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An Xbox Live Arcade game (built for the Xbox 360 system), based on Midway’s classic arcade game where players joust atop flying birds. Mount thy noble ostrich and ride forth into battle in the classic arcade game Joust. Defeat enemy knights and capture the resulting eggs before they hatch or you’re in for an even bigger fight with stronger foes!

Genre: Action

Publisher: Midway Games

Developer: Digital Eclipse Software

Online Play:

Local Play: 2 Versus

December 2, 2005 –
Thrusting the old school into the new arena of Xbox 360, Midway and Microsoft have made available Joust HD for Xbox Live Arcade. The original, untouched code is here for those who loved the one- to two-player arcade game, and a handful of settings will tickle fans and newbies alike.

Joust is a weird game even by today’s standards. Based on a vertical arena with platforms hanging in space over a degrading floor that actually raises with lava every level, Joust saddles you onto an Ostrich-size flying bird for a fight to the death with similarly saddled warriors (Bounders, Hunters and Shadow Lords.). The idea is to attack your enemy by ramming into with him while remaining slightly higher, an action that annihilates him completely and earns you points. Each time you eliminate an enemy, the bird lays an egg. If you gather the egg immediately, it garners points. If you let it sit, the warrior-free bird will fly around and land near the egg, which will hatch a warrior, who then mounts the bird for another fly-by attack. The game concept is to defeat the endless stream of warriors as they increase in speed and numbers for a high score. There is no actual ending; it’s all about high scores.

Surprisingly, the game’s physics and gravity are integral to the gameplay. You must increase the speed of the button presses to fly higher. Meanwhile you’ll quickly descend if you miss a flap or two, and your bird bounces off everything with mean pinball action. The game is an amazingly creative idea that still holds up perfectly today. The gameplay is short and intense, and the AI increases in aggressiveness, but more noticeably it grows rapidly in numbers, making a case for skillful and precision flying. It’s amazing to play this game after, oh I don’t know, 20 years, and still see it in perfect form and still excessively playable.

The two-player option, like in any game, doubles the fun. There is versus and co-op and you can play two-player off-line or two-player online. In versus the strategy is to kill or outlive the other guy, and to collect as many eggs as possible. The co-op is more fun, because you earn bonus points for cooperating (like not stealing the other guy’s eggs), and interestingly, there is “friendly fire.” So you can kill your buddy, even if it’s by accident.

The Xbox Live Arcade version offers the game in high-definition, including new backgrounds, and a bunch of cool settings in game type (co-op or versus), the amount of lives at start, the amount of bonus lives, difficulty level, and the pterodactyl AI bug, which is an old bug clearly meant for old-school fans to enjoy. The sound effects are excellent. The screeching to a halt sound is still one of a kind, and the regenerating sound is priceless. Killing an enemy creates one of the most unusual sounds from any game, low-budget electronic scream that isn’t chilling, but accurate using those old computers to create a sound somewhat like a death holler.

Closing Comments
Yes, it’s easily 25 years old. And yes, it’s been included in many, many Arcade Collections. As these Arcade games go, Joust hasn’t lost a bit of its originality, challenge, and skill-based gameplay. It’s way better with another play, especially in co-op. This one is on my collection.

IGN Ratings for Joust (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

5.0
Presentation
No real presentation to speak of.

5.0
Graphics
The HD part is interesting, for a second, and that novelty quickly wears off.

6.0
Sound
Great old sound effects.

8.0
Gameplay
Skill-based jousting that requires a light touch and accuracy. Addictive.

7.0
Lasting Appeal
Joust is a game to pass the time away with a friend in co-op or versus, offline or online.

7.5
Good
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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December 2, 2005 –
Thrusting the old school into the new arena of Xbox 360, Midway and Microsoft have made available Joust HD for Xbox Live Arcade. The original, untouched code is here for those who loved the one- to two-player arcade game, and a handful of settings will tickle fans and newbies alike.

Joust is a weird game even by today’s standards. Based on a vertical arena with platforms hanging in space over a degrading floor that actually raises with lava every level, Joust saddles you onto an Ostrich-size flying bird for a fight to the death with similarly saddled warriors (Bounders, Hunters and Shadow Lords.). The idea is to attack your enemy by ramming into with him while remaining slightly higher, an action that annihilates him completely and earns you points. Each time you eliminate an enemy, the bird lays an egg. If you gather the egg immediately, it garners points. If you let it sit, the warrior-free bird will fly around and land near the egg, which will hatch a warrior, who then mounts the bird for another fly-by attack. The game concept is to defeat the endless stream of warriors as they increase in speed and numbers for a high score. There is no actual ending; it’s all about high scores.

Surprisingly, the game’s physics and gravity are integral to the gameplay. You must increase the speed of the button presses to fly higher. Meanwhile you’ll quickly descend if you miss a flap or two, and your bird bounces off everything with mean pinball action. The game is an amazingly creative idea that still holds up perfectly today. The gameplay is short and intense, and the AI increases in aggressiveness, but more noticeably it grows rapidly in numbers, making a case for skillful and precision flying. It’s amazing to play this game after, oh I don’t know, 20 years, and still see it in perfect form and still excessively playable.

The two-player option, like in any game, doubles the fun. There is versus and co-op and you can play two-player off-line or two-player online. In versus the strategy is to kill or outlive the other guy, and to collect as many eggs as possible. The co-op is more fun, because you earn bonus points for cooperating (like not stealing the other guy’s eggs), and interestingly, there is “friendly fire.” So you can kill your buddy, even if it’s by accident.

The Xbox Live Arcade version offers the game in high-definition, including new backgrounds, and a bunch of cool settings in game type (co-op or versus), the amount of lives at start, the amount of bonus lives, difficulty level, and the pterodactyl AI bug, which is an old bug clearly meant for old-school fans to enjoy. The sound effects are excellent. The screeching to a halt sound is still one of a kind, and the regenerating sound is priceless. Killing an enemy creates one of the most unusual sounds from any game, low-budget electronic scream that isn’t chilling, but accurate using those old computers to create a sound somewhat like a death holler.

Closing Comments
Yes, it’s easily 25 years old. And yes, it’s been included in many, many Arcade Collections. As these Arcade games go, Joust hasn’t lost a bit of its originality, challenge, and skill-based gameplay. It’s way better with another play, especially in co-op. This one is on my collection.

IGN Ratings for Joust (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

5.0
Presentation
No real presentation to speak of.

5.0
Graphics
The HD part is interesting, for a second, and that novelty quickly wears off.

6.0
Sound
Great old sound effects.

8.0
Gameplay
Skill-based jousting that requires a light touch and accuracy. Addictive.

7.0
Lasting Appeal
Joust is a game to pass the time away with a friend in co-op or versus, offline or online.

7.5
Good
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

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December 2, 2005 –
Thrusting the old school into the new arena of Xbox 360, Midway and Microsoft have made available Joust HD for Xbox Live Arcade. The original, untouched code is here for those who loved the one- to two-player arcade game, and a handful of settings will tickle fans and newbies alike.

Joust is a weird game even by today’s standards. Based on a vertical arena with platforms hanging in space over a degrading floor that actually raises with lava every level, Joust saddles you onto an Ostrich-size flying bird for a fight to the death with similarly saddled warriors (Bounders, Hunters and Shadow Lords.). The idea is to attack your enemy by ramming into with him while remaining slightly higher, an action that annihilates him completely and earns you points. Each time you eliminate an enemy, the bird lays an egg. If you gather the egg immediately, it garners points. If you let it sit, the warrior-free bird will fly around and land near the egg, which will hatch a warrior, who then mounts the bird for another fly-by attack. The game concept is to defeat the endless stream of warriors as they increase in speed and numbers for a high score. There is no actual ending; it’s all about high scores.

Surprisingly, the game’s physics and gravity are integral to the gameplay. You must increase the speed of the button presses to fly higher. Meanwhile you’ll quickly descend if you miss a flap or two, and your bird bounces off everything with mean pinball action. The game is an amazingly creative idea that still holds up perfectly today. The gameplay is short and intense, and the AI increases in aggressiveness, but more noticeably it grows rapidly in numbers, making a case for skillful and precision flying. It’s amazing to play this game after, oh I don’t know, 20 years, and still see it in perfect form and still excessively playable.

The two-player option, like in any game, doubles the fun. There is versus and co-op and you can play two-player off-line or two-player online. In versus the strategy is to kill or outlive the other guy, and to collect as many eggs as possible. The co-op is more fun, because you earn bonus points for cooperating (like not stealing the other guy’s eggs), and interestingly, there is “friendly fire.” So you can kill your buddy, even if it’s by accident.

The Xbox Live Arcade version offers the game in high-definition, including new backgrounds, and a bunch of cool settings in game type (co-op or versus), the amount of lives at start, the amount of bonus lives, difficulty level, and the pterodactyl AI bug, which is an old bug clearly meant for old-school fans to enjoy. The sound effects are excellent. The screeching to a halt sound is still one of a kind, and the regenerating sound is priceless. Killing an enemy creates one of the most unusual sounds from any game, low-budget electronic scream that isn’t chilling, but accurate using those old computers to create a sound somewhat like a death holler.

Closing Comments
Yes, it’s easily 25 years old. And yes, it’s been included in many, many Arcade Collections. As these Arcade games go, Joust hasn’t lost a bit of its originality, challenge, and skill-based gameplay. It’s way better with another play, especially in co-op. This one is on my collection.

IGN Ratings for Joust (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

5.0
Presentation
No real presentation to speak of.

5.0
Graphics
The HD part is interesting, for a second, and that novelty quickly wears off.

6.0
Sound
Great old sound effects.

8.0
Gameplay
Skill-based jousting that requires a light touch and accuracy. Addictive.

7.0
Lasting Appeal
Joust is a game to pass the time away with a friend in co-op or versus, offline or online.

7.5
Good
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

• See All Joust (X360) Reader Reviews
• Write Your Own Review of Joust (X360)

December 2, 2005 –
Thrusting the old school into the new arena of Xbox 360, Midway and Microsoft have made available Joust HD for Xbox Live Arcade. The original, untouched code is here for those who loved the one- to two-player arcade game, and a handful of settings will tickle fans and newbies alike.

Joust is a weird game even by today’s standards. Based on a vertical arena with platforms hanging in space over a degrading floor that actually raises with lava every level, Joust saddles you onto an Ostrich-size flying bird for a fight to the death with similarly saddled warriors (Bounders, Hunters and Shadow Lords.). The idea is to attack your enemy by ramming into with him while remaining slightly higher, an action that annihilates him completely and earns you points. Each time you eliminate an enemy, the bird lays an egg. If you gather the egg immediately, it garners points. If you let it sit, the warrior-free bird will fly around and land near the egg, which will hatch a warrior, who then mounts the bird for another fly-by attack. The game concept is to defeat the endless stream of warriors as they increase in speed and numbers for a high score. There is no actual ending; it’s all about high scores.

Surprisingly, the game’s physics and gravity are integral to the gameplay. You must increase the speed of the button presses to fly higher. Meanwhile you’ll quickly descend if you miss a flap or two, and your bird bounces off everything with mean pinball action. The game is an amazingly creative idea that still holds up perfectly today. The gameplay is short and intense, and the AI increases in aggressiveness, but more noticeably it grows rapidly in numbers, making a case for skillful and precision flying. It’s amazing to play this game after, oh I don’t know, 20 years, and still see it in perfect form and still excessively playable.

The two-player option, like in any game, doubles the fun. There is versus and co-op and you can play two-player off-line or two-player online. In versus the strategy is to kill or outlive the other guy, and to collect as many eggs as possible. The co-op is more fun, because you earn bonus points for cooperating (like not stealing the other guy’s eggs), and interestingly, there is “friendly fire.” So you can kill your buddy, even if it’s by accident.

The Xbox Live Arcade version offers the game in high-definition, including new backgrounds, and a bunch of cool settings in game type (co-op or versus), the amount of lives at start, the amount of bonus lives, difficulty level, and the pterodactyl AI bug, which is an old bug clearly meant for old-school fans to enjoy. The sound effects are excellent. The screeching to a halt sound is still one of a kind, and the regenerating sound is priceless. Killing an enemy creates one of the most unusual sounds from any game, low-budget electronic scream that isn’t chilling, but accurate using those old computers to create a sound somewhat like a death holler.

Closing Comments
Yes, it’s easily 25 years old. And yes, it’s been included in many, many Arcade Collections. As these Arcade games go, Joust hasn’t lost a bit of its originality, challenge, and skill-based gameplay. It’s way better with another play, especially in co-op. This one is on my collection.

IGN Ratings for Joust (X360)

Rating Description

out of 10
click here for ratings guide

5.0
Presentation
No real presentation to speak of.

5.0
Graphics
The HD part is interesting, for a second, and that novelty quickly wears off.

6.0
Sound
Great old sound effects.

8.0
Gameplay
Skill-based jousting that requires a light touch and accuracy. Addictive.

7.0
Lasting Appeal
Joust is a game to pass the time away with a friend in co-op or versus, offline or online.

7.5
Good
OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

• See All Joust (X360) Reader Reviews
• Write Your Own Review of Joust (X360)