XBOX 360/PC Game Room

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyDDQRelISU

“Game Room”
Fact Sheet
January 2010
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Krome Studio Pty Ltd.
Genre: Arcade and console classics
Platform: Xbox LIVE on Xbox 360 and Games for Windows — LIVE on Windows-based PCs
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and older)
Price: 240 to 400 Microsoft Points for game downloads; 40 Microsoft Points for single gameplay
Release Date: Spring 2010

Remember pumping quarters into your favorite video games at the classic arcade or passing the joystick between friends on the couch after school? Nothing could beat the sights and sounds of the arcade, with all the colorfully decorated cabinets, or the endless hours of console competition with friends, trumping the top score and mastering the machine.

This spring, “Game Room” on Xbox LIVE lets you relive the glory days of classic arcade games in their original forms. Your avatar will take part in the original sights, sounds and gameplay that will make these retro games come alive on your Xbox 360 and Windows-based PC in one fast, fun experience.

Game Features
Relive the glory days of the classic arcade. “Game Room” replicates the old-school look, sound and feel of a retro video game arcade. At launch, “Game Room” will bring you a library of 30 original arcade and console classics such as “Centipede®” and “Asteroids Deluxe®” from Atari Inc. and other favorites from Activision Inc., Intellivision, Konami Corp. and more, all shown in their original cabinets. Create a brand-new social environment* your avatar can explore, trick out your “game room” by arranging your cabinets, and decorate each room with themes and animated icons from your favorite games. With weekly new title releases, your arcade will soon be retrofitted to perfection.
Prove you’re the arcade master. Think you have what it takes? Challenge friends to beat your high score by sending custom challenges and taunts across platforms, earn Achievements, unlock levels and climb your way to the top of universal leader boards. Compete in ranked mode, in which you play against other Xbox LIVE members on the world leader board, or challenge mode, in which you take turns playing a game.* “Game Room” also offers local Couch Play mode for up to two players — how will you duke it out for arcade supremacy? Enjoy a seamless experience across Xbox 360 and Windows-based PCs as you share games, track your progress and jump back into the game, no matter which of the two platforms you’re on. You can even invite friends into your custom arcade to check out your collection or visit their “game room” to demo games and scope out additions to your collection.
Buy “Game Room” titles once and play on both your Xbox 360 and Windows-based PC. Enjoy the freedom of buying games for “Game Room” once and playing on both Xbox 360 and a Windows-based PC for about the same price as a DVD rental. Those who prefer to play on a single platform can purchase individual games for either Xbox 360 or a Windows-based PC at a lower price point, or even pay to play a single game just like in the old arcades. See how long you can last on a single token!

Retro games are shown in their original cabinets, which you can place anywhere in your personal arcade. Invite your friends in to check out your collection.

How Do I Play?
An Xbox 360 console or Windows-based PC and an Internet connection are all you need* to access “Game Room.” “Game Room” and associated games can be found on your Xbox 360 in the Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace or in the Games for Windows — LIVE client on your Windows-based PC.

How Much Does It Cost?
It is free to download “Game Room,” which you can then populate with classic arcade games available for individual purchase. Buy games once and play on both an Xbox 360 system and a Windows-based PC for 400 Microsoft Points. Or, to purchase a game for only one platform, each individual Xbox 360 or Windows-based PC title is 240 Microsoft Points. You also have the option to pay to play a single game, just like dropping two quarters in the slot in the old arcades, for 40 Microsoft Points. Visit your friends’ “game rooms” and try their games free before you buy.

“Game Room” Specifications
One or two players
HDTV 1080p
In-game Dolby Digital
Voice chat
Avatar support
Online multiplayer (one or two players)*
Cross-platform leader boards
Cross-platform Achievements

* Xbox LIVE Gold Membership required for online multiplayer on Xbox 360. Xbox LIVE requires broadband access.

Basically looks like Virtual Console done right, with online leaderboards and multiplayer being added to the games. They're also claiming the service will offer 1,000 games over the next three years.

I hate playing arcade games with console controllers. Virtual Console games (for the most part) are mostly playable as intended as they were non-joystick games.

Plus, I don't give a rat's ass for online leaderboards and the like. I'll pass, just like I pass on the arcade in Playstation Home.

cautiously optimistic

not crazy about the pricing tho, $3 per game sounds ok until you realize that theres no way in hell you'd pay $90 to get all thirty of the launch ones on a disc

so basically... MAME on xbox

or more amusingly, MAME on PC! for money!

ohhh i just got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach about the potential for this to start a salvo of ROM cease and desist persecution

well, sort of a legal, hassle free MAME with integrated leaderboards and online multiplayer... I think that could be pretty cool. Worth a few bucks. I'm hoping we'll see some later arcade games too though, not just 80s stuff.

jjjustin - the thing is, did you see that list of 30 games - why would anybody want to buy all of them (or even $60.00 of them)? Isn't it a plus to be able to pick and choose the games that interest you? I've got some comp discs that may have 30 games on it, but I've only ever played two or three of those 30 games (for more than two minutes).

EZ - I agree with you about console controllers, which is why I have an arcade stick. I wish somebody would put out a good controller for Tempest (which is supposedly one of the launch games).

actually, is there a list of the 30 games somewhere, because i haven't seen it

from Kotaku

The following 30 games were showcased in the Game Room debut trailer, with a few more making cameos, but not yet officially announced.

1. Centipede (arcade)
2. Asteroids Deluxe (arcade)
3. Tempest (arcade)
4. Crystal Castles (arcade)
5. Lunar Lander (arcade)
6. Jungler (arcade)
7. Road Fighter (arcade)
8. Scramble (arcade)
9. Finalizer (arcade)
10. Tutankham (arcade)
11. Shao-Lin's Road (arcade)
12. Super Cobra (arcade)
13. Red Baron (arcade)
14. Gravitar (arcade)
15. Battlantlis
16. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
17. Mountain Madness Super Pro Skiing (Intellivision)
18. Armor Battle (Intellivision)
19. Space Hawk (Intellivision)
20. Sub Hunt (Intellivision)
21. Sea Battle (Intellivision)
22. Space Armada (Intellivision)
23. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
24. Star Raiders (Atari 2600)
25. Outlaw (Atari 2600)
26. Yar's Revenge (Atari 2600)
27. Millipede (Atari 2600)
28. Football (Atari 2600)
29. RealSports Tennis (Atari 2600)
30. Combat (Atari 2600)

i don't think i spent $3 on centipede even in the old days!

I probably spent like $80 :(

if someone had told me in 1982 that in 2010 someone would buy Yar's Revenge as a new game on their state-of-the-art console...

well, that's assuming anyone actually buys Yar's Revenge.

wow that list is not so great

I wouldn't buy any of those. However, if they release the arcade (not NES, not Intellivision) version of Bump 'n Jump...

i could see maybe wanting gravitar and red baron (lol i am raster graphics sucker), and i remember crystal castles and tutankham being pretty cool. everything else was either meh or ive never heard of it, or i already have a billion versions available to me.

if they can get the ball rolling with more and more publishers tho this has potential.

so I think I spent every bit of money I encountered between the ages of 8 and 10 on those first 3 games

for me it was qbert, wizard of wor and GORF

man i would pay so much money for gorf on this

wizard of wor! yes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koTxt7D3e2I

http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/27579

In the 1up video they ask some good questions (unfortunately just to a flunky), and they do claim they are going to release 7 games a week on the service (which still seems pretty crazy to me). I hope he's wrong about having to play the games windowboxed though...

i can't front, i would get crystal castles.
they must do some sort of bundlepack before too long though.

Yeah, it's going to be Crystal Castles for me too. I spent many many hours playing "Ice Castles" on the Dragon 32, which was my pirate copy of what was a dodgy bootleg port anyway. It's about time I actually paid for it!

How else could these games play but windowboxed?

I have fond memories of crystal castles from showbiz pizza days as a little kid.

The thing I don't like about leaderboards for practically all games is that there is at least 100 world players with insanely high scores. I remember when there was a buster brothers sort of game on facebook and I figured the guy with the highscore must have been able to beat the game over and over again for 6 hours straight (or something)