Japanese developers have long embraced and championed Xbox LIVE Arcade, with hits including "Pac-Man Championship Edition" (NAMCO BANDAI Games), "Bomberman Live" (Hudson Entertainment), "Frogger" (Konami) and "Fatal Fury Special" (SNK PLAYMORE Corp.). Several new titles from these and other Japanese developers will be added to the diverse portfolio of digitally distributed, high-definition original and classic games currently available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, including the following:
- "Every Extend Extra Extreme" (Q Entertainment). The latest creation from Q Entertainment, "Every Extend Extra Extreme," or E4, is a unique action-packed shooter where the goal is to perfectly time your self-destruction to create chain reactions that explode surrounding enemies. With outrageous visuals and the ability to play your own favorite music, E4 puts a new twist on puzzle shooter games.
- "EXIT" (Taito). An addictive, frenzied puzzle game, "EXIT" has players using their decision-making skills and wits to escape numerous obstacles, while rescuing people from more than 100 different emergencies. Players must save as many lives as possible while finding the fastest way out when "EXIT" arrives on Xbox LIVE Arcade by the end of the year.
- "Ikaruga" (Treasure Co. Ltd.). "Ikaruga" is a quick-paced shooter with strong strategy elements featuring a slow-motion training mode and co-op play for two.2 Available soon for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade, "Ikaruga" is the perfect combination of beautiful, manga-style storytelling and refined, ultra-challenging arcade heroics.
- "OMEGA FIVE" (Hudson Entertainment). "OMEGA FIVE" is a next-generation, high-definition shooter with awe-inspiring graphics. Players fly through dangerous 3-D environments in this side-scroller and try to avoid the enemies that come at them from all sides, even from behind.
- "Rez" (Q Entertainment). "Rez," the legendary action-shooter created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, is coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade. A fast-moving, wire-frame adventure backed by industrial beats, the story of "Rez" takes players deep into the world's computer network, where they must hack the system, altering the visual output and even taking over the music, creating their own rhythms and eye candy as they dig deeper into the dreamlike cyberworld.
- "Triggerheart Exelica" (Warashi). A shoot'em-up game where players battle against hordes of enemy ships, "Triggerheart Exelica" dynamically adjusts the difficulty to match a player's skill level. "Triggerheart Exelica" launches on Xbox LIVE Arcade this year.
Other exciting Xbox LIVE Arcade games available in the coming months include these:
- "Braid" (Number None Inc.). Arriving in early 2008 on Xbox LIVE Arcade, "Braid" is a platformer/puzzle game. The player journeys across seven worlds to rescue a princess; in each world, time behaves in its own peculiar way. The player must cleverly manipulate the flow of time to solve puzzles. "Braid" aims to provide a mind-expanding, filler-free experience.
- "Castlecrashers" (The Behemoth). Arriving in early 2008 on Xbox LIVE Arcade, "Castlecrashers" is the second title currently in development by award-winning independent developer the Behemoth. The four-player RPG adventure will let players hack, slash and smash their way to victory. "Castlecrashers" delivers unique high-resolution illustrated visuals, including memorably hand-drawn characters that are cute and menacing at the same time. Gamers can play with up to three friends locally or over Xbox LIVE2 and discover mind-boggling magic and mystery in the amazing world of "Castlecrashers."
- "Schizoid" (Torpex Games LLC). "Schizoid," from independent studio Torpex Games, is the first Xbox LIVE Arcade game to be created with XNATM Game Studio. Debuting on Xbox LIVE Arcade later this year, "Schizoid" is an action-packed game focused on co-op gameplay2 in which players smash barrages of glowing enemies while cooperating closely to protect each other.