Arcade Game Central

An article at GameDaily (Are Big Budget Console Games Sustainable?) discusses the economics of developing new games for next-generation (PS3, Xbox360) consoles, predicting that total costs will rise to $25 million per title, compared to current costs of about $14 million. At that level, a title will need to sell more than 1 million units in order to break even (at the typical $50 consumer price point).

Third party publishers, led by EA and Activision, have signaled their intention to charge $10 more for next-generation software, believing that many gamers are not price sensitive. However, there is also a fear that this new price point will cause many less-hardcore gamers to simply keep their old consoles and not upgrade to the new boxes.

The rise of the video game industry has lead to frequent comparisions to the movie industry, and the rising production costs will only accellerate this trend. The article predicts that larger game budgets will lead publishers to play it safe by not risking their development time and money on new gaming concepts, causing the video game industry to become even more like the movie industry, where sequels, and high-concept, generic star vehicles featuring famous names are the rule.

The advent of clones is hardly news in the casual game market, of course, but the cause may be different. In films and video games, high production costs yield copycats. In casual games, copycats exist for just the opposite reason - development costs are so low, and clone games can be produced so quickly. It’s not about risk mitigation so much as about cashing in on a popular idea.

Of course, as production values rise, budgets for casual games will likely rise as well, and eventually these costs may be passed along to consumers. There has been some discussion of changing the common $19.95 price point for casual games (Casual Game Price Elasticity, Casual Game Price Points and Conversion), but this does not appear likely to change in the near future.

Oh no! Evil insect forces have kidnapped your colony’s queens, spelling doom for your collective unless you can protect its few remaining eggs. But, never fear! As the heroic bug, Agent Brisk, you’re outfitted with enough firepower to shoot and destroy the evil insect forces that are working against you! From shotguns and bazookas to guided missiles and air strikes, you’ll be able to exterminate your enemies with extreme justice! Become their worst nightmare and start shooting!

Feelers is a great little shoot-em-up with incredibly smooth and colorful character animation, lively music, and responsive control.

Paul Hyman has a fine Feelers Review over at GameZebo, and I think he gets it just right. Good points include “Plenty challenging for kids, challenging enough for adults. Huge variety of baddies and weapons to keep game play constantly interesting.” On the minus side, he says “If you’re looking for “depth,” look elsewhere; this is all about shooting straight! Only 39 levels, one difficulty setting, and one mode of gameplay; lacks replayability.”

Can you save the bug kingdom from disaster? If you accept this mission, intense action, awesome graphics and pulse-pounding audio will be your reward. Download Feelers today!

Mosaic: Tomb of Mystery is a spellbinding new puzzler from Reflexive Entertainment that takes you back in time to Ancient Egypt and the time of the Pharaohs. Explore the Catacombs of King Tut and piece together ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs in this stunning mystery-puzzle adventure! Work your way up through Egyptian society as you uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of King Tut.

Providing the ultimate puzzle experience that would appeal to all types of players has been a focus since the initial idea of Mosaic was conceived. “We wanted to develop a puzzle game that would make you feel great for every single thing you accomplish, no matter what your level of experience or style of play,” said Simon Hallam, Game Producer. “This was a project that we had a lot of fun making and I believe that it shows in the final product. You’ll find yourself playing for a couple of minutes to complete one piece of a puzzle, and then suddenly realize that you have been enjoying the game for ages without noticing how much time has passed!”

With over 300 Ancient Hieroglyphs for players to decrypt, unique power-ups to unearth, and a murder-mystery plot to decipher, Mosaic: Tomb of Mystery is a fun and mesmerizing blend of puzzle-pieced excitement and intense game play that will appeal to players of all ages.

• Play in either Relaxed Mode with no time pressure, or in Challenge Mode which rewards you for quick play and quick thinking
• Decrypt over 300 ancient hieroglyphs
• Spectacular effects and gorgeous Egyptian Art
• Unearth unique power-ups with amazing effects
• Master the Obelisk for total game domination
• Electrify the Tomb with NEW Chain Lightning shapes
• An involving murder-mystery plot…based on actual events

Mosaic: Tomb of Mystery is produced by the development team at Reflexive Entertainment, responsible for popular and award-winning games such as Wik & The Fable of Souls, Big Kahuna Reef, and Ricochet Lost Worlds.

WorldWinner, one of the leaders in online game competitions, has announced a partnership with leading games developer MumboJumbo to develop online competitions in MumboJumbo’s popular puzzle game Luxor for cash and prizes. Luxor was one of the most downloaded games of 2005, compelling players to play repeatedly to achieve new levels and high scores. Since Luxor was introduced last year, the game has been downloaded tens of millions of times. Through this agreement, WorldWinner will give Luxor fans, as well as online gamers looking for a new challenge, a platform to prove their skills by competing against other players for cash and prizes.

Luxor is an action-puzzle game that takes players on an exciting adventure across the lands of ancient Egypt. Players must shoot magical spheres and destroy the approaching colored spheres by making matches of three before they reach the pyramids at the path’s end. Power-up talismans, such as explosive fireballs, thundering lightning bolts and magical multi-color spheres, are up for grabs to aid players in their quest.

“With a tremendous install base, and that easy-to-learn, but difficult to master quality that online gamers crave, Luxor is well positioned to become an instant favorite at WorldWinner,” said Stephen Killeen, president and CEO of WorldWinner. “Players who think no one can top their score in Luxor will now have an opportunity to prove it by competing at WorldWinner for cash and prizes.”

“Given the wild popularity of Luxor, which remains one of the most downloaded casual games week after week, we’re excited to work with WorldWinner to broaden the game’s appeal to an even larger audience,” said Ron Dimant, managing director, MumboJumbo. “Offering cash competitions in Luxor is guaranteed to elevate the level of fun to a whole new level.”

Luxor cash competitions in will be available at WorldWinner in the second quarter of 2006.

Jagged Blade Software is proud to announce their new shoot-em-up title, Mighty Rodent.

In the year 2056, hordes of alien invaders swarmed down upon the Earth. Its defenses were easily overcome. Most of its inhabitants fled in panic, and the rest were enslaved. But now there is hope. A hero has come forward: a hero of power, of stature, of pure meteoric strength. Yes, puny humans, your salvation is at hand! A Mighty Rodent is here!

Mighty Rodent puts you in command of the most deadly force known to man: a chain-gun wielding, cigar-chomping hamster. You must lead Sgt. Fluffles, Super Rodent, and his latest micro-high-tech weaponry through a meat grinder of flying saucers, giant robots and laser-wielding behemoths intent on frying his fur. As if that wasn’t enough, Fluffles will face off against an armada of gargantuan boss ships that dish out burning hailstorms of laser-based destruction.

“This year the world can enjoy a new breed of shooting game,” remarks Neil Yates, the Game Producer at Jagged Blade Software. “We tried to inject a little extra fun by having a theme that everyone can enjoy. I’m sure a lot of people are sick to death of seeing stars fly past in the background, so we’ve taken a completely new angle and tried something upbeat and funny. I definitely think we have succeeded. Mighty Rodent is intense but light-hearted fun.”

Download the free Mighty Rodent demo containing the first 7 levels.