I decided that this was the perfect place to share my opinions on the new Xbox Live money sucker - "Arcade". I recently (within the past two weeks) got my hands on this little package directly from microsoft (and waited quite a while for it...i might add..it was back ordered!) I have since spent a good 20+ hours trying out the various titles available for the Arcade. After $70 spent on arcade games it's time to let everyone know whats worth your cold hard cash.
Firstly, with the xbox live arcade disc comes Ms. Pacman. This game is a legend in classic arcade gaming. The emulation on the xbox is virtually perfect but in my own opinion doesn't really hold up to today's games. However, if you don't have a rendition of this mega hit and don't want to spend another penny, the $4.99 price tag is acceptable.
Once you get logged on to your xbox live account you will be given the choice of browsing genres like action/puzzle/etc. but since there is a total of 10 titles you mine as well check out "New Releases" because they are all located/browsable there.
In addition to Ms. Pacman I currently have Fuzzee Fever, Guardian, Mutant Storm, Ricochet: Lost Worlds, and Hardwood Solitare. Because these are the titles I have I will be reviewing only these. Each game varies in price and detail..ranging from $9.99 to $19.99 for the supposedly "Full Featured" games.
Interestingly enough, Fuzzee Fever and Guardian are the two titles thus far that cost $19.99. I urge everyone that wants to try this product not to buy either one of these games. Of everything available they are the least amount of fun/bang for your buck. Fuzzee Fever is a very weak puzzle game in witch your objective is to push blocks around a checkersboard type square making 4 of the same color blocks touch. It's really so bizarre I don't feel like wasting more time explaining it. It's a game entirely based upon graphics and nothing else. Guardian is a remake of the classic game for the atari whos name I can't remember....You know the one...you fly around in a ship scrolling through screen after screen shooting alien spacecrafts. Unfortunately all the aesthetic upgrades made to the game do NOT make for a 20 dollar play. It gets BORING in a hurry and has a high difficulty making it more irritating than enjoyable. Both of these games deserve nothing more than 3 stars.
Let's move on to the more enjoyable side of the Arcade. Ricochet: Lost Worlds if you haven't allready played the PC version is a very graphical version of the game "Brick Break". There have been literally thousands of remakes of this game. Mainly because it is fairly addicting. This version of the game is probably the best I have ever played. There are power up after power ups and so many cool level designs it's worth seeing. At $10 I would probably buy it again. I give it a good 4 out of 5 stars keeping in mind the price tag.
The next best thing to come out of the arcade is Hardwood Solitare. This is just another loaded rendition of all your favorite solitare games (at least 50+ games). Mine happens to be "Pyramid". You have all the usual custimization options being deck colors/patterns, playing surfaces, etc. and even custimizable sound track! (You can use your own xbox mix..cool) But the soundtrack is so good you would never want to. The music is what makes this solitare game better than all the rest. It sounds like something from Lord of the Rings...very relaxing/peaceful. The only problem here is you can easily get games like this for free all over the internet. I give it 4 out of 5 stars for the music alone.
It has come down to "Mutant Storm". To this point your probably thinking the xbox live arcade..why bother? This is a GREAT GAME! It has the coolest old school feel with excellent spaced out colorful graphics (not mind blowing halo graphics but still) Everytime I play it I think of one of my favorite games of all time, "Smash TV". Nearly the same principle but lacking the game show environment. It's super fast paced with weapon power ups, shield power ups, and maybe even more of a challange than smash because there is larger emphasis placed on trying to get the best score you possibly can. I currently have the 21st high score on Xbox Live leaderboards and play the game every chance I get. For $10 I wouldn't hesitate to buy this one even if there is a PC version. It plays so smoothly on the Xbox you have to try it out. If you fit the description of the "Classic Video Gamer" like this site is really all about...this game is the greatest. 5 stars..
Hopefully this information is helpful? Everything you wanted to know about Xbox Live Arcade (And probably more )