The best Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) games

[GrandAmChandler]

Lets make a running list of what the top Xbox Live Arcade games are to date. If you know the current price point, it may be a good idea to point that out. Nominate a game for the list with your reasons why.

I will start with the obvious. Pac-man CE - 800pts. This game is one of the best, if not the best game on Xbox Live Arcade.

Top XBLA Titles

Bejeweled 2 - 800pts
Bomberman Live! - 800pts
Boom Boom Rocket - 800pts
Carcassone - 800pts (Or free if you got in on the promotion)
Castlevania: SOTN - 800pts
Catan - 800pts
Doom - 800pts
Double Dragon - 400pts
E4 - 800pts
Gauntlet - 400pts
Geometry Wars - 800pts
Marble Blast Ultra - 400pts
N+ - 800pts
Omega Five - 800pts
Outpost Kaloki X - 800pts
Pac-Man: CE - 800pts
Pinball FX - 800pts (200pts extra for a bonus table)
Puzzle Quest 1200pts
Poker Smash - 800pts
Rez HD - 800pts
Rootbeer Tapper - 400pts
Scramble - 400pts
Sonic 2 - 400pts
Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix - 800pts
Switchball - 800pts
Time Pilot - 400pts
TMNT - 400pts
Triggerheart Excelica- 800pts
Uno - 400pts
Worms - 800pts

[boatofcar]

Pinball FX - 800 points
4 tables (and one more for an additional 200pts) and the best ball physics of any pinball game on a next gen console.

[robotriot]

For me it's

Bejeweled 2 800pt
Rez HD 800pt
UNO 400pt

[Slate]

Worms - 800 pts

[le geek]

Switchball - 800 Points
Marble Blast Ultra just seems okay to me, but Switchball is the modern take on Marble Madness that I've wanted for a long, long time...

[heybtbm]

Bomberman Live (the ultimate "definitive" version ever released)

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (my personal nostalgic favorite)

[DaveD]

I like Pokersmash....kind of like Poker meets Tetris Attack...
800 pts.
----------
and though already mentioned, I find myself wasting an astonishing amount of time with Bejeweled 2

[jcalder8]

N+ 800 pts Addictive gameplay and sweet physics. Plus creating your own levels adds tons of replay to the already 250 levels. Promises of more levels to come in the next few months and hopefully the ability to share levels only adds to this game's appeal.

[consolecrusader]

Double Dragon - 400 PT
TMNT - 400 PT

Double Dragon was one of my personal favorites and I can not remember how many damn quarters I put into TMNT in the arcades in AC

[Cantaloup]

My favorites so far:

Carcassonne
Pinball FX
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
Geometry Wars
Omega Five

There's also the excellent Puzzle Quest, which I don't have for XBLA but have played on the DS.

[diskoboy]

-Pac-Man CE
-Rez HD
-E4
-Triggerheart Exelica
-Geometry Wars
-Puzzle Quest
-Omega Five
-Castlevania: SotN

[GrandAmChandler]

I believe I am up to date at this point, please let me know if you see any errors or omissions. Also, just like the other thread, if you think a nomination sucks, you can un-nominate it to remove it from the list, a few votes that agree for taking it off will remove it from the list.

-GAC-

[Slate]

I also vote for TMNT 1989 Arcade and Uno. Gauntlet should also be listed.

[mailman187666]

my favorites are (in no order)

Puzzle Quest
Castlevania: SOTN
Geometry Wars
Marble Blast Ultra

there are a bunch I haven't played at all too so I'm a bit behind the times....I moved and now need to buy a OVERPRICED wireless adapter for my 360 to get back on live.

[Vectorman0]

Marble Blast Ultra is probably my most played XBLA game to date, so I think it should be on the list. Boom Boom Rocket is also one of my favorites, though I can see why some may not like it. Assault Heroes is also another great original title that I though was well worth the $10. I also loved the XBLA versions of Time Pilot and Scramble, though there is nothing special or notable about them except for maybe how well Time Pilot controls with the 360 Controller.

[boatofcar]

A couple of other votes from me:

SF 2 Puzzle Thing
Outpost Kaloki X
Catan (seriously, how can Carcasssone be on the list and not Catan?)

[Nesmaster]

Geometry Wars
N+
MBU
Pacman CE

have all been said

Street Fighter II HF 800
Doom (800, soon to be 400)
Assault Heroes (same as above)

Street Fighter may be broken online, but the offline is as great a port as ever, with some hard as nails achievements to keep you playing for a while.

Doom might just be the best console port out there, don't hold me to that but it's the best version I've played. I never did finish the game in the past - I did on my 360 though (on Ultra-Violence too.. guess the achievement helped that) It's a shame no one played online/lag.

Assault Heroes, when it came out, was very fun. I might be partial to things that offer full co-op though. Addicting game that reminded me of Jackal crossed with Commando... or something. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Leo_A]

Time Pilot, Root Beer Tapper, Worms, and Uno are the best XBLA games, in my opinion.

[Nebagram]

Space Giraffe & Rez HD are 1 & 2 in my eyes. Puzzle Fighter, SotN and Pac-Man CE are 3rd-5th.

Special mentions also to Boom Boom Rocket and Sonic 2.

[GrandAmChandler]

List updated to this point. See anything you don't think should be on there? Feel free to express your opinion and a few votes will remove it.

NESMaster, I do agree the single player port of SFII is good, the game as a whole lacks polish as well as it has a broken online mode. Plus this new version coming out is going to trump it.

[Half Japanese]

Most of my favorites are already there, but I think the following belong as well:

- Assault Heroes (was 800 pts, dropped to 400 this week)

A really fun take on the twin stick shooter set mostly in vehicles but with a few on-foot segments as well. It's sort of a spiritual successor to Jackal (NES) and for my money the dynamite-strapped "whoowhoowhoowhoo" baddies are some of the more iconic game villains in a long time.

- Smash TV (400 pts)

Robotron meets the Running Man. It may not be the granddaddy of the now-overabundant twin stick shooters, but it's at least an uncle and is certainly the one with the best sense of humor (with the possible exception of SNK's Shock Troopers).

- Marble Blast Ultra (800 pts)

One of the finest updates to Marble Madness available. It's just a ton of fun to play and will take a nice, long while to beat (which is rare for an arcade title). The only downfall are the levels where you have to collect jewels to advance, but other than that it's definitely a solid buy.

[Poofta!]

Carcassone is by far my favorite. i play this more than any other game. even more than my retail ones.

[Leo_A]

Marble Blast Ultra is 400 points, it was in the first round of permanent price reductions that you just mentioned for Assualt Heroes.

[Half Japanese]

Marble Blast Ultra is 400 points, it was in the first round of permanent price reductions that you just mentioned for Assualt Heroes.

Good to know. Maybe next time they'll drop the price on something I haven't already bought (already have Assault Heroes and Doom, this week's additions to the price drops).

[s1lence]

Smash Tv should not be one of them, though my basis is because of the glitched achievements in the game.

Alien Homnid should be on there, sure its on other systems but its a sweet title.

Assault Heroes is a great shooter and the nice price makes it a must have.

Tron Deadly Discs should be on there just because its a decent port of the classic. Sure it hasn't aged well but I see it as an enjoyable title.

Catan , simple its a good game in videogame form

E4, fun gameplay and in my opinion worth the 800 points.

Pokersmash , A nice twist in the puzzle formula very enjoyable.

I could go on an on.

--- Hexic
--- Exit
--- Geon
--- Metal Slug 3
--- Streets of Rage 2
--- Zuma

[digitalpress]

Just seeing this thread for the first time now - nice job, GAC, in organizing the titles with color coding even! Color ME impressed :)

Funny though, the first two titles that popped into my mind aren't on the list. Arkadian Warriors, which is a 20+ level, 3-player cooperative Diablo clone. I played it to death once I discovered it, and I return to it every so often just for old times. I kinda wish they'd add some more levels for high level characters but I totally got my money's worth out of this one.

Runner up is Aegis Wing, which I can pick up and play anytime and again, have a WISH. I WISH there were more people playing this game online at any given moment because as a 1-player game it's pretty blah. As a 4-player game it's outstanding. The true definition of a "more the merrier" title.

Carry on.

[PapaStu]

Where is the Geometry Wars love? I should see more of it.

Also needing to be praised is Pac-Man CE. That game is AMAZING.

Boom Boom Rocket is a great rythm game (at least the base songs are, new content songs not so much). Katchoo will pwn you (Vectorman will come in to challenge your skillz as well)

AstroPop though a clone of Magical Drop, and a little more gimickey but it is still quite good. Katchoo pwns all

I'm sure id be praising Rez and Metal Slug 3, but they've not been bought...yet. Metal Slug is never bad and Rez is Rez.