The Best of Xbox Live Arcade
Feb 22, 2006
You spent a big chunk of money on an Xbox 360. You've turned the lights off on Perfect Dark Zero, made an appearance with Kameo, and condemned Condemned to your shelf after beating it with a 2x4. Now what? It's time to kick back with some more bite-sized, mass-market games in the little fun-filled area Microsoft calls the Xbox Live Arcade.
Xbox Live Arcade allows gamers to download new and old titles directly to their 360 hard drives. The choices range from the classic Joust to the Monkey Ball-esque Marble Blast Ultra. In fact, you have more games to pick from on Live Arcade than you do in video game retailers. Like the full-price 360 games, Arcade titles support high-definition, feature achievements to boost your gamer score, and many have online multiplayer options.
Downloading one is simple. First, feel free to try a demo to make sure it's worth your hard-earned points. If you're feeling it, a full version can be had for around 400 to 800 points -- which equates to between $5.00 and $10.00. After that, it's all yours. They're even small enough to fit on a memory card.
While that's a cheap price of admission, you still don't want to waste time and money on something you won't like. That's why we've played everything Xbox Live Arcade has to offer, and have compiled a list of the top five games for the service. This won't include coin-op classics like Gauntlet or Robotron -- you know what to expect from them. These are games you won't find on any other console.
Top 5 Xbox Live Arcade Games
#5
Zuma Deluxe
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
This puzzle game controls a lot like the popular Bust A Move series and is almost as addictive, but the similarities end there. A train of colored gems snakes its way across the screen. If they reach the hole, it's curtains. Using your fully rotating frog idol, you shoot gems of your own at the line.
Make a row of three, and they disappear; but the train doesn't stop. Combo chains equal big points, and slow the gem brigade long enough for you to mop them all up before they -- and your game -- go down the tubes. Zuma isn't very dynamic from an audio or visual standpoint, but the 360-degree control mechanic is innovative and it's tough to quit playing.
 Zuma Deluxe  Outpost Kalioki X |
#4
Outpost Kalioki X
Rating: 4 out of 5
Kalioki is one of the best attempts to bring real-time strategy to a console audience. It's a lighthearted title -- best described as a sim lemonade stand in space -- but ends up being a deep, satisfying experience than can immerse even the biggest RTS detractors.
Each level is a space station, where you must make expansions. Most expansions -- like lemonade stands, labs, and parks -- are for making money. However, you also have to worry about powering everything. The game requires plenty of strategy, and each stage presents a different challenge; but all are comical in presentation. Outpost Kalioki X is one of the better looking and more original Arcade titles so far.
#3
Hexic HD
Rating: 4 out of 5
A good puzzle game is easy to pick up, but difficult to master. Hexic comes from the master himself, Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, and comes pre-installed on Premium units. Like that legendary title, Hexic goes a lot deeper than you would first assume. The screen is full of colored hexagons. You can rotate three at once -- either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Make three like-colored hexes touch, and they disappear.
Easy enough, right? The real key is completely surrounding a piece with like-colored hexes (i.e. a yellow surrounded by blues). This turns the middle piece into a star. Get six stars in that flower formation, and you create a black pearl -- but you've also got to watch out for bombs. The gameplay is criminally addictive, and each of the three modes brings something different to the table. Two don't even have a time limit attached, making Hexic a good game for anyone, regardless of skill level.
 Hexic HD  Marble Blast Ultra |
#2
Marble Blast Ultra
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Like the beloved Super Monkey Ball franchise, Marble Blast Ultra has players piloting a ball around several perilous courses. Where Sega's series has cute characters, this Arcade title features a bevy of useful power-ups to help you reach the next imposing level.
In terms of graphics and physics, Marble Blast Ultra is tops on Live Arcade. The control is spot-on -- and it has to be, since stages will throw countless obstacles at you: floating platforms, pinball-style bumpers, gravity switches, icy ledges, etc. You even manually control the camera like a first-person shooter. Trying to achieve a par time on each of the three difficulty sections inspires replay, and a cool scavenger hunt multiplayer mode of Xbox Live gives you even more value in this robust game.
 Geometry Wars Evolved |
#1
Geometry Wars Evolved
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
What started as a minigame in Project Gotham Racing 2 is now standing on its own. PGR developer Bizarre Creations mixes old-school gameplay with trippy, new-school visuals in an insane shooter. Move with the left stick, shoot with the right -- much like Robotron or Asteroids. Enemies swarm you relentlessly, the backgrounds warp under your firepower, and your eyes will be transfixed to your screen.
Geometry Wars strikes the perfect balance of shoot 'em up Zen, making you feel at one with your onscreen ship. It brings back the days of trying to work your way up the scoreboard -- which, of course, is worldwide thanks to Xbox Live. Not only is this the best Xbox Live Arcade game, it's one of the best 360 games, period. Not too bad for the price of a fast-food value meal.
Coming Soon
Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting
Capcom's world-shattering fighter will be hitting Xbox Live Arcade like a Dragon Punch to the breadbasket. It's no pared-down version, either. You can play Arcade mode as any of a dozen characters, each with their own ending. Online, the innovative Quarter Match lets you plunk down virtual coinage to get in line for a match -- all the while watching others duke it out and talk smack with your headset. Coming out before too long (though no official release date has been given), this may be the baddest, most popular Live Arcade title yet.
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Hoopworld
If you thought NBA Street had some crazy hoops action, you haven't seen anything yet. Hoopworld has eight unique ballers -- from a vampire girl to an Australian gator-rustler -- playing on equally wild courts. Showboating is just as important as scoring, and power-ups will crank the craziness meter up to 11. Hoopworld is looking like a cross between NBA Street, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros.
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Feeding Frenzy
Darwin would've loved this game. Start as a small fish in a big pond, growing by eating anything smaller than you. With jellyfish, oysters, sharks, and killer whales, the menu will always be diverse. You might even learn something, as the game spouts off fishy facts while you play. Feeding Frenzy will be available on Xbox Live Arcade later this month.
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Texas Hold 'Em Poker
The fastest growing sport has spawned a bunch of games, and Microsoft is making it easier than ever for you to go all-in on your favorite console. Info is slim at the moment, but expect plenty of intuitive online play and the ability to bluff a big game through the headset. Have a good ol' poker night without putting on your pants or having to worry about losing your shirt!