14 DAY TRIAL // It appears Microsoft is taking a break for making up that previously announced insane XBLA quota of 160 titles till the end of the year. I wouldn't say they're right on schedule, but I guess they know better. This week saw the release of four new picture packs for Ninja Bee's Cloning Clyde at 100 Microsoft Points ($1.25) each. Fresh blood is expected next week, as the arcade releases resume on August 23 at 6pm EST with the long awaited Texas Hold 'em' poker title.
Over the past few months there has been a lot of speculation regarding pricing on this one. The good news is that the game will freely be available for download in the first 48 hours. As for the bad news - after that, the game will cost 800 Microsoft points ($10). Long live the middle ground!
Texas Hold 'em' has a new feature called Persistent Bankroll. The virtual bankroll is tied to your Xbox Live Gamertag in order to keep track of your chip count. Similar to real world situations, should you lose all your chips in a poker game, you'll have to make up for it by playing lower stakes games and earn your way back to the big tables. Texas Hold 'em' offers multiplayer support for up to eight players within the Standard Games, Scenarios and Tournaments gameplay modes. Achievements, online leaderboards, statistics, and high-definition graphics will keep you and your friends busy for a while.
Microsoft also revealed their XBLA plans for the next two weeks. August 30 shall feature a port of Konami's classic game Time Pilot, along with high-definition graphics and "enhanced gameplay". To follow suit on September 6 is Konami's 1981 arcade side scrolling shooter Scramble. Both games will cost 400 Microsoft points each ($5).