Grave Gamer News & Views — xbox live

Strider Releases This Month

Double Helix and Capcom’s downloadable reboot of Strider, the classic tale of a man and his violent hatred of things that stop him from moving on one side of the screen to the other, comes out this February.

PS3 and PS4 users can find Mr. Hiryu on PSN Feb. 18th, while both Xbox versions (current-gen and next-gen) as well as the PC release can be purchased Feb. 19th. The retro revival will cost you $14.99.

Two new modes make the cut, too, including “Beacon Run” – where you’ll make speed runs across levels while dicing foes – and “Survival Mode” – in which waves of enemies barrel your way as you utilize an assortment of weapons and items to end them.

More than that, it’s been revealed that you can locate alternate costumes throughout the game, giving you access to new customization options. You’re morbidly peeling these clothes off of dead Striders, but the cost of fashion has always been high.

Coinstar Letting You Exchange Coinage for Xbox Live Cash

What a miraculous thing technology is. No, we haven’t wiped out the common cold, and, no, hover cars like the ones in Back to the Future II have yet to populate our skylines (get the hell on that, science – 2015 is right around the corner).

But! Goddamn if we haven’t found a way to convert the change living within your couch into Xbox Live currency which, upon redemption, brings your ass full circle back onto the couch. That’s friggin' poetry.

In a deal struck between Rixty, an alternative payment service, and Microsoft, the console manufacturer that, I don’t know, had something to do with computers before that, you can now redeem your spare coinage for both Xbox Live currency and Gold Memberships at over 16,000 Coinstar kiosks.

Xbox Live currency can also be used on the Windows Store for your Windows phone and devices; amounts redeemable range from $5 to $100. Next time your buddy asks, “Dig me up three months of Gold from beneath the cushion,” take a moment to relish our era of innovation. And mind the pocket knife that slipped back there.

Whaddaya Buyin’? Five Resident Evil Titles Discounted on Xbox Live

Welcome!  Got a fine selection on sale, stranger!  Marking Day 3 of Xbox Live’s Ultimate Game Sale, every Resident Evil title available for download through Games on Demand has seen a significant price cut.

Whether you’re just breaking into the series or have been looking for crazy deals on your horror favorites (Code: Veronica’s five-fucking-dollars?!), Xbox owners would do well to check out the sales below:

• Resident Evil Code: Veronica X HD - Was: $19.99/Now: $4.99
• Resident Evil 4 HD - Was: $19.99/Now: $9.99
• Resident Evil 5 - Was: $19.99/Now: $9.99
• Resident Evil 6 - Was: $39.99/Now: $19.99
• Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City - Was: $39.99/Now: $19.99

Unfortunately, the closest Xbox fans can get to the key hunting, backtracking days of retro Resi is in Code: Veronica which, admittedly, has not aged gracefully; HD coat of paint and all.  Still, even if it sits dormant on your harddrive, it’s difficult to feel buyer’s remorse over $5.

The rest of the collection features more modern examples of RE and their gun-toting glory, including RE4 at just $10, one of the best and most influential games of the last decade (not owning it can be called a “constant mistake” or an “everlasting D'oh!”).  For the same price, you can grab its co-op clone, RE5 (still love it, but I call ‘em like I see 'em)

And, yes, its poor performance means you’re able to snag the utterly reviled Resident Evil 6 at an all time low of $20 – if you’re asking me, it breaks into the top five of my series favorites; hell, the superior Mercenaries Mode – and the hundred hours I’ve sunk into it – is worth that cost alone.  Hmm, what’s that?  What about Operation Raccoon City?  Personally, I think free-to-play would be too high of an asking price on that clunker, but if you’ve got a strong constitution and a blinding love for everything Resident Evil…you should still stay away.  Far away.

All deals, forthcoming and currently standing, end on March 4th, so jump on them before the prices become unreasonable once more.  [Over, out, and done with.  The Res Evil sale ended the same day it started, but you can catch many more sales until the 4th.]