Xbox Addict

Microsoft Dates Summer of Arcade XBLA Titles

In case the oppressive heat sweeping across large swaths of the country didn’t clue you in, summer is here, and that means it’s time once again for Microsoft’s "Summer of Arcade" promotion -- a block of new high-profile Xbox Live Arcade titles all releasing within weeks of each other. This year the titles include Limbo, Hydro Thunder: Hurricane, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Monday Night Combat, and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and Microsoft has issued release dates for each one.
First will be Limbo, a 2D sidescrolling puzzle game with stark black-and-white graphics, on July 21. Then Hydro Thunder: Hurricane -- a sequel to the classic arcade rocket-boat racing game -- on July 28. Then comes perhaps the most exciting of the block, Harmony of Despair -- a new multiplayer 2D Castlevania game from series mastermind Koji Igarashi -- on August 4. Then Monday Night Combat, a third-person multiplayer shooter from Uber Entertainment, on August 11. And lastly, there’s the Tomb Raider spin-off Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light on August 18.

As with past Summer of Arcade promotions, there are also a couple of deals to go with all the releases: If you buy at least three of the titles, you’ll get 400 Microsoft Points back ($5.00), and if you buy all five, you’ll get 1200 points back ($15.00).