"We've been looking to move into Xbox LIVE Arcade titles and Load Inc. wanted to do something brand new with the racing genre. This really appealed to us," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Competing with real life remote control cars is great fun, so why not do it in a videogame?

SouthPeak Get Wheels, Goes Live

Things On Wheels Coming To Xbox LIVE Arcade

Wednesday 30th January/...SouthPeak Games has announced that it will be publishing Things On Wheels for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®. Things On Wheels is an accessible, pure arcade racing title placing players at the helm of radio-controlled vehicles as they compete on tracks set within a gigantic house. Developed by experienced Xbox LIVE Arcade alumni Load Inc., Things On Wheels promises to deliver plenty of radio-controlled racing fun when released in summer 2008.

A key innovation for Things On Wheels is its non-linear track design. Moving from room to room within an expansive virtual house, courses are constructed from routes that incorporate everyday items as hazards and obstacles. It's entirely possible that a championship could be won by taking the right path around a set of table legs, or cruelly lost by failing to avoid the searing heat of an electric heater. With huge scope for a variety of wildly entertaining courses, developers Load Inc. are promising to infuse Things On Wheels with as much radio-controlled racing mayhem as possible.

"We've been looking to move into Xbox LIVE Arcade titles and Load Inc. wanted to do something brand new with the racing genre. This really appealed to us," said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. "Competing with real life remote control cars is great fun, so why not do it in a videogame? Things on Wheels will deliver the same reckless thrill and as such, is a perfect candidate for us to announce as our first Xbox LIVE Arcade game."

Things On Wheels will be released for Xbox LIVE Arcade in summer 2008

I'll be snagging the Sylpheed and Mad Tracks updates myself, while saving Vampire Rain for that special day I set aside to play as a guy named Duane that I like to call never.

The Encore Expansion Pack doubles the challenges and extends the fun of Mad Tracks by offering nine additional nail-biting races and six action-packed mini games where players bolt down looped Victorian stairs, barrel across the skyline on rooftops, and speed over rickety wooden ramps in a German castle. Offering a great value, the Encore Expansion Pack is available for 350 Microsoft Points.

The German castle kind of come outs of nowhere. It's specific and yet not detailed which makes me think, what in the heck makes it so German? Are there sausages and beer floating around? I hope so, it's almost lunch time. Kim Phu

Mad Tracks, the new racing game that turned up recently on Xbox Live Arcade, has been having some troubles as of late. Players who downloaded the trial version and then upgraded to the full version experienced problems unlocking the mini-games and various other racetracks. Game developer, Slyben, has already burned the midnight oil and made a patch to fix the issues and delivered it to Microsoft. If you were one of the unfortunate ons that this happened to, keep your eyes peeled for the new patch which should be made available as soon as the great MS deems it ready to roll out. Flynn De Marco

Mad Tracks trial version glitch; patch confirmed [Xboxic]

You get to drive through a foosball table for only 800 MS points. What more do you people want?

And there will be more, as the announcement promises more content on the way with the Bravo and Encore packs, each featuring an additional fifteen challenges for 350 points a piece.

As always, the game should go live at 2AM Pacific tomorrow morning. Michael Fahey

Accelerate Your Week With Mad Tracks" This Wednesday on Xbox LIVE Arcade

3D racing party game, "Mad Tracks," will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday, May 30, at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. Pacific Time).

Players can race through 15 challenges consisting of nine mini-games and six different races behind the wheel of one of 12 sleek compact cars. "Mad Tracks," from Load Inc., features 12 power-ups to keep engines revved up and players in the fast lane ahead of the competition.

Whether it's in the kitchen, living room, ballroom or open road, players can opt to burn rubber just about anywhere, and share the lanes with up to three other drivers in frantic multiplayer racing action over Xbox LIVE. Be sure to buckle up for both Championship and Arcade modes, as "Mad Tracks" offers a high-definition, 3D racing experience to remember.

Enjoy the robust, full game features of "Mad Tracks" this Wednesday, and also be on the lookout for new tracks coming soon. You can double and even triple the challenges in "Mad Tracks" with the Bravo and Encore expansion packs, arriving in the near future. For about half the price of the full game, players will be able to add additional races and mini-games to "Mad Tracks" by downloading the Bravo and/or Encore expansion packs. Each expansion pack includes an additional 15 nail-biting races and action-filled mini games for 350 Microsoft Points each, extending the fun and offering a great value

"Mad Tracks" will be available worldwide (with the exception of Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone.

Game Features

* 15 distinct challenges (6 races & 9 mini-games) provide a full-fledged racing game experience
* 12 stackable power-ups (rockets, freezer, oil drop, EMP and more!)
* 12 sleek looking cars to choose from
* 4 player multiplayer over Xbox LIVE and 4 player local multiplayer via split screen mode
* Championship mode & Arcade mode
* 2 free gamer pictures
* Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points

It certainly looks like a lot of fun, with toy cars racing about Hot Wheel style loop-de-loops and jumping holes in the track. The price they are throwing around is about 1,000 credits, which seems reasonable for an exciting multiplayer racer. I was an absolutely huge fan of Re-Volt, which Dennis specifically alludes to as their inspiration, and the demo for Mad Tracks on the PC was rather fun. I'll be looking forward to this one.

"Mad Tracks" Dev Interview [K1lla's XBox Domain]