Xbox 360 – This weeks XBLA games: Switchball and Word Puzzle

Major Nelson posed today the two Xbox Live Arcade games we are getting this week. Each game will cost you 800 points.

Switchball

Control an ever-changing ball along a narrow winding maze suspended in midair in Switchball™. Stunning 3-D environments including Skyworld, Iceworld, and Caveworld are the background for this puzzle game based on real-world physics. Maneuver your way through challenging levels jam-packed with obstacles and traps. Transform the marbleball with metal, electric and lighter-than-air properties to quickly get through each area. Then go online and play the competitive multiplayer courses.

• Action puzzler: Inventive and fun puzzle-driven play is based on real world physical interactions.
• Exciting game environments: Beautiful and elegant 3-D graphics offer panoramic views of 30 single player levels in five amazing environments: Skyworld, Iceworld, Caveworld, Cloudworld, and Lavaworld.
• Traps and obstacles: Navigate more than 40 interactive objects including wooden blocks, sheets of cloth, spinning fans, magnets, cannons, and many more.
• Transform: Morph your marble to take advantage of the unique physical properties of the dense and heavy metalball, the super-charged powerball, or the floating airball, and find your way through the level.
• Multiplayer modes: Join in the fun with co-op and competitive racing courses.

Word Puzzle

You’ll never think about word search puzzles the same way again.Word Puzzle takes a new spin on the classic game, plunging you into an action-packed arcade experience complete with combos, exploding word bombs, unique 3-D boards, achievements, and the chance to prove your textual superiority against other players. Five different game modes and frequently updated downloadable word packs give you nearly unlimited flexibility and excitement. So put down that pen and paper, because this is a word search for the 21st century!

• New twists: Exploding word bombs, prop cards used to distract your opponents, 3-D game boards, and other effects combine to provide a word search game like you’ve never played before.
• Five unique gameplay modes: Try Freeplay for traditional word search fun, Arcade mode to score impressive combos, Local Battle for competitive play on a single console, Live Multiplayer with support for up to 4 players online, and check out the unique Survival Mode where word bombs can explode, and have to be defused.
• Camera-enabled: The game supports the Xbox LIVE® Vision camera during live match play.
• Achievements and leaderboard: Twelve new achievements to master and a leaderboard to compare your word search skills with others.