Microsoft reveals Summer XBLA slate at PAX East @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on March 27, 2010

News: Hydrophobia, Hydro Thunder 2, Snoopy Flying Ace and more will be on hand at PAX East.

Microsoft has used this weekend's PAX East show to blow the lid off of their Summer slate of Xbox Live Arcade titles.

While the XBLA had previously been focused on smaller arcade-style or retro games, the games Microsoft has in the works for Summer 2010 definitely appear bigger than XBLA games ever have before. Some, like Snoopy Flying Ace and Hydrophobia, even began their development life as retail disc-based games.

Other games Microsoft plans to show off include Hydro Thunder Hurricane, a sequel to the cult favorite Hydro Thunder, and Monday Night Combat, a mash-up of Smash TV and Team Fortress 2.

In total, the company will have eight games at PAX East. So if you're in Boston for the show, head down to the XBLA Booth (#811) and check out the following games:

Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley
A 2.5D action shooter with a comic book vibe from developer Twisted Pixel.

Hydro Thunder Hurricane
Hydro Thunder Hurricane is an all new, adrenaline pumping sequel to the legendary Arcade hit Hydro Thunder!

This XBLA title is bigger, better and more beautiful than ever. Dynamic water physics drives intense moment-to-moment gameplay on ever-changing, water-based tracks. With gorgeously rendered visuals and over-the-top themed environments, Hydro Thunder Hurricane delivers adrenaline fueled water-based racing.

Hydrophobia
Hydrophobia is set in the near future when the world has become massively over-populated, and takes place onboard the УQueen of the WorldФ, a city sized ship which sails the globe and is home to the wealthy elite.

As systems engineer Kate Wilson, you must use every tool lower decks of the great vessel. An epic back story reveals the rise of Malthusian politics as all eyes look to NanoCell, one of the Founding Fathers of the great vessel, who has vowed to develop the technology which will feed the burgeoning human population.

Limbo
Limbo, a black and white puzzle-platforming adventure, puts players in the role of a young boy traveling through an eerie and treacherous world in an attempt to discover the fate of his sister.

Monday Night Combat
Monday Night Combat is a class-based, third-person shooter and the most popular lethal sport of the future! It blends intense combat, finishing moves, and gameshow-like challenges and rewards to produce an action experience. Players who drive the fans wild and catch the eye of corporate sponsors will win cash and prizes that can be used to upgrade their weapons and their defenses. Why fight for УhonorФ or УdutyФ when you can fight for the real American dream: cash, fame and endorsements?

Raskulls
Raskulls is a bone-shakingly crazy action platformer for Xbox Live Arcade! Enjoy the adventures of the huge cast of mischievous characters in the single player Mega Quest and individual Grand Prix racing matches, or online around the world with Raskulls Multiplayer. Jump, fall, swim and bash your way through a massive variety of levels and enjoy every inch of the rich Raskulls world!

Snoopy Flying Ace
You can't have aerial dogfighting without the dog! Join Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang in the premier online flight shooter on Xbox Live Arcade. With simple flight controls and a hangar full of customizable planes and weapons, all you need are nerves of steel to climb the leaderboards and become a Flying Ace!

Snoopy Flying Ace takes addictive, fast-paced airborne combat to new heights, with fantastic solo and co-op challenges that will test your skills against the Flying Circus of the dreaded Red Baron. Remember, it ain't the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!

Microsoft will also use PAX East to showcase the currently available Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers, which was published by Wizards of the Coast.

We'll have more soon.