: Fortress Crafters

Inspired from the PC gaming sensation known as Minecraft, which of course was inspired from a number of titles--including Infiniminer, Dwarf Fortress, and Dungeon Keeper--comes the revolutionary Xbox Indie known as FortressCraft.

 

"FortressCraft'ers" YouTube Channel

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This game is scheduled for a mid-late March release, and it's not officially breaking news, but up until now we haven't been able to find many FortressCraft videos on the internet. The YouTube Channel "FORTRESS CRAFTers" brings fans what they've been clamoring for--full video footage of FortressCraft in action.

We've been able to see snippets of FortressCraft's capabilities in ProjectorGames' YouTube Channel, however in this new channel we will see footage of the "best FortressCraft videos on the web", and the awesome creations therein.

Be sure to Subscribe to both ProjectorGames' and Fortress Crafter's YouTube Channels to be updated on new videos, info, and more about this upcoming Xbox Indie.

For more information on FortressCraft and the studio that created it visit ProjectorGames' website or the homesite for FortressCraft.

Follow FortressCraft on Twitter

--Deeke777
   The XBL Indieverse 
   dek777@gmail.com
   [Mħ±Î©Ø®è]

Breaking News: Epic Dungeon Updated!

On our first installment of XBL Indieverse's Breaking News articles we'll be focusing on one of my favorite Xbox Indie games: Epic Dungeon's new updates. The new changes rolled out on March 7th, and they really do revolutionize the game completely--with awardments, a new Epic mode for hardcore players, and even a Grim Reaper to discourage EXP farming, these updates add a new level of depth to the title.

Epic Dungeon ^{_{80 MSP}}

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Epic Dungeon, even before the expansive updates, was an amazing Xbox Indie that has been highly rated and favored throughout the Xbox Live community when it was released on the Winter Uprising holiday event.

The Indie Games Winter Uprising was an awesome event held on the main Xbox Live dashboard for all gamers to see, and there are many great titles released for this gaming function--big titles like Crossfire 2, the awesome RPG Cthulhu Saves the World, and of course Epic Dungeon.

Now let's get right into the core of some of Epic Dungeon's update changes:

Epic Dungeon now has Epic Difficulty!
The biggest change I'd have to say is the difficulties: there are now Easy, Normal, and Epic game modes, each of which have their own balances and attributes--easy being self explanatory, average play falling under Normal, and Epic mode is just what it sounds like--a challenging and punishing roguelike adventure.

Epic mode is considerably harder than the former modes, however, and shouldn't be played by beginning players. Gamers who are confident in their method and strategies should attempt this game mode, as it can be extremely frustrating for newbies.

Unlockable Awardments!
Another huge addition is the Awardments. There are a total of 24 Awardments amounting to a total of 250 points. These act just like achievements, and there even little quotes and symbols associated with them. Awardments offer players to experience the game in a few different ways, and it inspires gamers to play it time and time again to unlock these mini-achievements.

Platformer Bonus Stage!
There is also a unique extra game mode that players can come across as one of many Random Events found across the fifty dungeon levels. This extra mode is like a classic platformer, and players must collect as many coins as possible as the screen scrolls, the trick is to time your jumps correctly.

Eventually the platform surfaces get smaller and smaller as players progresses, making it quite difficult. Don't worry once you fall, though--your character won't die, he'll simply teleport to the previous location with the appropriate amount of Gold that was collected in the bonus stage.

(Don't) Fear the Reaper! 
As a long-time veteran of Epic Dungeon I've learned that exp farming is an incredibly advantageous strategy--not any more, however. Since the new update, players are discouraged from exp farming by a horribly strong Grim Reaper enemy that appears when players spend too much time killing monsters in a certain level.

While this has disadvantages, it is also a unique addition because it balances gameplay and makes it so gamers can't simply spend hours and hours becoming more powerful by farming gold, exp, and items. The only downside I notice with this feature is that exp farming is one of the only ways that I can see to beat Epic difficulty, and if the Reaper comes out there should be more than fifty dungeon-levels.

For more info on Epic Dungeon and the studio behind the game, Eyehook Games, visit their website.