Xbox Live Arcade: One Year Later
- December 12, 2006 16:55 PM PST
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So Play Something Already
Enough kickin' the tires -- time to play! All games are clustered under the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) section, so all you have to is head over there and find something you're interested in. It would bite to have to download games sight-unseen, so every Arcade game offers a free demo version that'll give you the general gist of what to expect from the full version. The demos are generally the same size as the full games, and usually offer multiple chances (read: nags) to purchase the full game as you play.
So far full games cost anywhere from 400 to 1200 points, or $5 to $15. It usually depends on the game's complexity and the whims of its publisher. 800 points / $10 is probably the closest thing to a typical price. Most prices feel reasonable. Right now XBLA game sizes are capped at a modest 50 megabytes. It doesn't sound like a lot these days, so you might be surprised at just how much they can pack in there. And since Xbox Live and Marketplace require some sort of broadband net connection, these modestly sized downloads are quick 'n snappy.
These arms may be small, but they blew up good.
Retro Evolved
Many of XBLA's original games draw their inspirations from classic video games, and the poster child for XBLA originals is Bizarre Creations' Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Released with the launch of Xbox 360, Geometry Wars showed a skeptical world just how cool original yet classically styled downloadable games could be. It plays like a crazed combination of all-time classics Asteroids and Robotron: 2084, with your lone, triangular spaceship pitted against literally endless hordes of nasty geometric shapes.
The level of onscreen carnage is legendary; never has a game had more spectacular or over-the-top particle effects, showing that even simple games can be flashy. Once you're a few minutes into the fray, it becomes a challenge just keeping track of your ship. The dual analog control scheme is completely intuitive, and the difficulty curve is perfect, leading to the coveted "just one more game" phenomenon that is the holy grail of arcade game designers.
Roboblitz is one of the prettier XBLA titles.
And as with most XBLA titles, online leader boards track your progress versus the world, which can be either inspiring or depressing, depending on your outlook. There are also 200 Gamer Points worth of Achievements to earn, which is the standard amount for XBLA games. Don't just assume they're easy pickins, though, because they're often anything but.
