Xbox Live Arcade has gone from strength to strength with each year; this is evident by the sheer range of quality titles on offer by the service. From classic arcade titles restored with HD visuals to new IP’s that provide unique experiences that stand up to full retail games, Xbox Live Arcade is indeed the place to find exceptional quality games at a low cost. The following list is a selection of some of the finest games on offer and that all warrant any gamers love and attention.
If you’ve not yet seen, we’ve also published a similar article about Ten Bargain Bin Games to Keep You Busy This Summer – so go check that out. Now on to our Top Ten Must Play Xbox Live Arcade Games.
Ten Essentials Xbox Live Arcade Purchases
Ikaruga
The classic shoot em up made its appearance on Xbox Live Arcade back in April 2008 and has since been thrilling gamers with its intense shooting action and challenging gameplay. Tasking players with switching their shield coulor (red to blue and vice versa) to absorb bullets to survive a level was a fantastic twist on the genre and offered a decent mix between risk and reward. The battles get crazier and crazier as the game continues as does the difficulty. Extremely challenging but at the same time both addicting and fun Ikaruga is a true gem of Xbox Live Arcade. Veterans of the genre will already have purchased Ikaruga and new comers to the genre should take the plunge and start at arguably the pinnacle of the genre.
The classic shoot em up made its appearance on Xbox Live Arcade back in April 2008 and has since been thrilling gamers with its intense shooting action and challenging gameplay. Tasking players with switching their shield coulor (red to blue and vice versa) to absorb bullets to survive a level was a fantastic twist on the genre and offered a decent mix between risk and reward. The battles get crazier and crazier as the game continues as does the difficulty. Extremely challenging but at the same time both addicting and fun Ikaruga is a true gem of Xbox Live Arcade. Veterans of the genre will already have purchased Ikaruga and new comers to the genre should take the plunge and start at arguably the pinnacle of the genre.
Xbox Marketplace: 800 MSP
Shadow Complex
This platform-adventure feels like a throwback to the days of Metroid. With a massive map to explore and fantastic gameplay on offer Shadow Complex was a true triumph on Xbox Live Arcade. The game looked fantastic due to the use of the Unreal Engine 3 and was clearly designed with plenty of love and attention as was evident by the sheer amount of collectables and secret areas found within the vast game map. There was a story attached to the game but this took a back seat to the fluent gameplay and depth found within Shadow Complex. An essential purchase for any gamer.
Xbox Marketplace: 1200 MSP
Monkey Island: Special Edition
The legendary Monkey Island franchise is well known for its sharp wit, fantastic script and bucket loads of character…and of course its top notch point and click gameplay. The Monkey Island: Special Edition seen the classic get a nice HD facelift along with a new hints system (for new players) and full voiceovers .All the classic elements returned and remained relevant to today’s gamers, a true testament to the quality of the games writing. Loveable characters all returned with a new HD look and voiceovers making Monkey Island: Special Edition an appealing purchase for gamers who had already played the classic back in the day. The classic point and click gameplay was still just as fun as it was when the game first launched and the puzzles still kept that sense of challenge. A nice touch to the game came in the form of being able to play throughout the game using the original visuals and sound track which oozed nostalgia.
Xbox Marketplace: 800 MSP
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Pac-Man is a true example of timeless gameplay, the infinitely fun game received a much welcome face lift in the shape of the Championship Edition DX. Adding a plethora of visual choices (each as striking as the next) and well designed levels this version of Pac-Man is a must play for any fan of video games. The game packs in a decent number of game modes with Score attack and Time attack coming off the best to play as both feature addictive score building and fast paced arcade action at its finest. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is also home to a fantastic soundtrack which is never becomes repetitive or intruding. The definition of classic arcade gameplay distilled into a new shiny and much loved package.
Xbox Marketplace: 800 MSP
Rez HD
Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s classic has previously appeared on the Dreamcast and PS2 (complete with a odd vibration peripheral) but on January 30th 2008 Rez HD hit Xbox Live Arcade Rez was a strange mix of rail shooting action with a music rhythm undertone which created a strange quirky sense of character within the game .Elements of shoot em ups also featured within the game which added to the sense of scale and of course to the enjoyment of the game.
Each level followed a similar outline of taking on smaller enemies within the early stages of the levels and then rounding each level off with a visually spectacular boss. Though the on rail gameplay may sound quite dull and repetitive but Rez HD’s unique visual style and utterly mind blowing musical score (which can become even more enjoyable if the player is efficient enough at the game) makes each play through feel fresh and exciting as the last. A triumph in terms of visual and audio originally from day one made better with a HD facelift.
Xbox Marketplace: 800 MSP
Portal: Still Alive
The Orange Box unleashed a instant classic in the shape of Portal however a few people didn’t experience the game after not investing into the Orange box (a crazy move i think you’ll agree) so when Portal: Still Alive hit Xbox Live Arcade there was no excuse not to see what the fuss was about.
Containing the full (but short) campaign packed with its charm and challenge the game was a steal at the price of just 1200MSP, the game also came with a number of advanced chambers to test your skills with the portal gun. The simple yet genius gameplay of Portal has always been appealing, forcing players to think outside the box to solve puzzles is a enjoyable experience that carries a sense of satisfaction after finally nailing a tricky puzzle, things take on a whole different layer when you take into account leader boards that rank players on time completion of each chamber.
The leader boards of course add a competitive twist to proceedings and before you know it you’ll be trying numerous methods out to try and complete chambers in the fastest possible time. Though the campaign is short there’s still plenty of offer such as the charming and witty words of Glados, the competitive edge on offer via leader boards and of course the fun factor of playing around with Portals.
Xbox Marketplace: 1200 MSP
DeathSpank
The main element that makes DeathSpank such an enjoyable game is the humour. The game is jam packed with a number of references to video games, films and the odd bit of music as well as a constant stream of one liners and quick jokes. The gameplay is in the same mould as dudgeon crawlers and loot em ups with a dash on Monkey Island like puzzles. The gameplay is solid and oddly enjoyable due to the fantastic range of enemies and the constant influx of items to equip to DeathSpank. There is a flimsy story on offer that doesnt really offer much in terms of interest but the side quests make up for this by offering numerous quirky and funny NPC’s to interact with that dish out fun quests. A totally joy to play that will have your sides splitting with its sharp humour and self awareness.
Xbox Marketplace: 1200 MSP
Battlefield 1943
With only a small selection of maps, weapons and vehicles you’d be forgiven for passing up Battlefield 1943 as a cheap cash in on the franchise however you’d be wrong. Taking place in the Pacific with the Americans taking on the Japanese across a three beautifully rendered maps Battlefield 1943 is a bucket load of fun.
The familiar class based combat is still in tacked, though it is lacking the depth of its full retail cousins, and the enjoyable sense of team play still plays a big part within the game. The game played pretty much the same as Bad Company (minus the destruction) and the combat was both satisfying and fluent. The maps all offered combat hot spots and were designed with a sense of balance and a focus on multiple paths into bases which made each map interesting to play on as well as present plenty of opportunity for coordinated attacks with team mates. One of the maps of Battlefield 1943 was devoted purely to dog fights above a tropical island; this map was a mix of intense combat and skill in an aircraft.
There’s tons of replay value on offer within Battlefield 1943 be it playing online with random players or getting the best out of the game with buddies, either way Battlefield 1943 is a highlight on Xbox Live Arcade.
Castle Crashers
Side scrolling beat em up at its finest is the easiest way to describe Castle Crahsers. Players started the game by picking one of four knights, each with their own powers, and embarking on a quest to retrieve Princesses and smiting evil. The gameplay was simple and accessible as players bashed down buttons to unleash a flurry of attacks on enemies; there was also the option to use a special attack that differed depending on which Knight you played as.
There was a slight use of RPG elements that added a sense of depth and player progression to proceedings, item drops and pets that aided you in combat also made things interesting. The game had plenty of length to it if players desired to max out their characters, things never got dull as each level added something new to the experience (for example a poo powered sprint on the back of a Dear). Castle Crashers also featured four player co-ops which amped up the fun as well as the replay ability of the game. Striking visuals and a fantastic sound track are worth noting when talking about the top notch arcade game.
Xbox Marketplace: 1200 MSP
Mega Man 10
