An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Forget it. Play a round of Bejeweled instead. According to a new study, casual games are proven to be beneficial for your health. Details in the full article.

 The video game industry is undoubtedly dominated by males, but we do know that gaming is not just a big frat house. Female gamers do exist, and like the opposite gender, they come in different shapes, sizes and forms. If you do your homework, you'll also notice that girl gamers have distinct traits which allow us to divide them into several types (just like guys). In this QuickList, we'll give you a rundown on what these types are. Hit that jump!

Xbox Live Arcade hits like Bejeweled 2 and Zuma are injecting their addictive juices into retail shelves this November 15. PopCap Games just announced PopCap Arcade Volume 1 for the Xbox 360. This bundle will retail for US$ 29.95 and will include the following: Bejeweled 2, Astropop, Feeding Frenzy, and Zuma.

The casual game developer has also announced the same bundle (minus Feeding Frenzy and Zuma) for the PS2 and will be releasing it simultaneously with the 360 version under the name of PopCap Hits Volume 1 for US$ 19.95. Glenn Drover from Popcap had this to say about the release of the retail bundles:

We're very excited to be bringing some of our top million-selling casual games to consoles via retail shelves, and eager to see how consumers respond. We've had tremendous success at retail with the PC versions of many of our games, and these new collections for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 are priced even more aggressively, so they should be a hit with holiday shoppers.

Considering that the game pack is being released as a "Volume 1", you can probably expect future volumes to appear - Volume 2, Volume 3, and onwards. PopCap sure has enough games in its library to come out with a couple of more volumes. Meanwhile, those who haven't gotten the games on XBLA better get ready for some sleepless night once these bundles hit shelves next month.

 

Yeah, yeah, you've read the studies, it's likely that casual gamers are your mothers, so no need to go into the gamers. Money-wise though, this means that Casual Games are big business at the moment. Not to pass-up an opportunity to make a profit, Microsoft has launched a new casual games website.

The site boasts what they claim to be over 400 games in every major genre possible. Of course these figures include games on Xbox Live, MSN Games, and games over Windows Live Messenger. Here's what Microsoft had to say in their Casual Games Fact Sheet:

The casual games space is growing at an unprecedented rate, and Microsoft has emerged as an undisputed leader in multiple-platform casual offerings, with more than 10 years of experience in the space. According to DFC Intelligence, revenue from casual games is expected to grow from $713 million (U.S.) in 2005 to $1.56 billion(U.S.) in 2008, fueled by the global appeal of games such as Bejeweled, Hexic, Diner Dash and Bespelled.

Check out the site yourself if you wish, just click on our "read" link below.

Casual games: small things employees play when they're bored at work.

If you happen to be among the millions of people who have been drawn into the addiction which is Zuma (or Bejeweled, or Feeding Frenzy, or Bookworm...), then brush up on those aiming skills. You may be seeing more of those on your Xbox 360.

After having just released Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank over XBLA, the casual games developer PopCap games have expressed that they will be making more releases in the same manner. According to their communications director, Garth Chouteau:

There are of course other titles in the works for XBLA, and based on the success of the four titles we have released to date, in addition to the new one yesterday with Heavy Weapon, I think that it's safe to say that other PopCap titles will make their way to the service.

He also adds that he "expect to see additional XBLA titles from us to show up this year."

So yes, for 2007, you can expect to either have even MORE sleepless nights because you're finishing the last level of Bejeweled, or too much sleep since the other members of your family won't let go of the controller becaus of Zuma...

We could simply use phrases like "a blast from the past" or "good old times." But it definitely felt more than those when it comes to Microsoft's pre-TGS event. The recent months saw Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) being overwhelmed by possible game pitches. Well it seems today, they've gotten over the feeling and are once again ready to roll.

As proof, a sort video, or should we call it a montage, was released. The more than 1 minute clip showcases classics such as Pac-man, Galaga, Marble Blast Ultra, Bejeweled and a whole lot of others. The montage actually is so fast, we missed quite a few title. We're making the video available for download and we are kind of hoping, you guys can help us determine some of the games.
 
After seeing the montage, you'll be joining us in saying that above mentioned phrases wouldn't just suffice. We were thinking for an appropriate description and we couldn't come out with any save for "happy days."

Download: [XBLA Arcade Montage]

The third installment of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on the Xbox 360, otherwise known as GRAW, has proved to be such a hit that Microsoft's decided to include it in one of their premium bundles!

The premium bundle, priced at $399.99, includes a 360, a copy of GRAW and a trial (one-month) membership for Xbox Live Gold. This gives lucky buyers access to Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged games such as Geometry Wars Evolved, Bejeweled 2 Deluxe, Wik: Fable of Souls, Hardwood Backgammon, Outpost Kaloki X and Texas Hold'em.

The word's that it will be out come the 30th of this September, so be sure to grab one once it hits those store shelves!

The offline compilation of some of the best Xbox Live Arcade games which we posted about a few months ago is finally hitting the shelves as Microsoft has just announced the launch of Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 in Europe next week, specifically, on September 15. The package will be available for an estimated retail price of €39.99 / £24.99, and will include the following games:

 

• Geometry Wars Retro Evolved - One of the most popular games on Xbox Live Arcade, Geometry Wars Retro Evolved is a space shooter with a frenetic, high-definition twist
• Wik: Fable of Souls - Wik’s beautifully mysterious world of fairytale charm unfolds as you swing by your tongue through 120+ single player levels and 7 modes of play, including same-console multiplayer!
• Outpost Kaloki X - Solve challenges, entertain visiting aliens, and rake in the money in Outpost Kaloki X, the light-hearted space station tycoon game

• Bejeweled 2 Deluxe - With awe-inspiring planetary backdrops, explosive new gems and dazzling special effects, Bejeweled 2 is more wildly addictive than ever before!

• Hardwood Backgammon - Play a game of classic Backgammon against the computer, against a friend on a single console, or against on online opponent over Xbox Live

• Texas Hold 'Em - This poker title simulates the tournament setting right in your home, and with Xbox Live Vision, you’ll feel like you are in Las Vegas
  

In addition, buyers will receive 1 free month of Xbox Live Gold subscription, as well as 3 downloadable Xbox Live Arcade demos - UNO, Marble Blast Ultra & Feeding Frenzy.

This Unplugged collection won't be the last one to see the light of the day. Does it deliver enough content for the price? Let us know what you think about it.

Almost two months after QJ posted the article on the probable compilation package of the Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft announced today that they are releasing a disc-based compilation of six of the most popular titles from Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. Coined as the Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1, the compiled six games will cost the equivalent of US$50 individually on the Xbox Live Marketplace but will be available in store for a budget price of $39.99. While there has been no confirmation yet as to the prices for the Australian or European markets, it has been said that a budget release in PAL regions is also one of the more prominent options as of now.

Housing the games Wik: Fable of Souls, Outpost Kaloki X, Bejeweled 2 Deluxe, Hardwood Backgammon, Texas Hold 'em, and the recently controversial Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, the Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1 is promised to be launched worldwide this coming September 5.

A gamer known as C4Lukins has compiled a list of Xbox Live Arcade sales stats. Because Microsoft does not release any official numbers, he decided the best way to look at Live Arcade sales is to go to the leader boards and see the last name on the list and their ranking. Pretty much the only way to do this is to try and get the lowest score on each game so that you do not have to scroll through tens of thousands of people to see the bottom one with only one chance to really try per account.

Some of the crazy things that were discovered from the research is that over 20,000 Uno players have not managed to win a single single player game. Somehow people are managing to get a lower score then 200 on Joust, despite the fact that they get 4 lives, and 50 points each time they die. The worst finishing time on the first level of Marble Blast Ultra, is over an hour. Over 40 people purchased Geometry wars between 1am and 2am Central time while he was compiling this list. Cloning Clyde sold 8500 copies on its first day, and 5410 on its second day.

Is this accurate? Probably not. It should be pretty close. Some people have multiple accounts on a single 360 which will fudge up the numbers, and some people have bought these games and for one reason or another not posted a score on the leader boards. This is probably as close as we can get without Microsoft making any sort of announcement.Remember games with a question mark after them are games I do not own, and need numbers for.

Astropop- 21,321
Bankshot Billiards- 35,136 ???
Bejeweled 2- 50,994 ???
Cloning Clyde- 14,063
Crystal Quest- 29,557
Feeding Frenzy- 50,229
Frogger- 43,416 ???
Gauntlet- 77,394 ???
Geometry Wars- 188,428
Hexic HD- 566,230
Jewel Quest- 18,091 ???
Joust- 45,010
Marble Blast Ultra- 107,886
Mutant Storm Reloaded- 38,726
Outpost Kaloki X- 23,732 ???
Robotron 2084- 22,887
Smash TV- 78,790
Uno- 143,223
Wik Fable of Souls- 15,591
Zuma- 70,264