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If hardcore arcade shooters aren't what you're looking for, then maybe hardcore tactical JRPGs are more likely to stir your interest. If so, then Vandal Hearts might demand some of your precious MS Points, assuming you're willing to hand over 1200 of them ($14.99 USD).
Meanwhile, two games have been added to the Games on Demand Marketplace this week. First up is Brave - A Warrior's Tale for $29.99 USD. Unfortunately, the nicest thing we can say about it is that you might want to save your money; From our Brave review:
It says it right there on the box: “Xbox 360 Family Games,” a designation that Microsoft has been slapping on what it considers to be more family-friendly type games. Brave: A Warrior’s Tale could be consider friendly for your family to play, provided no one is under the age of ten. It might be a good idea if they’ve never played a video game of any kind before; otherwise they’re going to play Brave for five minutes, say “this sucks,” put the controller down and go outside. Hey, I think we’ve found a cure for childhood obesity!
In better news, EA's skate. also releases this week for a pretty reasonable $19.99 USD. From our skate. review:
It’s important to repeat, though, that EA and developer Black Box seem to have created the game so that you can more easily do tricks. For instance, there’s no button you have to hit to initiate a grind. All you need to do is ollie or jump off an obstacle toward a rail, and then land on it with some part of your board, and you’ll grind. Similarly, there’s no balance meter to track, but Skate does seem more realistic in that momentum in a grind will somewhat keep you in place, but when you slow down, you’re more likely to drop off. It doesn’t feel like you’re glued on the rail, but more that EA has assumed your character has some innate skills to keep a grind going and doesn’t force you to micromanage that part.
Finally, this week's XBLA special is timed to coincide with next week's release of Mass Effect 2. You can get both DLC packs for the original Mass Effect for 240 MS Points each. We'll have reviews up for Death by Cube and Vandal Hearts later this week.
Xbox Live This Week Keflings and Hazards and NutsDeath Cab For Cutie Preview Their Critics’ Choice Tribute To John Hughes
