Xbox Live Arcade: One Year Later
- December 13, 2006 10:52 AM PST
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Putting the "A" in XBLA
If originality makes you break out in hives (please have that looked at), then perhaps you'd be more comfortable playing a true retro classic. XBLA has a pretty solid selection; the current lineup includes Contra, Defender, Dig Dug, Doom, Frogger, Galaga, Gauntlet, Joust, Pac-Man, Robotron: 2084, Scramble, Smash TV, Street Fighter II Turbo, Time Pilot, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat III.
Since these all existed previously in other forms, the question is, "how well do they translate onto Xbox 360?" The answer varies by game. One potential problem spot is control. Doom is quite playable with the standard dual-analog FPS setup, while it's an exercise in frustration trying to perform the precise movements of Street Fighter II with the awful 360 d-pad. Overall, most games work well enough, especially if you decide to use the analog stick over the d-pad. Such is the case with Contra: bad with the d-pad, decent with the stick.
But don't smash it until you've given this one a chance.
Another potential minefield comes in the graphics. A lot has changed with video displays since the '80s and '90s, and Xbox 360 is optimized to work with fancy, high-res HDTVs rather than yesterday's more modest interlaced displays. Unfortunately, most of these old games were designed to look good on low-res screens. What this boils down to is that a lot of classic games actually look a bit worse on 360 than they did back in the day, thanks to the evils of line-doubling, blurry filtering, and pixelation. If they were DVDs they'd get low marks for presentation and picture quality. That said, the games are still perfectly playable, and some even feature graphical enhancements, however slight, that add just a bit of modern shine to the vintage graphics.
Don't Tell Mom
In addition to all of the hardcore games, XBLA features a fun lineup of more casual diversions. You know, like those free web-based games your aunt likes? We're talking stuff like Bankshot Billiards 2, Bejeweled 2, Hardwood Backgammon, Hearts, and Spades, Jewel Quest, Texas Hold 'Em, UNO, and Zuma.
Some classic flicks are in the offing.
You might be surprised at just how enjoyable and relaxing an online card game can be. The best ones, like UNO and Texas Hold 'Em, have plenty of competition for all skill levels, as well as neat features like Xbox Live Vision support. (That's the 360's optional USB webcam.) Seeing your opponents grimace as you deal them a harsh hand can be satisfying, and at the very least viewing the squalor of your opponents' unkempt bedrooms should make you feel better about your own. Mind your bed-head, though -- what's the use of winning if you don't look good while doing it?
The Madness of Microtransactions
As we mentioned, Marketplace also offers "premium" content downloads for many games, which add or unlock new maps, weapons, characters, skins, and other such niceties. Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was in the news earlier this year for pioneering this sort of bonus content, with a lot of folks upset about just how expensive the downloads were. We're not talkin' 20 bucks, but a bunch of $3 downloads can add up. Bethesda has tweaked its pricing since, and it's not as big a deal now. And some developers are doing a decent job of adding extra fun with well-crafted downloads for their games.
