XBLA Wednesday 10/10: Puzzle Quest Finally Arrives

If you didn’t detect a hint of my enthusiasm earlier this week, when Puzzle Quest was announced to be hitting the Arcade today, let me follow up by saying this: Yes, finally my precious innovative puzzle game, you’ve come to XBLA. The game is a hybrid puzzle RPG and features co-op multiplayer over Xbox Live (awesome – there wasn’t online support in either handheld version of PQ).

Also released today is Yaris, a racing game with weapons, featuring the Toyota Yaris. Toyota is obviously sponsoring this and trying to push the Yaris out there so people can see it, which is why this Arcade title is free of charge. It’s got eight tracks and Xbox Live multiplayer (only two players, though – lame), so give it a shot and see if it’s any good.

Details after the break.

Puzzle Quest

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords™ delivers, for the first time ever, classic puzzle-game action backed with an epic story of good versus evil. Challenge your puzzle skills in single-player campaign mode, or battle your friends in multiplayer action. Experience a puzzle game with role-playing elements. It’s like nothing you’ve played before.

• Unique gameplay: Classic puzzle gameplay is enhanced with the addition of RPG-style character and story elements. The game is incredibly simple to learn for casual players, with seasoned gamers able to utilize deeper strategies.
• Quests: For the first-time ever in a puzzle game, embark on an epic single-player campaign comprising more than 150 challenging quests.
• Role-playing game elements: Create and build a persistent hero from one of four unique classes. Gain skills, spells, weapons, and more over the course of the game. Customize your characters to give them an advantage in battle.
• Battles and conquest: Build your empire as you capture cities, build castles and gain a party of companions that will aid you in battle. Battle other warlords for supremacy in multiplayer mode.

Yaris

Hop into a Toyota Yaris and drive it on crazy tracks loaded with stubborn obstacles, cool powerups, and intense enemy action. The relentlessly twisted courses in Yaris might have loops or even be tube-shaped, but the Yaris never has to worry about sliding off track, as it defies gravity by scaling side-walls and going all topsy-turvy. Equip your Yaris with an arsenal of weapons to take out your adversaries, but be careful to avoid enemy fire, because once your shields are depleted, so is the game.

• Customizable cars: Drive either a Yaris Sedan, Sports Sedan, or the Liftback. Collect coins on the track and outfit your Yaris with weapons, shields, and tire configurations.
• Game modes: Race and take out your enemies in either single player or player vs. player game mode.
• Wild tracks: Drive on eight different tracks of progressive difficulty.
• FREE download: Yaris is a free Xbox LIVE® Arcade game. Play it today.
• Gallery feature: Browse through the game’s cast of characters, including all the Yaris cars.
• Twelve new achievements and new Leaderboard: Twelve new achievements to unlock, and a new Xbox LIVE® Arcade leaderboard for you to dominate. Get in your Yaris and drive!