Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade 2012 Detailed

Amid all the E3 madness, it would be easy to forget that the games release schedule rumbles along. A bit part of that release schedule, for digital titles at least, is Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion. This is the promo which has previously given us fantastic digital games like Shadow Complex, Braid, Geometry Wars 2,’Splosion Man, Bastion and Limbo.

In 2012, it will run for five weeks, with five games. No date is confirmed but Xbox.com did list one of the games – Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD – for a July 11th release last week before pulling the listing.

Here’s the trailer, and below is the full list.

• Deadlight – a platforming puzzler in which you dodge zombies and use the player-character’s agility to solve puzzles. It’s got zombies in it.
• Dust: An Elysian Tale – an action brawler with a complex combat system. This has a lovely hand painted style to it.
• Hybrid – a near future third person shooter. Sounds like lots of games either out recently or due soon but 5TH Cell is promising to shake things up a bit in the genre.
• Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD – a collection of the best bits of early Tony Hawks games. Inclusion in the big Microsoft promo has led us to speculate that it will be a timed exclusive.
• Wreckateer – terribly titled Kinect castle-smasher that was enthusiastically shown off in their E3 press briefing. You control ballista with your wavey hands and guide in projectiles to destroy very basically constructed buildings.