Author Topic: Xbox Live Arcade General Discussion (Read 7509 times)

NWR_insanolord · « **on:** July 23, 2011, 03:49:02 AM »

I would make the argument, and I think there are a lot of people who'd agree, that Xbox Live Arcade is by far the best reason to own an Xbox 360. There are so many great games for the service, but most of them probably don't deserve, or at least wouldn't be done justice by, their own thread. Because of that, I'm making this thread so everyone has a place to discuss whatever games on the service you want, or to recommend lesser known titles to the rest of the people on the forums.

And of course I wouldn't have made this thread if I didn't have a game I wanted to talk about, and that game is Outland. Outland is half Metroid, half Mega Man with a sword (I'm pretty sure that happened at one point, but I don't think I played it), and half Ikaruga, and I want to have its babies. I seem to remember Jonny talking about it on RFN at one point, but he wasn't nearly positive enough about it. Go download the trial immediately, it's one of the best 800 spacebucks I've ever spent on the service.

S-U-P-E-R · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2011, 04:27:56 AM »

I buy so much stuff from their weekly deals. My hard drive have been destroyed by bargains and impulse purchases!

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Promotion/dealoftheweek

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2011, 04:38:48 AM »

Quote from: S-U-P-E-R on July 23, 2011, 04:27:56 AM

I buy so much stuff from their weekly deals. My hard drive have been destroyed by bargains and impulse purchases!

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Promotion/dealoftheweek

The great thing about this post is that it reads like a spambot wrote it. Two sentences of effusive praise followed by a link to stuff to buy.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2011, 04:44:48 AM »

There are a couple of good XBLA games, but I would disagree on it being the best reason to own a Xbox 360 or even a main one. It's a good service though. I don't like how it has moved from mostly $5 and $10 games at the beginning to mostly $10 and $15 games (hardly any new games are $5 now, and most Xbox Live Indy games are garbage to be honest, although there are a couple of good ones there).

bustin98 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2011, 12:40:27 PM »

I've been on Live for 6 years, and I haven't bought a single original game from the arcade. I have bought Perfect Dark and the Banjo games though. My reasons for owning a 360: Halo, Gears of War, it was given to me, and Netflix. I prefer Netflix on 360 over PS3 and Wii. I will check out Outland though.

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2011, 10:55:20 PM »

If you prefer Netflix on Xbox 360 over PS3, then you've probably never actually used the PS3 version - as much as it pains me to say it, it is clearly the best iteration of the service, and actually over 30% of all Netflix streamers use the PS3 version (although that may have recently changed since it came out on Android).

Anyway, the only game I've ever bought on XBLA was Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3...and now there's MAME for 360 (well, a better version than the one that came out several years ago), so that no longer sees any action.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2011, 11:03:40 PM »

I don't know how you people haven't done much with XBLA. Geometry Wars 2 is one of the best games of this generation, and Super Meat Boy is one of the best platformers in the last decade.

TJ Spyke · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2011, 11:15:58 PM »

Quote from: Brandogg on July 23, 2011, 10:55:20 PM

and actually over 30% of all Netflix streamers use the PS3 version (although that may have recently changed since it came out on Android).

I really would like to know where you got that number from, I couldn't find anything to support it.

Insano, I thought Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was OK. I played the demo for Super Meat Boy and think it would be a good $5 game (I think it is overpriced at $15).

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2011, 11:22:05 PM »

See, I would have no problem paying $40 for Super Meat Boy as a retail title on 3DS. I love platformers, and I think it's one of the best examples of that genre in recent memory, and that it far surpasses anything not made by Nintendo.

bustin98 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 23, 2011, 11:49:11 PM »

http://www.1up.com/news/netflix-consoles-accounts-peak-internet-traffic-north-america

This article says Netflix on PS3 is at 30%. I would argue that is due to people buying the PS3 more as a blu-ray player/movie machine and the 360 is primarily a gaming device. And you need to be a Gold member to watch Netflix on the 360...

I find that the thumbnails load faster and more titles can be seen at once on the screen with the 360. I like the Search function better, and the general look of the application is cleaner. Performance wise, I doubt I could tell the difference. The majority of people on the planet eat Chinese food, but I don't do that either.

Oh, and just before posting, I did go and load up a couple of shows on the PS3 just to make sure nothing changed since the last time I used it. Its the same.

Killer_Man_Jaro · « **Reply #10 on:** July 24, 2011, 01:03:59 PM »

This thread is pertinent to me - I don't own a 360, and I can tell you that Xbox Live Arcade is the only enticing prospect for me to buy one down the line. On the retail end, the exclusives are thin on the ground, but on XBLA, there's a whole bunch I'd like to play. Fortunately, the two Summer of Arcade titles I'm interested in this year, Bastion and From Dust, are coming to PC later this year.

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #11 on:** July 24, 2011, 02:13:15 PM »

Quote from: TJ Spyke on July 23, 2011, 11:15:58 PM

Quote from: Brandogg on July 23, 2011, 10:55:20 PM
and actually over 30% of all Netflix streamers use the PS3 version (although that may have recently changed since it came out on Android).

I really would like to know where you got that number from, I couldn't find anything to support it.

Insano, I thought Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was OK. I played the demo for Super Meat Boy and think it would be a good $5 game (I think it is overpriced at $15).

It actually came directly from Netflix a couple months ago when they were talking about how successful their streaming service was or something like that.

Edit - bustin98 beat me to it with a link (though it's not the one I was going to use).

Anyway - maybe you don't use an HDTV, but the PS3 picture quality is much better than the Xbox 360's.

bustin98 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 24, 2011, 05:21:00 PM »

Picture quality is going to be subjective. You can post screen caps and I'll do the same and we can have totally different results. My tv is 720p so I can't speak of 1080p, but when Time Warner is cooperating my picture quality on the 360 is perfect with no artifacting or banding or blurring. The image is comparable to bluray, definately a step up from standard def dvd. Sound doesn't skip either. Though I don't experience those issues with the PS3 either. I just like the experience on the 360 better.

Ok, I'm done hijacking the thread

This thread could just as easily support PSN games along with the 360 Arcade games. I just realized I have more PSN games than Arcade games (thanks to Sony's network mess). Super Stardust and Cuboid are fun distractions every once in a while.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #13 on:** July 24, 2011, 05:43:26 PM »

I probably have as many XBLA games as I have retail 360 games, and I have about 30 of those. I definitely have more PSN games than retail PS3 games, as I only have about a dozen of those

BranDonk Kong · « **Reply #14 on:** July 25, 2011, 12:34:30 AM »

Netlix HD, while in general is very nice, is nowhere near BluRay quality. Netflix maxes out at I believe 3Mb/sec, BluRay is about 40Mb/sec typically. The difference isn't always obvious, but you can tell the difference. I know image quality can be considered objective, but in the case of PS3 Netflix vs 360, it really isn't. When they're both getting a nice uninterrupted signal, they both look great, but if there's any congestion on the 360, the movie will stop, rebuffer, change streams, etc. On the PS3, it keeps running and adjusts on the fly - also the PS3 Netflix can stream 5.1 surround sound, 360 cannot. On a side note, I still hate Sony.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #15 on:** July 25, 2011, 03:11:53 AM »

Bringing it back to the original topic, I bought Ms. Splosion Man tonight. Neal got me to try the demo, and it's a great, creative platformer. I don't like it as much as Outland, but it's very good.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #16 on:** July 28, 2011, 04:56:55 PM »

It's worth saying just about everyone should go and at least try Bastion. I have to say it's a great game, really a head above most others.

broodwars · « **Reply #17 on:** July 28, 2011, 05:02:08 PM »

I don't buy XBLA games very often, but some of the folks I follow on Twitter are raving right now about the upcoming Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet game on it. It's a side-scrolling shooter of sorts, from the look of the trailer.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #18 on:** July 28, 2011, 11:32:00 PM »

In addition to Outland and Ms. Splosion Man, lately I've been going back and playing more of Super Meat Boy. That game is just so damn good. I'd argue it was the PS360 game of the year last year, and might have won it outright if it hadn't come out the same year as Galaxy 2, DKCR and Civ 5.

Halbred · « **Reply #19 on:** July 29, 2011, 01:55:01 AM »

Too bad it didn't come out on PS3. ;-)

I'm a little annoyed about how much certain games cost. Portal and Shadow Complex are $15 apiece.

that Baby guy · « **Reply #20 on:** July 29, 2011, 02:27:39 AM »

Shadow Complex, so far for me, is just a lame wannabe Super Metroid with some serious AI issues.

I didn't enjoy Ms. 'Splosion Man so much. The humor was, at most part lame, and when it did work, it was only in music videos and non-gaming situations. The actual platforming felt very much like current 3D Sonic games, though slightly more difficult just because of the lack of the ability to see what's ahead. It's got some major problems with borrowing a bit too much as an attempt to pass on homage, and Ms. 'Splosion Man, herself, blends into the background quite a bit.

Yeah, so forgive the mini-review, but Ms. 'Splosion Man (in single player) just wasn't up to my grade. I'd rather spend more time playing Donkey Kong Country Returns. I know the price is a lot different, but if I'm going to spend my time playing the game, I want to invest that into the best stuff I can, right?

Edit: As for Bastion, current rumor has it a PS3 version is a possibility. I hope that happens, just so more people have access to the game.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #21 on:** July 29, 2011, 02:50:40 AM »

I don't care about the humor in Ms. Splosion Man, or any of the rest of the presentation, I just like the gameplay. It's definitely the weakest of the three I've been talking about, though. I haven't played any of the recent 3D Sonic titles, so I can't speak to that comparison. It does blindside you sometimes with something that there wasn't really a way for you to know ahead of time, but there are frequent checkpoints, and a lot of the time it takes me multiple attempts to get past something even once I know what has to be done.

Supposedly, though, the multiplayer is the real reason to play the game, but I haven't had a chance to try that out yet.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #22 on:** August 05, 2011, 11:56:24 AM »

Twisted Pixel just doesn't seem to be very good at gameplay.

Shadow Complex is worth the 15€.

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Author Topic: Xbox Live Arcade General Discussion (Read 7509 times)