It’s only $US5, which considering that it lets you create many different types of game, is a pretty good deal.

Kodu comes with some basic single and multiplayer game modes includes, as well as a world builder, along with some simple tools to create AI and programming commands.

Sure, it’s not as pretty or as stylish as LittleBigPlanet, but then, it’s only $US5.

Kotaku AU Note: It’s also unfortunately not available in Australia as the Community Games channel is still limited to North America.

Meet Grapple Buggy, an upcoming Xbox Live Community Games title that reaches deep within the psyche to reference fondly remembered games like Bionic Commando and Blaster Master, with a little Contra-esque alien design.

Boutique developer Mommy’s Best Games—also responsible for the award-winning Community Games title Weapon of Choice—describes Grapple Buggy’s gameplay as a “sumptuous blend of buggy-driving craziness and grapple swinging glee,” which sounds almost as appealing as battling “terrifying xeno-fauna.” But the game’s debut trailer, showing off Grapple Buggy in motion, says more than any press release could hope to.

Based on the spectacular look of the Grapple Buggy and its clear attempts to tickle the portions of our brains that house fond NES memories, we’re keeping an eye on this one. Officially, it’s due to hit this Winter.

Clover may look like a game painted by the hand of a child, but underneath its simplistic look lies a game riddled with political and historical references inspired by the events that led to the Iraq war in 2003. The land has suffered a horrible attack, the people are suspicious of every one, and the government is keep an eye on everything you do. You play an older child orphaned by the attack that must work in order to ensure his orphan payments continue to arrive.

“It’s been great to read emails from gamers who have picked up on the historical and political references – if Clover has one objective, it’s to make people think.” commented Binary Tweed’s Deejay.

I’ve played a bit of the demo, and while it has made me think a bit, it’s mainly had me jumping over hedgehogs and nearly dying in a well. The NPC’s I’ve encountered so far definitely sport characteristics common to Americans after 9/11, though the parallels feel a bit too forced. Personally I believe a game doubling as political commentary should be a more subtle thing.

Still, the artwork is nice and I appreciate what the team at Binary Tweed has accomplished with Clover so far. Head to the Xbox Community Games tab of the Marketplace and grab the demo to see if the full game is worth your 400 points.

We know that the Xbox 360’s Community Games don’t sell and don’t make any money. Aussie developer Halfbrick has a solution.

The biggest problem for the Community Games channel – other than we can’t access it here in Australia – is that Microsoft only highlight new releases. Speaking to Kotaku earlier today, Phil Larsen from Queensland studio Halfbrick, reckons they could be doing a lot more to promote the games.

“The Microsoft team is keen to support the community with technical advice and software updates, but a few key issues are severely limiting the consumer response. Namely the lack of any ratings system which gives the more acclaimed games better exposure. After a game is pushed from the New Arrivals section, it’s lost in the archives forever. Gamers don’t want to dig through the catalogue because they assume most, if not all of the XNA games are lousy, and without a rating system to show them that many are actually really good, there’s no reason for them to think otherwise.”

It’s hard to argue with that. Community Games already has a peer review system in place to ensure all games available for purchase are free of bugs, glitches and offensive or copyrighted content. Why not add a simple 5-star rating system that let users help each out in identifying the best the service has to offer? Come on, Microsoft, it can’t be that hard.

Much was made of Microsoft’s attempt at gestating a user-created gaming platform on the 360 with their Community Games service. But six months on from launch, how well is it faring?

Here’s a hint: not very.

Statistics for the service’s games have been made available (and then collected by GamerBytes), showing how many times a game has been trialled, how many times it’s been bought, and how much money it’s made, both as total revenue then as how much the developer earned after Microsoft took a cut.

And those statistics are none too healthy. The “conversion rate” (ie the ratio of demos to purchases) is low, revenues for low sales are low, and earnings for the developer are even lower. Only three games cleared $5000.

Sure, this isn’t a business. It’s not meant as a rival to Xbox Live Arcade, nor as a means for these developers to make a living. But still, $5000 (at most) for a game that would have taken months to put together is a pretty poor return. And not a single game breaking the 4000-sale barrier, even at discount prices, is pretty poor as well.

What do you think’s wrong with it? Pointless service, or just a poorly advertised one?

GamerBytes Analysis: XNA Community Games Sales Data Revealed [GamerBytes]

The XNA Community Games program continues to be a wealth of innovation on the Xbox 360, as a new program available for download (in North America, at least) turns your 360 controller into a “portable massager”.

Rumble Massage is a new XNA game now available for download in either demo form or the full version, which will set you back 200 Microsoft points but includes the “Epic Mode” vibration settings, for those times when your shoulders are especially tense. From the official description:

Shoulders and back getting stiff from 18 hours of straight Gaming? Try Rumble Massage! Put a controller behind your neck and feel the soothing vibrations of the Xbox 360 controller. With the ability to control the rumble intensity and pulse, relaxing after a hard day of gaming has never been easier.

Look, all I ask is that you don’t actually tell us where you put the controller. You can giggle all you want in the comments section, but let’s not get into specifics.

And NO PICTURES.

Download Rumble Massage Here [Xbox.com via Darkzero]

Microsoft’s CES announcement of Kodu, its LittleBigPlanet rip-off take on the whole user-generated content craze, looks really cool. (Almost as cool as two hot chicks playing Xbox together.) Thing is, Kodu is part of the XNA Community Games Channel, which isn’t actually available in Australia. Also at CES, Microsoft revealed a launch date for Primetime, the Xbox Live game show channel where players compete with each other for real prizes in formats like 1 vs 100.
Will we be getting any of these features in Australia? I put this question to Microsoft…I asked if we’ll be getting Primetime at the same time it rolls out in the US, i.e. their Spring?

To which Microsoft replied, “We’ve not yet announced when Primetime will be available in Australia although we can confirm that the global team is currently working on expanding the service’s worldwide footprint.”

Undeterred, I pressed on. So how about Kodu? Will we be getting that as part of the Community Games Channel?

To which Microsoft replied, “We’ve not yet announced when the Community Games Channel will be available. The global and local teams are working on bringing the channel to Australia.”

Hmm. Fair enough, if there’s no launch date decided then what else can they really say? But when we still don’t have access to Video Marketplace, let alone Netflix, it’s easy to be pessimistic about the prospect of seeing Primetime and Community Games any time soon. Sigh.

Now owners of Xbox 360 consoles with temperature control issues can finally put that extra heat to practical use with the innovative Xbox Live Community game, Fireplace.

How should I explain this? Fireplace is a fireplace. It turns your television into a simulated fireplace, just like TV stations all over the country used to do back in the old days on Christmas morning. Some still do, from what I hear, but certain Xbox 360 consoles go the extra mile by adding heat to the equation, making this perhaps the most realistic fireplace sim ever to grace a gaming console.

Fireplace, created by Xbox Live Member SniperED007, is now available for download in North America, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK, for 400 Microsoft points. Is it worth it? Check out the video below and make that determination for yourself.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&#038;playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a2d1dd9c-b5cc-46ff-8087-a4d989c0fdca&#038;showPlaylist=true&#038;from=msnvideo" target="_new" title="XBox 360 Fireplace">Video: XBox 360 Fireplace</a>

Fireplace [XNA Creators Club Online via Major Nelson]

However, a Microsoft representative was quick to respond to Weller’s concern that the company has a quality control problem, highlighting a few key ways that it plans to ensure its users get the best experience.

Being an ex-XNA member, I can still say, without a shadow of doubt, that Microsoft is offering a groundbreaking game channel, and that some people stand a chance to make great money from the system. It’s an exciting opportunity, but the danger for consumers lies in Microsoft’s deliberate steps to avoid discussions regarding game quality, even during peer review.