The single-player PRPG will set Xbox Live subscribers back 1200 Microsoft Points, should they care to invest in Gyromancer. If not, their other option is the ultra-popular Diner Dash, an 800 Microsoft Point download. It is officially touted as “the number one PC time-management game”, which would explain its popularity.

Both Gyromancer and Diner Dash will be available via Xbox Live Marketplace on Wednesday.

Announced back in June of this year, NBA Unrivaled is Tecmo’s entry into the basketball video-game market since 1992’s Tecmo NBA Basketball, the basketball companion to Tecmo Super Bowl. Like Tecmo NBA, Unrivaled features cut scenes and exaggerated special moves, making it more NBA Jam and less NBA Live.

Unlike the game from 1992, however, NBA Unrivaled features all 30 NBA teams with top players from the latest rosters, full 5-on-5 arcade gameplay and full 1080p HD support.

NBA Unrivaled drops on Wednesday on the Xbox Live Arcade in North America, Japan and Europe, with a PlayStation Network version coming in the near future.

Developed by Cyclone Zero and published by Arc System Works, O-D Beat Drop is your standard block-dropping puzzle game with a rhythmic twist. Players drop their pieces to the beat of music, clearing the board with combos for big points. More than 100 stages of single-player gameplay and four different difficulty levels should keep the solo gamer occupied, while cooperative and versus online play for up to four players should ensure you never play alone.

The niftiest feature of the game, however, is the ability to import your own music. The game will analyse your tunes and let you play along to a beat you might be more comfortable with. Once again it is time for my Infected Mushroom collection to thrive!

O-D Beat Drop will be available on Wednesday for 800 Microsoft points.

This week on Arcade: 0D Beat Drop [Major Nelson]

More than a half a million unique contestants competed in the 15-week beta season of 1 vs 100, and Microsoft wants even more to show up for round two. The second season of the game show kicks off on November 19 at 5pm Pacific Time (12 noon AEDT), with 1 vs 100 Extended Play. Extended Play features new themed trivia every week night, giving players a chance to capitalise on their strengths, giving them a better chance at being chosen as one of The Mob or perhaps even The One himself.

Nearly two million Microsoft points were given away as prizes during the first season, so you might want to keep an eye on the schedule this time around. Even if you aren’t a big fan of trivia, you could win enough points to buy a game you really want to play. No pain, no gain?

Kotaku AU note: Meanwhile, we’re still waiting on a local launch.

Mark November 18 on your calendar, and then set the rest of the week busy. That’s the date that Square Enix and Popcap bring the blend of puzzle game and RPG pioneered by Puzzle Quest to the next level, adding collectible monsters to the mix. Gyromancer has you summoning monsters to fight other monsters in Bejeweled Twist-flavoured puzzle battles. As if that weren’t bad enough, your monsters also gain levels as you fight with them, much like they do in Pokémon, and they come on pretty little cards that you’ll want to collect until you pass out dead on your couch or in your computer chair.

Maybe it’s just me, shaking with anticipation here. If I disappear after November 18, call the police. Better yet, call Dominos and have them deliver some pizza.

That’s right. Three episodes of the comedic adventures of the claymated duo for the price of three. Just all in one day. Each of the following Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures episodes will set Xbox 360 owners backed 800 Microsoft Points each.

• Wallace & Gromit Ep. 2: The Last Resort
• Wallace & Gromit Ep. 3: Muzzled!
• Wallace & Gromit Ep. 4: The Bogey Man

Further details on what each episode contains, besides hilarity, is probably best experienced at the official Telltale Games Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures web site.

Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures [Telltale Games]

Two new titles hit the Xbox Live Arcade this week, both setting you back 800 Microsoft points should you choose to partake. Inferno Pool is a whole new sort of competitive pool, with players firing balls at their opponents as they attempt to domination their own tables in 1-4 player multiplayer online and offline matches.

Rainbow Islands: Towering Adventure! is a platforming game in which the player tries to climb from the Earth into outer space, harnessing rainbows to aid your ascent. Solo players can partake of Story, Time Attack and Challenge modes, with 2-player co-op and competitive online play available for those who would rather involve others.

Anything strike your fancy this week? I’m eying Inferno Pool, though I might hold out for Hustle Kings on PSN this winter.

Inferno Pool pits up to four online or local players against each other, trying to clear their pool table while their opponents fire balls at them. It’s just like regular pool, only with alliances, betrayals, fire, and explosions. Truth be told, it sounds far more interesting than normal pool, through you can still play a regular game if you aren’t up to the challenge.

Inferno Pool was released last year on the PlayStation Network in the UK and Europe, but has yet to hit North American or Asian PS3 consoles. Developer Dark Energy Digital has teamed up with Koch Media to deliver the game to the Xbox Live Arcade service next Wednesday, October 28th, in both North America and Asia. Go figure.

Find out more about the game at the official website, where two videos will start playing at once automatically when you load the page. Classy!

Inferno Pool Hits Xbox Live Arcade on October 28th [Evil Avatar]

4J Studios seems to be doing a fine job of updating the original Perfect Dark to HD for its Xbox Live Arcade incarnation. Elvis is certainly looking healthy, all spruced up and ready to rescue Joanna from the clutches of the vile Skedar. Check out the other two screens below to see how the environments and weapons are coming along.

The aforementioned mutant rat has trapped the artist Axel and his canine companion Pixel in a bizarre dream world and run off with the key. The pair must pursue the vile vermin through four seasons’ worth of levels, solving puzzles and completing rudimentary mini-games in order to make their way back home.

Axel & Pixel is the first of two independently developed games 2K Games is bringing to Xbox Live Arcade, having seen “the potential and the talent in these two unique and bold concepts.” Is what they saw what we get?

Loved
Pretty Pixels: The first thing anyone notices about Axel & Pixel is the distinctive art style, which blends hand-drawn characters with backgrounds that looks as if they were crafted and textured using cut-out photographs. It’s a striking visual style that meshes well with most of the gameplay elements and fits particularly well with the music, creating a wondrous, soothing atmosphere, perfect for a point and click puzzle game. It’s no wonder this game caught the eye of 2K Games’ new indie game initiative.

Piecing It All Together: Axel & Pixel is, for the most part, a point and click adventure title. Most of the game’s levels present a problem you must solve by interacting with objects on the screen. Some levels contain additional challenges, such as sequential button pressing boss battles or the odd mini-game, but for the most part it’s a straight up adventure title. It isn’t all that difficult, and anyone with half a brain should be able to play through the entire thing without resorting to using hints. Some might consider this a bad thing, but I find an adventure game that mildly stimulates my brain without driving me to the edge of frustration to be a very entertaining and relaxing couple of hours. Your mileage may vary.

Hated
And Then There’s The Driving: Yes, the game is a relaxing couple of hours, except when you’re suddenly plunged into a river filled with whirlpools on a rickety raft, or asked to manoeuvre a hot-air balloon through a cavern filled with jagged rocks. These diversions from the point and click norm felt unnecessary to me, like going to a film festival and being forced to exercise between reels. Further distancing these segments from the main game is the fact that while you may have to redo a button sequence during some of the regular adventure gameplay, the driving/boating/ballooning segments are the only moments in the game where you get a game over response, continuing from the beginning of the level should you fail. It doesn’t ruin the game for me, but it certainly takes me further outside of the adventure zone then I would have liked.

Axel & Pixel is not a long game, and it isn’t a particularly difficult one either. It isn’t the sort of game you’ll spend hours poring over, trying to find every secret or get the highest possible score. It’s a momentary diversion; a game you can wind down for the evening with, or waste a couple of hours playing on a rainy afternoon, perhaps while drinking a nice hot cup of tea.

Axel & Pixel is a somewhat brief yet ultimately pleasing experience that will mildly test your logic skills while treating you to some lovely music and gorgeous visuals. It’s not the most adventurous of adventure titles, but if you’re in the mood for something short and sweet it should fit the bill quite nicely.

Axel & Pixel was developed by Silver Wish Games and published by 2K Games on Xbox Live Arcade on October 14th. Retails for 800 Microsoft Points. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played game through from start to finish.

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