Is Xbox Arcade failing to deliver on its potential?

Simon Miller of X360 Magazine seems to think so:

So, 3 years in, are you happy with Arcade? Is it still the best of the 3 download services (4 if you include Steam...I suppose), or are you rather disappointed with what's available?

When I first got the 360, I used to download every single demo trial that went up. Over the last year however, the novelty has completely worn off. Though I roughly know what's going up each Wednesday, I haven't felt the urge to try the games out like a used to. Wallace & Gromit is the first title I've really been interested in since Geometry Wars 2.

I'm more than happy with anything that has just delivered Outrun Online and Banjo Tooie.

XBLA is my favourite aspect of this gen. Sure, there's always room for more quality games (and I think that's true for PSN and WiiWare too), but I'm more than happy with what I've bought so far.

I think this is the thread Hugo has been asking for.

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The thing with these services is they're never going to be 100% complete, folks are always going to rave how they're missing game X or game Y. It isn't feasible to put every possible game up at once, especially on Live Arcade where the games have to be 'upgraded' one way or another.

That aside; downloadable gaming rocks :mrgreen:

Retro lives on because of it!

Christ, no. If anything there are too many old games getting re-released. And the thought of playing point and clicks with a pad is horrific.

Awful service, even compared to the Wii.

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I think XBLA is absolutely brilliant.

It occured to me today (with this Arkanoid stuff) that XBLA is mainly shitty old games which old gits buy because they played them when they were kids and then 800 points later realise the rose tinted glasses are rather strong. It reeks of quick cash ins on people's memories.

It's chock full of complete crap. Sure, there are good games, but the majority are still abysmal.

And I've given up on the dream of them delivering games like Warhawk and Wipeout HD, which probably don't deserve full releases but I'd be happy to spend 15 quid on. That's where a huge amount of it's potential lies, I feel.

I like what Sony are doing with PSN. It hasn't got the same number of good games as XBLA, but the kinds of games they're trying to get on there are almost always interesting and these weekly shitty retro releases are considerably fewer in number.

I'm happy enough with XBL. I'm not a big fan of online play, but I enjoy all other services such as DLC, demos, updates, Arcade and even renting the odd video now and again (last one was Tropic Thunder). It's good enough for me. Of course, it could always be better, I guess, but it's nice that console gaming has now evolved to a stage where, for instance, games can be updated and added to. I'm all for it.

The whole marketplace really needs a rating sstem added to it and a recommendations system like Amazons to make it more usable.

"My favourite game isn't on this service therefore it sucks".

What a pathetically playground argument.

Banjo

I have to say, I've been happy with the service so far. Any service that gives me HD Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie is fine by me.

My fave download service by a country mile.

MCN wrote:I have to say, I've been happy with the service so far. Any service that gives me HD Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie is fine by me.

This

bear wrote:The whole marketplace really needs a rating sstem added to it and a recommendations system like Amazons to make it more usable.

And this.

Now if Rare would just stick the rest of their N64 games on there Id be a very happy bunny indeed.

The only thing that has disappointed me about Live was the change of Blood Bowl from Live to full retail release.

Last edited by HSH28 on Thu May 07, 2009 12:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

Harry Bizzle wrote:It occured to me today (with this Arkanoid stuff) that XBLA is mainly shitty old games which old gits buy because they played them when they were kids and then 800 points later realise the rose tinted glasses are rather strong. It reeks of quick cash ins on people's memories.

It's chock full of complete crap. Sure, there are good games, but the majority are still abysmal.

Thats crap.

I mean you can make the argument that theres a lot of crap on there, even the majority perhaps...but to say games are crap because they are old is insane, there are a significant number of amazing old games on XBLA that have nothing to do with having rose tinted glasses. And to brand the entire service rubbish because a lot of the games are rubbish is equally mad, its the old PS2 thing, yes theres a hell of a lot of crap out there...but theres also a lot of amazing stuff too. The crap doesn't make the rest of the stuff bad.

Theres no doubt, XBLA is the best download service, its not even close if you actually try and list the best games available.

Geometry Wars 1/2, Braid, Castle Crashers, Galaga Legions, PacMan CE, Mutant Storm Empire, N+, Pinball FX, Catan, Uno, Poker Smash, Band of Bugs, Assault Heroes, Every Extend Extra Extreme, Wik and the Fable of Souls, Marble Blast Ultra, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, Hexic HD, Outpost Kaloki X.

Rez HD, Ikaruga, Space Invaders Extreme, Castlevania SoTN, Soulcalibur, Virtual On, Exit 1/2, Lumines Live!, Peggle, Portal, Death Tank, R-Type Dimensions, Sensible World of Soccer, Jetpac Refuelled, Metal Slug 3, Speedball 2, Worms.

Doom, Duke Nukem 3D, Fatal Fury Special, Galaga, Pac-Man, Samurai Shodown II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Streets of Rage 2, Smash TV, Track and Field, Sonic 1/2.

Thats what 50 games, split between compeletely new in the first lot, either last gen or a remake in the second lot and some old arcade classics in the third lot (which unlike on PSN or WiiWare have functionality from this gen as standard, be that just leaderboards or full blown Live multiplayer).

They are all well priced for what they are, they are all good games (at least you'll find lots who would say so) and they are all exclusive to XBLA (in Europe). Add in multiplatform games and you've another good chuck of really good titles.

EDIT - OutRun Online Arcade, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Mega Man 9, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, GripShift, Crystal Defenders.

I say bollocks to anyone who even tries to refute this, there is no doubt. XBLA is clearly the best service overall.

EDIT - Does PSN even have 60 games here? And those of you moaning about Marketplace...be glad it isn't PSN, on which theres no way to get a list of the PSN games...I kid you not, you have to search through lists that include DLC, videos and whatever for every full blown PS3 title if you want to find an old PSN game...brilliant system that is.

But is it delivering on its potential?

a) I didn't say the whole service was crap. We're talking about potential here.
b) Since you like making lists so much, now make a big fat one of all the shitty games on Live.
c) I didn't say it's not the best. We're talking about potential here.
d) I didn't say that being old made them shitty. I said they're both old and shitty. The reason so many people buy them is because of nostalgia.
e) You're so unbelievably boring.
f) I could go on.
g) I won't.

edit: and use wikipedia, Hugo.

Is Xbox Arcade failing to deliver on its potential?

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