Hydro Hurricane Thunder screenshot

Microsoft Game Studios and developer Vector Unit will launch the Xbox Live Arcade sequel to the legendary Midway speedboat racing arcade game, Hydro Thunder Hurricane on July 28th as part of the Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade promotion.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane is the first official sequel to the classic Midway hit Hydro Thunder, which splashed into arcades and consoles over 10 years ago.  Rather than simply recreate the original game with updated graphics, Vector Unit has delivered an all-new game engine for the sequel, with gorgeous HD visuals and amazing dynamic water physics.

Fans will recognize favorite speedboats from the original Hydro Thunder: Razorback, Damn the Torpedoes, Tidal Blade, Rad Hazard and others return with beautifully redesigned models, multiple unlockable skins, and articulated boost animations with massive rockets folding out from hidden compartments.   Race tracks are all original, but packed with the kinds of shortcuts and spectacular surprises the series is known for.

The indie developer’s motto is ‘Big games in small packages,’ and their first game as a studio delivers on that promise.  The downloadable game features 8 all new interactive race tracks, new Single Player game modes, Xbox LIVE Leaderboard challenges, as well as robust multiplayer support for 8 players online, local split screen races with up to 4 players and a combination of split screen and online play.

Ralf Knoesel, Vector Unit’s Technical Director and the programming visionary behind Hydro Thunder Hurricane’s cutting-edge interactive water, said the team is thrilled to be included as part of the Summer of Arcade.

“We know there were a lot of quality titles vying to be a part of Summer of Arcade, and it’s really a testament to the team’s hard work and creative energy that HTH made the cut. Our goal with Hurricane was to deliver tons of new content with the kind of polish and depth you expect to find in a full retail game. It takes hours to unlock everything in the single player mode, and once you’ve done that you still have multiplayer, which I think is where the game really shines.”

Creative Director Mat Small added;

“The feedback from Hydro Thunder fans has been overwhelmingly positive.  When you put a controller into the hands of a hard core fan, and he nods and grins the first time he goes off some 800 foot jump or nails a shortcut and says something like ‘Oh yeah, this is how I remember it’ – that tells me we pulled it off.
On top of everything else, Hydro Thunder Hurricane  is perfect for Summer of Arcade.   What’s the first thing people think about when it’s summertime?  Sun, fun, splashing around in the water, driving a speedboat at 200 mph, jumping off gigantic cliffs, and dodging dinosaurs.  Right?”

Mmm Possibly.

If thats what summer means to you then visit Vector Unit for more information.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane will be released on July 28, 2010, exclusively on Xbox LIVE Arcade.  The game will sell for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Blade Kitten screenshot

Major videogame producer Atari have announced the upcoming European launch of Blade Kitten, the game based on the  comic book series by creator Steve Stamatiadis.

Developed by Krome Studios, Blade Kitten brings the world of bounty hunter Kit Ballard to life and will launch this September on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation Network, and Windows PC Download.

Blade Kitten marks the latest creation by Mr. Stamatiadis, the force behind the multi-million selling TY the Tasmanian Tiger series. In Blade Kitten, a prequel to the comics set three years prior; players are invited into the world of Hollow Wish where they take on the role of Kit Ballard, one of the best bounty hunters in the business.

With her pink hair and tail, Kit is part cat, part girl – and fully lethal.  As one of the last of her species, Kit commands her unique ‘Darque Blade’ hovering sword to defeat enemies.  Also along for the ride is Skiffy, Kit’s laid-back sidekick who lends a hand in collecting items, solving puzzles, and when needed, serves as Kit’s protector.

Blade Kitten goes beyond most downloadable titles to deliver a strong narrative, with high-quality cinematics, and a colourful, frenetic visual style, that lends to the pick-up-and-play arcade action.  Players will jump right in and easily begin exploring and fighting their way through 19 levels, including three exploration levels with Noot (a rideable alien mount).  Blade Kitten also features innovative gameplay mechanics, intuitive ’scramble style’ exploration, fully voiced dialogue, dramatic narrative and a powerful distinct anime-inspired visual direction.

John Burns, Vice President and General Manager for Atari Europe, said;

“We are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of Blade Kitten for Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation®Network and PC Download. With its colourful anime inspired universe, simple pick up and play arcade action and intuitive scramble style exploration Blade Kitten is destined to become one of the hot digital releases of 2010.”

For further information visit the Blade Kitten website.

As well as experiencing the Superbike championship, players can also participate in the Supersport series, testing the improvements of the Portimao circuit.

You can try out your riding skills in different weather conditions as well as riding against 15 other riders in the new Online Multiplayer Mode and you can also play both in Arcade or Simulation mode.

As well as the regular Regular SBK®X edition, there is to be a Limited Special Edition which features a list of 17 riders from the history of Superbikes plus a DVD documentary showing highlights of an exclusive interview with the 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies.

Both versions of the game will be available for purchase from the 4th June.

Now when players go to play the game they will be offered a new option in the main menu titled “Play Air Superiority.” Congratulations to James (jkasapi) from Peterborough, who was the person that recorded the 43rd millionth kill. The PlayStation community is over the 21M mark.

Coral Sea is designed to showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air superiority game mode. The legendary WWII action this map provides will have players dog fighting in this airplanes-only map, proving once again DICE delivers on a first class online vehicle warfare experience better than anyone else! Players will be able to track the progress of their respective console communities at www.battlefield1943.com

Battlefield 1943 is an all-new download-only multiplayer action game that brings DICE’s first-class WWII action to gamers. This award-winning game introduces two thrilling new modes where 24 players can compete across four classic WWII Battlefield maps: Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea. These maps are inspired by the award winning Battlefield 1942™ game, but have been redesigned and re-engineered using the DICE Frostbite™ engine allowing players to rain havoc and destruction via land, sea or air.

Battlefield 1943 is now available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace (1200 MS Points) and the PlayStation store (£9.99).

Lempel acknowledges that the Microsoft’s digital distribution platform offered many advantages over PlayStation early on, but insists that Sony have now closed the gap on it’s rival, and is now in ‘great shape’ to take the Xbox on head to head.

Lempel says;

“In some cases, I think we’ve got more. In terms of strengths, of course we’re still free, and we’re giving you a lot for free. It’s not just free online gaming, but we’ve got PlayStation Home, which is a massive community and application that’s totally free to use. Our video download service is also a little bit different from theirs in that we sell movies in addition to renting movies. I think there’s a lot we’re doing that in some cases they’re not doing, and I don’t see a lot of things they’re doing that we’re not.”

Do you agree that PSN has as much to offer as XBLA? What is your preference?

Release date: 18/11/2005
Available on Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube.

If you feel differently about this game or you agree with the review please comment to tell us how you feel.