The game is about be released! That is, in a very limited fashion. I'm hard at work ironing out the bugs for a version to be published to Community Games beta. I've spent a surprising--annoying amount of time dealing with text and images that run off the sides of the screen with a standard-def TV. Early this coming week I plan to run the game on a HDTV. I hope there aren't any new text issues there too, but there probably will be. It will be good to see how the Peer Review process goes and to find what issues there may be. Also it will be nice to see what feedback we get from other developers.
In order to play games on the Community Games beta you have to sign up as a premium member. Only people that want to make games for Community Games should do that, though. Starting with the Holiday season of this year, the real non-beta version will launch and everyone that has an Xbox 360 and an internet connection will be able to play demos of Community Games and buy them. No special membership will be required! Microsoft says that Community Games will be available in a similar way that Live Arcade games are currently. You'll be able to browse a list of games and try them out as you please.
Currently there are over 70 games released to the CG beta 'games catalog'. I've tried a few so far. Swarm is a fun twist on Missile Command. Colosseum is very polished looking. Drop Engine is difficult but has lots of gravity gameplay in it. Spectrum is confusing in the same way that 'Double' mode in Raiden III can be. City Rain is more deep than most CG games, and has an entertaining environmental slant to it. ("Don't put a landfill near the river. You'll pollute the water supply!" Feels like something the a lame comic villain would do to Gotham city).
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