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Patrick Murphy:
You guys always have things like HDTVs, headsets, and other electronic stuff and I was wondering what you do with all of the th ...
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Generally, we return them. HDTVs are obtained with legally binding loan agreements; we have generally 30 to 45 d...MORE
Posted on: Apr 14, 2008
The Best XBLA Games You’re
Not Playing
WORDS BY: Dan Amrich
Ikaruga came out for Xbox Live Arcade this past week, and I instantly thought, “There’s a game that everybody should play and won’t.” Another shooter? A really difficult one? With a funny name? And it’s more than 400 Microsoft points? Pass, sayeth the general populace. That’s my sad prediction, anyway. We did our part; we gave it a good review and explained why we think it’s cool.
I hope I’m wrong, but if it does get overlooked, Ikaruga will be in good company. Hidden among the Boogie Bunnies and Battlezones, there are several XBLA gems that go underappreciated, while some other games get almost overplayed. It’s time for some fresh games in your XBLA list — and I think these should be them.
Carcassonne
Price: 800 MS Points
What You’re Playing Instead: Uno
Why You’re Not Playing It: You don’t know how to pronounce it, but it does look suspiciously French
Why You’re Missing Out: Nothing against Uno, but come on – it’s time to try something new. Carcassonne supports five players instead of just four, offers clear tutorials on how to place your land and castle tiles to build (and ultimately own) a medieval city, and the game gives you equal chances to both build up your own empire and screw your neighbor. Someone ruining your strategy? Shift it quickly and easily and throw your opponents for a loop. And not that you’ve played the tabletop edition, but scoring and shuffling of the tiles is a zillion times easier when the 360 takes care of it.
Pac-Man Championship Edition
Price: 800 MS Points
What You’re Playing Instead: Ms. Pac-Man…well, not really
Why You’re Not Playing It: You can buy two other played-out Pac-Man games for the price and not play them instead.
Why You’re Missing Out: For all the retro reissues on XBLA, this is the one that really tried to reinvent itself. It’s Pac-Man on high-def acid: Widescreen, fluorescent, with actively changing playfields, merciless time limits, and some dirty tricks up its sleeve (good luck navigating the huge invisible mazes). Also, the 200 Achievement points it offers are just hard enough to make them feel satisfying when you get them.
Mon, 04/28/2008 - 02:45
Posted by EndrzGame
So right about Galaga, my favorite old school game. I remember pumping quarters into the cabinet at the local 7-11 when I was a kid, and I'm still playing it to this day. Good times.
Thu, 04/17/2008 - 02:44
Posted by chewbacca15
I completely agree about carcassonne once I started that I was addicted so im glad i got it for free but still even if its not free I would still recomend it
Wed, 04/16/2008 - 22:34
Posted by Spybreak
Yea I play all four of these. I love Carcassonne, Pac Man CE Edition, man if you don't play all the time you're rusty once you do, Puzzle Quest, and Poker Smash. I usually find myself playing Puzzle Quest on my DS more but I love to play Carcassonne online and offline. Poker Smash is a blast but I've never been able to play a game online.
Wed, 04/16/2008 - 19:06
Posted by ethanjude
Puzzle Quest has been one of maybe half a dozen Arcade games where you feel that the price was a steal. I put almost 50 hours into that game, and only paid $15 bucks. Not too shabby.
I've played a little Carcassone, and some Poker Smash and I hope to see both get some more long term love. Both are great games as well.
Wed, 04/16/2008 - 01:45
Posted by Bennanias
carcassone was amazing. if anyone is looking for a game, just message me and i would love to play. maybe even knock out those last achievements.
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 20:08
Posted by sHo76uNd3Wd
I got into Pac-Man CE a few weeks ago. That game is so addicting. You sit there and say I am only going to play one more and sure enough an hour later you are still playing trying to topple your high score. Just yesterday, I got my score up to 341k.
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 16:21
Posted by SilentMerc3nary
Carcasson was rubbish. Other than that, that list is awesome.
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 15:54
Posted by Grognard66
Good story. I also think that Cloning Clyde is one of the best overlooked games on Arcade.
Tue, 04/15/2008 - 03:00
Posted by InvertedSine
Great story! It really makes me want to try out some of these games. I was looking for something new that I didn't have to dedicate a lot of time and money too. Thanks for the re-reviews.
Mon, 04/14/2008 - 23:40
Posted by sneaky77
I have all the games listed here except astropop, I did get carcassone when MS offered it for free, although I did not quite figure out how to play it.
Mon, 04/14/2008 - 20:03
Posted by Mitch OXM
Poker Smash is faaaaaantastic. I love that game to death, and having seen a screenshot for it, I'll be going back to it tonight.
Carcassone as well. I also think folks skipped out on Catan.
Mon, 04/14/2008 - 19:48
Posted by Sanclus
I did buy Cloning Clyde for the same reasons stated above and it was fun, even though I have to go back and complete the game. Of the games listed in this article, I have Pac Man CE, Poker Smash and Galaga.
Daniel
Mon, 04/14/2008 - 19:29
Posted by freakwaph
I've wanted to point this out for some time now,
But a very underplayed and undertalked-about game is Cloning Clyde.
I bought it simply because of how silly it seemed, and I also beat it in a matter of a day or two, but it was a really enjoyable game to play. You got to combine your character with various animals including sheep and chickens and then got to use their abilities i.e. jumping further and flying.
it's a great game to check out, and I'm not sure how much it costs, but has anyone else played this little known XBLA game?