July 4th 2012 6:00 am PT

Arcade: Spelunky

Content: Spelunky
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Availability: Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region
Dash Text: Spelunky is a unique platformer with randomized levels that offer a new and challenging experience each time you play! Journey deep underground and explore fantastic places filled with monsters, traps, and treasure. Fully-destructible environments open up lots of strategies and make it a blast to master the game’s many secrets.

Add the game trial tor you Xbox 360 download queue

Marketplace By Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson

permalink: http://majornelson.com/2012/07/04/arcade-spelunky/

http://www.facebook.com/stefangabbert Stefan Gabbert

My console froze when i teleported myself into a wall. Good to have these issues in the demo to avoid paying overpriced 15 bucks for a indygame. Thanks
- http://twitter.com/seekul Luke Es | sE ekuL
  
  As a rule I recommend not teleporting yourself into walls.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000246156966 Victoria Crissman

Thanks for saving me the time, Stefan…
cozmod

Just because it’s an indie game doesn’t mean it’s of lesser quality or value. There are also big budget AAA games that ship with their share of bugs and setbacks. If it’s a persistent problem I’m sure it will be fixed.
- http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf
  
  I was reading an article recently, please MS staff correct me if this is wrong, but it stated developers are charged $40,000 per title update. If this doesn’t take off would they even be able to afford it?
  
  Yes, big budget games also ship with glitches, but big budget games can afford to.
  
  Have to say though I’ve not run into that specific glitch myself.
  - medveten
    
    Well, that’s a truth with heavy modifications (Valbve crying as usual while scamming their customers).
    When you release a game, you get to make 3-5 FREE normal updates, and any number of free Critical fixes/hotfixes to make teh game playable. After you’ve released those, you got to pay to release more patches…or just release a DLC. For each DLC you get another 3-5 new “free” patches (number of free patches depend on title/popularity).
    
    So yes, if you fail miserably at coding, but not so much that it breaks the game, it will cost you. Especially if you release no DLC, which is unlikely these days…
    Still, charging 1200 and having no online co-op/multiplayer, is both greedy, cheap and stupid imo. This deserves to crash and burn like that famous Horse armour ^^
    - http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf
      
      I bought the horse armour!
      
      I was young and naive. Plus it looked pretty.
      - http://twitter.com/Nitramuse Nitramuse
        
        Credits for letting the world know, you are the first to openly admit it as far as I know
http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf

Don’t understand the acclaim, I got an early code and have found it to be awful. Just awful.
Yet another mediocre “indie” platformer with too high a price point. The multiplayer isn’t even online! In 2012! Inexcusable.
#saynoto1200
- http://www.facebook.com/travis.tokaruk Travis Tokaruk
  
  Which is why it won the independent games festival, riiiiight.
  Spelunky is by no means a mediocre game, and its game-play is not suited for online play at all anyways.
  - http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf
    
    It didn’t win the whole festival, it was nominated for three IGF awards and won one of them for Excellence in Design.
    
    Okay, I don’t really like this game. I think the platforming is lacking. I think some of those “excellent” design choices are really questionable, I’ll concede it does looks nice, however it costs too much for what it is and isn’t online when it really should be.~
    Don’t tell me it’s “not suited” for online play, what works for you and a friend on your sofa works fine for you and a friend in two different locations.
    
    Although it is healthy to see such a split opinion among users, what is it with not being allowed to voice your like or dislike certain games?
    “YOUR OPINION DIFFERS FROM MINE, DOWNVOTE DOWNVOTE DOWNVOTE!”
    It’s pathetic.
    
    Everywhere I’ve been that’s had gamers talking about this game has had nearly a 50/50 like/dislike split. I suppose that makes it a must try. Thank goodness for XBLA demos, eh?
http://twitter.com/BubBobz neil

no online multiplayer? bah, i quite liked the look of it. probably not bother
- http://twitter.com/BubBobz neil
  
  i tried it, 1200 is a joke. worth 400 maybe
http://twitter.com/lochdoun Bry

15 dollars for this.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAA
Z4M0

I find the game itself fantastic; lots of things to love if you’ve been into games for at least 20 or 30 years. Bits from boulder dash, manic miner, mario…

Problem here is that IT’S OVERPPRICED. Why ? well, there is no online code at all here, nor regular updating compromise (like Meatboy’s extra levels or minecraft stuff…) so to be FAIR this at best should be 800 MSP.

But labeling it at 1200 mps they will still sell it at 800 msp when discounted at DOTW or other promotion instead of having to sell it at 400 when it will reah its sale time. Pathetic effort to get what they want even if it’s in the long run, if you asked me.
- http://www.facebook.com/travis.tokaruk Travis Tokaruk
  
  Considering the free PC version has been available for so long, the price is not that unreasonable. The developer has also thrown in a lot of new things in the game that surprised me, so it’s not just a lazy port and it feels good to finally support his hard work. I’m sure it will come down in price eventually anyways.
  
  Played Coop with one other friend today and we had a lot of fun. Can’t imagine the chaos with more players though. The lack of online doesn’t really bug me, the game is hard enough without some random online jerk knocking you out with his whip and then throwing your body at monsters.
  - Captiosus
    
    “The lack of online doesn’t really bug me, the game is hard enough
    without some random online jerk knocking you out with his whip and then
    throwing your body at monsters.”
    
    Yeah, see, that’s why there’s PRIVATE matches. While I realize they went through a lot of work to make the old stylized “16-bit” graphics in line with a more modern arcade release, not including the option of online co-op just feels lazy and makes this, at best, an 800MSP release, not a 1200 one.
    
    Would Castle Crashers have been as popular if it had been LOCAL co-op only? Probably not. Developers, even indie ones, need to remember that the average age of gamers is well into adulthood and providing ONLY local co-op for multiplayer is a HINDRANCE.
    - http://twitter.com/ENich1 E.Nich
      
      I don’t mind about co-op in this game. But even if it had, it’s still overpriced.
    - http://twitter.com/boe2BE Boe2
      
      Come on now. Local co-op is the ONLY correct way to play Castle Crashers :p
Flawless

i actually liked the demo,wouldve bought it if its 10$ or less.
Jason King

Great gameplay, awful, horrendous music, ridiculously priced.
Wait for a sale.
http://www.thetjhzone.blogspot.com/ Tylerh1701

Spent a few hours with it and I think it’s just OK. I just can’t find a lot of fun in it, anything that seems even relatively cool to explore or do almost always ends up in death. (for example, stealing from the shopkeeper).
http://twitter.com/Navarin Buster Wolf

No blog post about it but if you have a Windows Phone 7 then a nice little game called Mush came out on Wednesday too. I thoroughly enjoyed it and suggest you try it.
Assassin X

This is typical MS pricing. Most arcade games are about 50%-75% higher then they should be. Its why when a game is half off on Arcade people think they are getting a deal when the truth is they are still paying full price for it, because the “sale” price is what it should have been in the first place.

Also Demand games are about 2x-4x higher then the game itself would be to buy on disc. Example, look at Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. They want $30 for it despite the fact I can but it for $20 at the store new. Heck I can get it for $3 used! The pricing for everything is ridiculous. They gouge us for Live itself and every other thing they can. Its why I know they care about money first and not the customers.

MS tries to say Demand games are more because you download them, as if thats amazing or even worth it. Why would I want to download a game that takes up space? Or better yet download one that I can’t play unless online or unless my 360 works. What happens 5 years from now when the new Xbox comes out? Oh thats right, I lose out on my “demand” games.

I’ll take a disc that I can use at any time without worry about DRM stuff or being online or being on a hard drive.
::end rant::
- http://www.facebook.com/mike.tambone.18 Mike Tambone
  
  your first comment above is pretty obvious… they do that with everything.. clothes. food. electronics.. when they all go on sale that is the normal price……………………… whats your point..
  - Assassin X
    
    Point is they are not some small mom & pops company. Microsoft makes billions if not more from everything they have done through history. And yet they have higher prices. Why? If you have so much can’t you give a little back? Or at least can’t they have honest prices?
    
    Alot of us went through the whole RROD thing, so we spent alot of money. And they do not even have the decency to have fair prices. I go to my friends house and on the Playstation+ Network most of the same games are cheaper or they have free ones.
    
    Also its known fact (I think the article was on OXM, it came directly from a mareking person at MS) MS admits to raising prices. Many developers have complained that no matter the price they ask for, MS wants it higher. And essentially you have to submit to the price MS wants or the reject your game. This is why we pretty much NEVER see free software or DLC. DLC is another thing developers complain about. Ms wants DLC to cost money so they can take a slice. They rarley let developers release free DLC unless they pay MS big amounts to let it be free which defeats the purpose.
    
    Its why many developers, more so for arcade have not come back. If I recall there was a popular game (Super Meatboy?) that was going to make a sequel. But they said in an interview they didn’t want to release it on Xbox since it was a hassle.
    
    So yes, MS is a bad company. Luckily I’ve pretty much given on gaming. I have no plans on buying the next gen Xbox for many reasons:
    1. The mentioned above thing about prices.
    2. It will focused on stupid things like cable tv or kinect.
    3. I hate paying for Gold, why do they charge us to play online? I can play the same game on my computer for free!
    
    Of course I know the counter-arguments for this the free online is “Well they charge for services like FB…etc”. Not true. I owned the original Xbox 360 and when you bought it on the side of the box (or maybe it was the paperwork) it showed the diffrences between Silver and Gold.And basically the only thing listed on Gold that was not on Silver was the online gaming. So thats ALL you were paying for. But now they try and use the excuse its for other things to.
    
    Which even if they want to go that route, I could care less about Apps on the Xbox. Or movies. Or sports…or anything really. I use it to game and thats it. If I want to do other things I have a computer, Ipad…etc.
http://www.facebook.com/dintaylor Din Taylor

I like the game but it’s a little too much for 1200 points. I would have got it instantly if it was 800 . I gotta make way for the Summer of Arcade.
http://www.facebook.com/dintaylor Din Taylor

Ok I take it back I kept on playing the Trial version more and more and decided to get it.I haven’t played the multi-player yet but I don’t expect much from it. I did try the free pc version before I made my purchase but it just didn’t fly with me.

Overall good game and I am looking forward to the Dungeon Fighter Live coming next week.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Alice-Lockhart/100000438939703 Alice Lockhart

I don’t like this (overpriced) game =S… I would like to see “The Binding of Isaac” instead of this =/.

July 4th 2012 6:00 am PT

Arcade: Spelunky

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