This is a very special week for Xbox Live Arcade, as it heralds the release of the first XBLA game created using Microsoft's XNA Game Studio. Torpex Games' Schizoid (800 MS points) might look simplistic, but the game mechanics are far from it. One player controls a red ship, the other (or the computer) a blue. You have to ram enemies of the same colour as your ship to clear them, while hitting enemies of a different colour kills you. More than 120 levels plus online multiplayer for you and a friend should equal a great number of insults shouted over headsets in the coming weeks.

Also on XBLA this week we have Golf: Tee It Up!(800 MS points), Housemarque and Activision's answer to Hot Shots Golf, with customisable golfers, online tourneys for 2-4 players, and two full golf courses, a number I am almost certain will grow with downloadable content down the line.

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It feels like forever since I first sat down with Torpex Games' dream team of Bill Dugan and Jamie Fristrom about how fast and easy it was to develop using Microsoft's XNA . While the initial prototype may have only taken four days, the company's first game, Schizoid, has been in the works for quite some time. Well now things are coming to a head, as Torpex has dropped us a line to let us know that Schizoid will be making its Xbox Live Arcade debut next month. While no specific date or price was mentioned, it's good to know I'm that much closer to getting my hands on the title I've been itching for since early 2007.

Schizoid Game Page [Torpex Games]

Microsoft's GameFest 2007 is underway as we speak, and a game I've been looking forward to since I first spoke with its creators back at GDC in March is finally officially announced. Schizoid is the first developer created Xbox Live Arcade title built exclusively using XNA Game Studio Express. It is the product of Torpex Games, itself spawned from two of the top talents in the gaming industry, Bill Dugan and Jamie Fristrom, and I go into great detail with them about how they came to create the game. Dugan especially has a great way with words.

"We truly believe that if you and a friend spend two minutes playing Schizoid, you are going to ignore food, drink, your job and your family and play until they load you up on a gurney and head to the hospital. Schizoid is that rare game that comes along once every few years and we are very proud to make it our first release for Xbox LIVE Arcade."

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