June 27th 2011 8:00 am PT

Great lineup.  I only wish perhaps it was Firepro Wrestling instead of Toy Soldiers.

Overpriced as usual. Thank God for the holiday deals. See ya in december, From Dust

horrible lineup compared to previous years. From Dust and Bastion are the only interesting looking games there.

Can’t wait for From Dust and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.

Toy Soldiers will be mine, maybe Fruit Ninja as well.

No freebie for me this year. Not buying Fruit Ninja since I don’t have a Kinect.

No Ms. Splosion Man?

Seriously? I’m sorry, but those prices seem fair to me. With the exception of Fruit Ninja, If retail, they’d be 30 bucks.

You mean: if I pay for $70 in games, I get $15 back.  Wow .. I suddenly feel used.

You should be happy you’re getting money back in the first place. Be generous for that.

And thanks Microsoft for giving us money back when you don’t need too. Awesome lineup of games!

That is coming out July 13.

Not really a good move. What % of Live users have Kinect and like RPGs? I’ll just wait for deals later this year. 1200 points is too much for some titles.

Hmmph.  I don’t have a Kinect, and I’m certainly not going to buy one for blasted Fruit Ninja.  I’ll buy Crimson Alliance myself.  It’s not fair to single out 360 owners who don’t own Kinect, Microsoft.  Kinect Arcade games are fine, but don’t release them as part of events like this.

Fruit Ninja Kinect is the only one I’m interested in and I’ll still be taking a “wait and see” approach.

Insert: Over-Privileged, Self Entitled, Complaint Here. Full of angst, but lacking in simple business understanding and/or logic/reason. =)

Seriously though, this looks like a great line-up.  Can’t wait for Summer of Arcade, even if my wallet will feel a bit lighter afterward (because, you see, I am a grown up and am used to paying for things).
Also, getting Crimson Alliance is a pretty sweet deal, if you like the genre.

Nobody is forcing you to buy all the games. You’d spend just as much buying four of the 5 games + Crimson Alliance than if you bought all 5 and got Crimson Alliance for free – even less so if you bought less games (obviously). What’s the problem? Don’t buy games you don’t want – simple as that.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet sure seems interesting, it reminds me of the glass bubble parts of the first earthworm jim with a limbo twist!
but…

WE want Radiant Silvergun!! pleeeease, give us a date!!
(yes, WE. not out of egocentrism, but I bet there are a lot of other people waiting for this!!)

It’s 1 out of of 5 titles. Seriously dude, when businesses begin to attempt to completely cater to every customer’s specific situation simultaneously, the business is doomed to fail.
This is a nice nod to those of us that own a Kinect (and thusly have supported the business to a greater degree than those that do not).  Simple mathematics and marketing.

Man, the one arcade game I’m super excited for, doesn’t drop to August 17th? :/ I haven’t heard much about the other arcade games, but Toy Solders is a definite buy from me since the last Toy Solders was one of my favorite game for the Xbox Live arcade.

This is the best Summer of Arcade lineup I’ve seen yet, Bastion & From Dust in particular. Thanks MS. 

Damn these prices…but even at 1200pts i will buy Bastion and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. Will trial’d From Dust and will see if is worth it.

What ever happened to Sunset Riders? That would be great with 4 player co-op, I thought it was going to be a summer game.

Thanks for being the voice of reason Jeff. I’m all right with the pricing for the most part. 

As someone who doesn’t have Kinect, and has absolutely zero interest in Kinect….

I think it’s really stupid sticking a kinect game into the summer arcade… even more stupid is including said kinect game in the deal to get the freebie…

Last year i effectively bought 4 games and got the fifth free, with the ‘points back’ offer…. this year i will get nothing… therefor, no incentive to me to buy all the (non kinect) games

I’ve just gone from potentially buying 4 games, to only buying 1 (Bastion)

Maybe i’ll pick up some of the others a few months down the line when they inevitably get reduced in some sale

And how about releasing Trenched in Europe?

Just think about it: even if you don’t own Kinect, but are planning to buy the four others anyway, would you rather spend 800pts on a game you can’t play and receive a free game or spend 1200pts for the latter?

Common sense, anyone?

I might get From Dust but the 1200 Banana Dollars prices are a little off putting. If I had a kinect though fruit Ninja would be a must have.

Don’t like the fact that I would have to buy a Kinect only game to get the freebie. I don’t own nor want a kinect so I guess I’m out on that freebie. Bastion and From Dust look pretty great though!

Ooh, Major – EUROPE wants TRENCHED!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks like there’s a few titles in there I may be interested in. I’d definetley get Fruit Ninja if I had a Kinect.

I wants me some Bastion and Fruit Ninja Kinect nowwwww.

Will they all be available in the EU, or will we stumble on one game?

Still waiting fro Trenched.

XBLA is getting really lame. For every Shadow Complex, there are 3 dozen lame puzzle games and a few twin stick shooters that add nothing to the arcade. From Dust is the only game here that is mildly interesting to me.

[...] Tweet  XBLA Summer of Arcade Titles Priced, Dated // Microsoft confirmed this year’s Summer of Arcade lineup at this year’s E3, and now we get to know just how much they’ll cost and when they’re due out thanks to a post from Major Nelson. [...]

Oh I see, because you don’t have Kinect, those that do shouldn’t have titles added.  Dude, shutup and stop being such a baby.

The prices are highly unfortunate.  The free game only helps if you’re willing to buy something like Fruit Ninja.

I’ll be waiting for Ms. Splosion Man.

I’ll be waiting for Ms. Splosion Man.

[...] Major Nelson has just put up the pricing and dates for this years Summer of Arcade promotion that will run on the Xbox Live Marketplace from July 20th to August 17th. The promotion kicks off with the really interesting-looking action-RPG Bastion, and then continues with Eric Chahi’s From Dust. Sporting of Microsoft to get the two games I’m anticipating the most out of the way at the start. The other games that will be going up are: Insanely Twister Shadow Planet, Fruit Ninja Kinect and Toy Soldiers: Cold War. All of the games (except for Fruit Ninja Kinect) will retail for 1,200 Microsoft points. [...]

[...] [Major Nelson] Tags: From Dust, Fruit Ninja, lista, Summer Of Arcade, xbox live [...]

I’ll definitely be getting Ms. Splosion Man on the 13th. Bastion looks interesting, but I’ll have to give the trial a go before purchase (same with Fruit Ninja).

[...] Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) has announced the dates and prices for this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion on Xbox Live Arcade. The [...]

Killing me with these prices..

Killing me with these prices..

Craptastic.

Yeah, I didn’t notice that at first, but that is pretty weird. I have a feeling the free game will be about the quality of Unbound Saga at 1200 pintos.

[...] Xbox Live’s Major Nelson » Summer of Arcade dates and prices Posted in Uncategorized http://majornelson.com/2011/06/27/summer-of-arcade-dates-and-prices/ [...]

I appreciate it!  Yeah, I am all for games being priced at 400-800 points, like they were 4 years ago, but we also have to take into account that MOST of the games at the 1500msp price point are MUCH larger/better quality than those that came before. 

The Internet Generation forgets that complaining online changes Nothing, but voting with your wallet Does.

High prices are high.  Was hoping for one 800pt game in the lot of the 4 games I’m interested in.

I wish they’d fix/patch the first Toy Soldiers already
Damn Rocketman achievement

If they do that I’ll gladly plop down the cash for the sequel

[...] So&#117rce: Major Nelso&#110 [...]

[...] Major Nelson Tags: Bastion, crimson alliance, From Dust, Fruit Ninja, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, Summer [...]

Why does it have to be “buy all five”? Can’t it be buy four? Because it’s not buy all five, is it? It’s “buy all five and a Kinect” and since I can play Child of Eden with a controller, that’s not going to happen for a long time yet.

Not a fan of these Arcade promos anymore, it used to be fun but now it’s just “HEY HERE’S ONE GAME A WEEK FOR A MONTH, THE STUFF YOU ACTUALLY WANT WON’T BE OUT UNTIL SEPTEMBER AT LEAST”.

Great only have to wait 2 more months for Toy Soldiers ….. I just knew they would put it last,Go xbox marketing

[...] [źródło] [...]

[...] via Major Nelson [...]

 Would be nice to play it in Game Room – especially since it’s shown as being available for purchase… 

MS is really starting to put the squeeze on its customers, I’ve noticed it more and more and am getting more and more turned off the franchise as a whole.

All five is too much, especially (MOST especially) because there is a Kinect game in there.  Not everyone has a Kinect, not everyone wants one, not everyone can afford one, this is MS yet again segregating its customer base.  If this year’s annual Summer or Arcade was buy three instead of five, I’d probably go in on the offer without second thought or hesitation, even at buy four there would be a chance of my getting involved, but at five, the chances would be slim, and with the Kinect game in there, they are nill.

I have not yet looked into any of the games but Toy Soldiers, however chances are that the other three 1200msp games are not all worth that price.  The 1200msp price has been put on way too many games that should not be at that price.

I might have considered jumping on the Crimson Alliance promotion…but you made one of the titles a Kinect only title, so…pass.  As it stands, Bastion is probably the only game Ill actually get.

How is that cheevo broken?  I got it no problem.

With the exception of Toy Soldiers: Cold War, every single other game has received high praise.  I think the only reason why Toy Soldiers: Cold War hasn’t is because the tower defense genre is getting a little over done.

[...] and prices were previously unavailable. Now Major Nelson, Xbox’s resident mouthpiece, has let slip the dates and points pricing for each of the five available titles. Thanks, Larry. “Yo! [...]

As I said, I have not looked into anything regarding the other games.  I loved the first TS and cannot wait for the next one.  It is going by averages of past XBLA games that were set at 1200msp that I say the chances are that not all of the other three will be worth the price.  As for high praise, I guess that’s where you look, I’ve seen people on both sides of the fence regarding all the games.

[...] this year’s Summer of Arcade promotion on XBLA. Earlier today, Major Nelson announced through his blog the dates and prices for all five titles and the bonus for buying all [...]

Interesting that the only game i’m interested in, is a $10 Kinect game that costs $0.99 on my Droid X. It’s going to cost me $9 to use my arms rather than my fingers?

Interesting that the only game i’m interested in, is a $10 Kinect game that costs $0.99 on my Droid X. It’s going to cost me $9 to use my arms rather than my fingers?

[...] Major Nelson Share: Categories: News, Xbox News Click here to cancel reply. Name [...]

I think it should be buy 4 games instead of 5 being 1 game is a Kinect game.O well I’m buying From Dust and maybe 2 others(Bastion,Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet) but From Dust is a must have for me.

[...] [...]

[...] majornelson.com [...]

[...] majornelson.com Tags: Aktion, Summer of Arcade, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Ähnliche Beiträge Summer of Arcade im [...]

Kinect Ownership is the new Xbox Live Gold Membership.

shame they are trying to shove in a kinect title into the summer of arcade (and what a title…fruit ninja? How about you idiots who actually like this go play with fisher price). Nevertheless, some of the titles look pretty decent and in the end I will at least have tried 4 of them

I’ll leave the same reply I did on TA:

My thought’s exactly; congrats MS for figuring out the new way to group your customers in order of importance to you.

And inb4 “A company liking it when you give them money is new?”:

This issue has nothing to do with that.  MS has its customer base being divided into different classes more and more, with much more privileges for some than others; this level of segregation is rare and puts MS in a class all its own when compared to other gaming communities.

oh, and while Crimson Alliance looks awesome, with Fruit Ninja in that list, you seriously don’t expect ANYONE to pay for all 5 games? Either they are the “special” audience that only want fruit ninja, or they only want the real games.

wait, you even NEED kinect to be eligible for the free game. Fuck you Microsoft.

I remember when Summer of Arcade consisted of 400 and 800 point games with a 1200 thrown in for the game everyone is waiting for.

OW HOLLY MOTHER!!!! FINALY!!!! ABOUT TIME MAN…. and… are you people trying to get rich with a single sale?

[...] Major Nelson has announced a new promotional program for Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Live Summer of Arcade program, which [...]

How about, for everyone who buys four games, they get five games free!Crash Course
Dash of Destruction
Harms Way
Space Giraffe
Yaris

That seems fair.  No one can complain about that, can they?

Funny how the prices of arcade games keep rising but the general content stays the same or gets worse(here’s looking at you DaggerFail). Only game i actually want is Crimson Alliance, and im not about to buy five titles at a total of 5,600 msp.
 On a side note, i guess us regular people without kinects are not invited to your summer of arcade party, good way to discriminate Micro$oft.

[...] has finally taken the lid off the details of the XBLA Summer of Arcade 2011. The festivities kick-off this year on July 20th with Bastion, [...]

Those prices do need to come down. Getting ridiculous when 1200 becomes the norm. I still remember when 800 was too much.

Major – same grumble as a few other comments, it unfair to have a kinect game as part of the promotion

im only buying Toy Soldiers ill pass on the rest

Also when is Avatar Fire Pro wrestling coming to XBLA ?

I don’t get it. Those are all great games.

[...] need to have a Kinect if you plan on getting your money’s worth out of Fruit Ninja. Thanks to Major Nelson for setting me [...]

[...] Source – Major Nelson [...]

I find it funny that there are more quality games released this year on the xbla then Microsoft has released this year in retail….

Wish you guys would take the time to really focus on improving the gaming portion of your console instead of the family side of your console.

Listen to all you moan… you don’t have to buy any of it.. vote with your wallets, and MS will take notice.

I don’t know why people think 1,200 is the norm for XBLA games. Of the games released this year, there’s been more than twice as many released at 800 as there have been at 1,200. 800 is the most common price point on Xbox Live by a long way and still is.

Last year, all of the Summer of Arcade titles were 1,200. The year before, all of them were 1,200 apart from 1, which was 800 (the same as this year). The year before that, which was the year Summer of Arcade started, there were 2 1,200 point games and 3 800 point games, so to the guy that says “I can remember when Summer of Arcade was all 400 and 800 point games” – no, you don’t remember that because it just didn’t happen, lol.

I don’t own Kinect, so Fruit Ninja is no use to me, but to the person saying that nobody will buy all 5 – of course they will. If you buy 4 of the games, you might as well buy the 800 point Fruit Ninja if you want the 1,200 point Crimson Alliance for free, even if you can’t play Fruit Ninja, because it works out cheaper by 400 points.

[...] a Kinect? No? Well then, this years Summer of Arcade promotion doesn’t matter to you, because Microsoft saw fit to include Fruit Ninja, a Kinect-only title, [...]

I am one the people that doesn’t have a kinect and i believe that the bonus should be changed. Is the incentive to just have the customer end up getting a game they won’t be able to play to get the bonus game at a discount? last summer of arcade, if a player got 3 out of the 5 games they got 400 mp, and if they got 5 out of 5 they got 800, why not make it easier and change it to 4 out of 5 to get the bonus since microsoft is trying something new including a very hardware specific game, to a minority of game players. However they do need arcade names, they shouldn’t be required for bonuses imo.

are these the american summer of arcade dates cuase its the 28th here i aus and i cant find from dust

are these the american summer of arcade dates cuase its the 28th here i aus and i cant find from dust

july

[...] Source: http://majornelson.com/2011/06/27/summer-of-arcade-dates-and-prices/ VN:F [1.9.9_1125]please wait…Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)VN:F [1.9.9_1125]Rating: 0 (from 0 votes) Loading… var MarketGidDate = new Date(); document.write(''); var _CI = _CI || {}; (function() { _CI.counter = (_CI.counter) ? _CI.counter + 1 : 1; document.write(''); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.type = 'text/javascript'; script.src = 'http://widget.crowdignite.com/widgets/600?_ci_wid=_CI_widget_'+_CI.counter; script.async = true; document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0].appendChild(script); })(); /* [...]

[...] and prices were previously unavailable. Now Major Nelson, Xbox’s resident mouthpiece, has let slip the dates and points pricing for each of the five available titles. Thanks, Larry. “Yo! [...]

Really? 

Summer of Arcade 2008:———————————Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 – 800 MPBraid – 800 MPBionic Commando: Rearmed – 800 MPGalaga Legions – 800 MPCastle Crashers – 1200 MP
Summer of Arcade 2009:———————————Marvel vs. Capcom 2 – 1200 MPTrials HD – 1200 MP’Splosion Man – 800 MPShadow Complex – 1200 MPTMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled – 800 MP
Summer of Arcade 2010:———————————Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – 1200 MPHydro Thunder Hurricane – 1200 MPLara Croft and the Guardian of the Light – 1200 MPLimbo – 1200 MPMonday Night Combat – 1200 MP
The Summer of Aracde has never been below 800 MP and in every year of the SoA there has been a 1200 MP game.

It’s great that you have fond memories of the Summer of Arcade including 400 MP games, but unfortunately the reality is it never did.

I didn’t imply any of them were of poor quality.  I just suggested giving those games away for free.

Must have been that alternate reality I keep hearing about.

You do not need a kinect to buy the game, given you wont be able to play it, but you could still pay and download it for the promotion. saving you 400 microsoft points if you had planned to buy the other games anyways.

@twitter-168949610:disqus Buy Fruit Ninja anyways; its cheaper than Crimson Alliance, and if you planned on getting the others anyhow…

They are free aren’t they? I got all of them free except Space Giraffe, which I didnt know it existed. I also got Hexic and An underwater game which I forgot what is called.

Im just glad Fruit Ninja Kinect is 800 because that’s the only game I’m buying and waiting for, lol I thought it was going to be 1200, phew

Yes.

Hexic you have free because of your HDD (it was included on it), Under Tow was offered as a free download for the Christmas 2007 Xbox LIVE incident, and Carcassone was offered as a free download for Xbox LIVEs 5th Anniversary (if you were a member then and downloaded it during the limited time offer).

Fruit Ninja Kinect!!! Totally can’t wait for it. It’s the only other game I  play on my #windowsphone , soon to be #angrybirds ,very very soon !

[...] | MajorNelson Categories: Noticias, Xbox 360 Tags: Summer of Arcade 2011 Comparte la entrada: [...]

thanks

i wish it came sooner

[...] on his Major Nelson blog, Xbox Live programming director Larry Hryb provided the Summer of Arcade breakdown: July 20 [...]

[...] download. So, as any good spokesperson would do, he recently revealed that information on his blog. Here’s the [...]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

no.

How about selling my Kinect and cancelling Gold membership?  ’cause that’s what I just did!

[...] Nelson has revealed on his blog, this year’s Xbox Lives Summer of Arcade games and when you can expect them and how much they [...]

[...] and prices were previously unavailable. Now Major Nelson, Xbox’s resident mouthpiece, has let slip the dates and points pricing for each of the five available titles. Thanks, Larry. “Yo! [...]

SORRY, REGULAR PRICED DOWNLOADS DON’T EXACTLY COUNT AS “SWEET DEALS” HALF-OFF IS A SWEET DEAL, SORT OF.

AGREE WITH THE EARLIER comment. If you don’t have KINECT then you’re not eligible to receive the promo. That’s not really fair.

[...] Vía | Major Nelson [...]

Really? just because somone happened to buy a kinect means they have supported the business more than I have? That’s bull.  I’ve bought 3 xbox 360s from the elite, the special ff13 edition one and the kinect ready 250g. None of those 360 has cost me less than 399.99 plus tax thats over 1,200 dollars alone. I have over thirty 360 titles at least half of those i have bought at full price for 60 dollars. I have 20 arcade/indie titles spread over my 3 systems and i couldnt even begin to tell you how much ive spent on microsoft points in the last 2 months alone. So please explain to me how the average person who just happened to buy a kinect because it looks “cool” supports microsoft more than i already have? Also, im pretty sure the majority of 360 owners do not have a kinect. So how is appealing to the minority while excluding the majority smart marketing exactly?

Some great games here.  I’m with you on pricing.  There’s no real reason to play any of these on day one so I’m going to wait until the inevitable sales.

I did cancel my gold membership, but I made the smart move of not buying kinect in the first place

[...] time for the summer of Bastion!!! Oops, I meant the annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. In case you missed it, here’s the schedule for Microsoft’s downloadable summer [...]

[...] | Major Nelson En Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

[...] we can only spend that hack’n slash . So you know, if you like the idea, go ahead. Track | Major Nelson Kotaku | E3 2011: Summer of Xbox Live Arcade. Promotional video and list of games that make up [...]

[...] | Major Nelson En Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

[...] Vía | Major Nelson [...]

Echoing the sentiments of several other commenters: Fruit Ninja Kinect should not be considered a part of the requirement to get Crimson Alliance. The space where I play games is unsuitable for Kinect, so obviously I’m not going to buy a game I can’t play…even if the math works out that I’d still get Crimson Alliance at a discount by doing so.

It’s simply unfair to offer a promotion that only benefits a minority of people on XBL…because even though Kinect has sold 10mil+, it’s still not even close to the total of XBL players. Obviously, this type of promo seems cheaper for MS to implement, since the subset of Kinect users who buy all 5 games will be even smaller than the total Kinect population, therefore they would have fewer copes of CA to give away. However, they’d probably make more money buy altering the promo where a much larger group might take advantage (including me).

They don’t have to drop the current promo, just offer an additional one for us non-Kinect players. If we buy all 4 other titles, give us CA for a discount at least. I know it’d be the same as if you just buy FNK, but why would I want a game I can’t play taking up space on my HDD?

And no, I’m not implying that if this doesn’t come to pass, I’ll boycott the other fine games in protest. I’m just expressing my disappointment at the current promo. I plan to buy the other 4 games (especially looking forward to Bastion) regardless. Just hoping Major Nelson will pass this and other similar sentiments on to whomever makes these decisions. Not holding my breath…but you never know.

[...] | Major Nelson En Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

Wish there was a partial deal for buying three of the games like there was last summer….

Wish there was a partial deal for buying three of the games like there was last summer….

[...] | Major Nelson En Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

[...] | Major Nelson En Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

Low move making a Kinect game one of the titles you must buy to get the free game. I already got Fruit Ninja on iOS like the rest of the world. I been using my PS3 more and more because I have grown so tired of MS trying to force Kinect down our throats. And now they have the nerve to put the phrase “Better with Kinect” on some our beloved titles? Better eh…I don’t think so.

[...] Nelson, Director of Programing for Xbox Live, announced yesterday the official release dates and prices for this year’s Xbox Live Summer of Arcade [...]

[...] | Major NelsonEn Vidaextra | E3 2011: Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Vídeo promocional y lista de los juegos que [...]

Yeah but Space Giraffe has never been free. Or ever discounted. Which by now it REALLY should have been

I remember when Jeff Minter had a hissy fit over his Tempest remake not selling anywhere near as well as a FROGGER port, it was hilarious!

AND THAT WAS IN 2007.

Yeah but Space Giraffe has never been free. Or ever discounted. Which by now it REALLY should have been

I remember when Jeff Minter had a hissy fit over his Tempest remake not selling anywhere near as well as a FROGGER port, it was hilarious!

AND THAT WAS IN 2007.

Did I not say give it away for free?

Buy four of the games in the Summer of Arcade 2011 and you get the five games I listed for free.

Agreeing with everyone who’s unhappy about getting fucked over cause they don’t have Kinect. 

Making my own deal: Not buying any of the Summer of Arcade games this year, and I’ll use the points I saved to buy Crimson Alliance when it comes out.

[...] Major Nelson ha diffuso i prezzi ed i tempi relativi ai giochi che saranno rilasciati quest’estate sul marketplace di Xbox Live. [...]

[...] Xbox Live Arcade som kommer lyftas fram under lika många veckor i sommaren är, och nu så har Major Nelson även gått ut med vilka datum och priser som [...]

[...] promotion is always a hit with a strong marketing push from Microsoft. Major Nelson has recently updated his blog with the date and prices of each game coming out. They also always include a bonus for buying each [...]

It is not just non-Kinect owners who are upset with this marketing ploy. I own a Kinect and 5 360s. This is a continuing trend by Microsoft. There actions have become more shady then ever and Kinect has made them worse. What is the new feature they are bragging about? Oh…how you can use Kinect to interact with advertising! It is bad enough that I pay for a service only to be bombarded by ads. There should be Zero advertising on Live if you are a Gold member. Heck…PSN is free and is completely void of advertising. Microsoft is going away from games and more towards “owning the living room” they want to control when and how you view content. They got ONE exclusive this year which is Gears of War 3. They continue to act as if Call of Duty is only on the 360. Did you watch this years E3? It was worse then last years. MS fails to realize that the so-called casual gamer does not watch E3. Microsoft has no clue what to do with Kinect.

You are whining about whiners which is moronic. Can’t tolerate others opinions you should probably stay off the internet. But no…you need wave you brand loyalty flag like a delusional fanboy.

Nice of you to make sweeping generalizations about all who have complained, Ambrose. As I said previously, I don’t plan on avoiding the other games because of this poorly implemented plan by MS. I fully intend to buy the other 4 games.

Now open your eyes and read slowly if you must, I CANNOT get Kinect to function in my current game space…just too small of an open area. If I could make it work, believe me I would have Kinect, as many people in my same predicament would. So I’m not “whining” by stating a simple fact…I WANT Kinect but unfortunately it won’t be in the cards anytime soon. So stfu with your condescending remarks.

You need to chill with the holier-than-thou attitude and realize that no matter how successful Kinect is, the majority of XBL players DO NOT OWN Kinect and are thus shut out of this deal. It’s a shameful marketing ploy and frankly a slap in the face to non-Kinect players on XBL. Up until this point, MS has had some kind of deal for SoA that was inclusive of ALL players on XBL…there was no limiting factor as there is now.

Perhaps, Davis, the fact that Microsoft has released a major piece of hardware they’d like to make standard is the reason that this precedent is occurring and will continue to do so. There has never been another limiting factor like this in the 360′s history. And given the success of Kinect, it’s not a surprise.

My point is not directed at you. It’s directed at the people who are so offended that they’ll only buy 1 or 2 games, as they’d originally planned before hearing about the free game. Not people who, like me, are interested in a full 80% of the SoA offering. If you’d still like to get 4 games, great. And if the 400MSP difference is such a problem, grab Fruit Ninja anyway and hold onto it. The Nyko Zoom launches later this year to cut down the space required to use Kinect – if you’re actually interested in Kinect, then maybe that’s a worthwhile investment.

So you’re pissed off because, despite the fact that you’ve got a Kinect, there’s a Kinect game in the offerings? I’m sure you won’t mind my asking how that makes sense. Yes, I can understand your annoyance at the inclusion of advertising – believe me, I’m not particularly enthralled by the idea of advertising on the service, and never have been. But I’ve learnt to ignore it: after all, it’s a business, and they’re doing what all businesses do: making money.

And yes, I did happen to watch E3. Loads of Kinect. Point being? Yes, casual offerings – but pretty sure I saw some Kinect in there for core gamers too. Voice recognition in Mass Effect 3? Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to support it? Fact is, Microsoft is a business – and their new toy, no matter how much core gamers may not like it, has sold over 10 million units and has and will broaden the 360′s install base considerably. They will continue to push it as long as it’s successful – after all, they’re a business. Try running one. Then you might, maybe, understand how money works.

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For anyone who is an Xbox LIVE Reward member, this month (July) you will be rewarded 200 MP for every two games you purchase over 800 MP each.

So purchase two of the Summer of Arcade games, plus two other games over 800 MP and you’ll get 400 MP back. This even applies to games that are on sale, as long as the sale price is 800 MP or higher.

What the hell is a ‘Reward’ member?

It’s been rolled out, yeah Microsoft likes rolling around in their filth.

Yeah, I’m a better MS customer cause I pay for Gold, but I’m still not that good of a customer cause I live in Canada, once again the crux of the issue is MS’s segregation of it’s customers; I understand it is common for availability to vary by region, but in this case it’s simply another log on the fire.

Ambrose why would i buy fruit ninja for the Kinect? I don’t have a Kinect. Also, to address your statement about the discount as a consumer why would we support a decision we are against? If we “whiners” all bought fruit ninja we’d contradicting our statements with our actions…Enlighten me as to how that makes sense? That’s right!!! It makes no sense!!!!! If you took a second to get off your hypocritical non-sensical high horse you would realize this. and yes i know “sensical” is not a word but it works.

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