My Bites and Bytes: The best of XBOX Arcade
XBOX LIVE ARCADE
One of the best things that happened to the Xbox 360 is the abundance of titles that have come out for their Xbox Live Arcade. In this edition, I'm going to run down a few of the titles that are worth your five to ten dollars.
Street Fighter 2 — I feel so sorry for you gamers that are strictly into 3D fighters because this is the granddaddy of all fighters. I remember plunking down $80 for this game when it was released on the Super Nintendo (does that show my age or what) and to this day, Street Fighter 2 holds up as one that you can continue playing for hours.
The best part about downloading this game is playing against others on Xbox Live. This feature brings back the glory days of hanging- out at the arcades and proving you're the best to a bunch of other gamers. There are some lag issues that still plague the game, but it has gotten better and Capcom is still working on patches. The one thing I wish Microsoft or Capcom would do is release a controller with a joystick, so that the authentic Street Fighter feel would return and I wouldn't be frustrated trying to pull off simple moves with the Xbox 360s horrible D-Pad.
Texas Hold Em — While you have to pay for this now, when it was released a few weeks ago, it was free for two days. I snatched this up even though I'm not a huge poker fan or player. Of course, you get a game and instantly try to and master it, and this one is no exception. I got sucked into the world of poker and have constantly battled the computer players until I felt comfortable to play against others online. I actaully think I'm ready to enter the World Poker Tournament now. Ok, no, I'm not but at least I'm having fun learning the ropes in the game of poker. This one is definitely worth your money if you enjoy poker.
Time Pilot — Konami's classic returns on Xbox Live and its simplistic shoot and avoid planes is as much fun now as it was WAY BACK in the early 80s. This game should be sampled before you buy it because for you games that got into gaming with the PS2 or Xbox may find the game a tad boring. Hell, I bought it just for the nostalgic feeling I get hearing the intro music.
Geometry Wars — This game has been around on Xbox Live Arcade since its inception and should be the first thing you buy with your five to seven dollars. While the game may seem simple at first, it turns into a game of skill and quick reflects that will have you immediately competing for a place on the leaderboards and for bragging rights at parties. Play this one NOW!
This is only the icing on the cake because Xbox Live has many demos and other games available for downloading. If this is a taste of things to come when Sony releases its online strategy with the PS3 and Nintendo has a catalogue of old NES, SNES, N64, Genesis and TurboGraphics 16 titles available, then call me a hermit and a broke-ass.
One of the best things that happened to the Xbox 360 is the abundance of titles that have come out for their Xbox Live Arcade. In this edition, I'm going to run down a few of the titles that are worth your five to ten dollars.
Street Fighter 2 — I feel so sorry for you gamers that are strictly into 3D fighters because this is the granddaddy of all fighters. I remember plunking down $80 for this game when it was released on the Super Nintendo (does that show my age or what) and to this day, Street Fighter 2 holds up as one that you can continue playing for hours.
The best part about downloading this game is playing against others on Xbox Live. This feature brings back the glory days of hanging- out at the arcades and proving you're the best to a bunch of other gamers. There are some lag issues that still plague the game, but it has gotten better and Capcom is still working on patches. The one thing I wish Microsoft or Capcom would do is release a controller with a joystick, so that the authentic Street Fighter feel would return and I wouldn't be frustrated trying to pull off simple moves with the Xbox 360s horrible D-Pad.
Texas Hold Em — While you have to pay for this now, when it was released a few weeks ago, it was free for two days. I snatched this up even though I'm not a huge poker fan or player. Of course, you get a game and instantly try to and master it, and this one is no exception. I got sucked into the world of poker and have constantly battled the computer players until I felt comfortable to play against others online. I actaully think I'm ready to enter the World Poker Tournament now. Ok, no, I'm not but at least I'm having fun learning the ropes in the game of poker. This one is definitely worth your money if you enjoy poker.
Time Pilot — Konami's classic returns on Xbox Live and its simplistic shoot and avoid planes is as much fun now as it was WAY BACK in the early 80s. This game should be sampled before you buy it because for you games that got into gaming with the PS2 or Xbox may find the game a tad boring. Hell, I bought it just for the nostalgic feeling I get hearing the intro music.
Geometry Wars — This game has been around on Xbox Live Arcade since its inception and should be the first thing you buy with your five to seven dollars. While the game may seem simple at first, it turns into a game of skill and quick reflects that will have you immediately competing for a place on the leaderboards and for bragging rights at parties. Play this one NOW!
This is only the icing on the cake because Xbox Live has many demos and other games available for downloading. If this is a taste of things to come when Sony releases its online strategy with the PS3 and Nintendo has a catalogue of old NES, SNES, N64, Genesis and TurboGraphics 16 titles available, then call me a hermit and a broke-ass.
