Top 5 List: Top 5 XBLA Games
We're completely in love with the Xbox 360's Live Arcade here at The Weekly Geek, its system of delivering a weekly dose of (usually) fantastic new titles combined with the seamless integration of Live make it the ultimate social arcade-style gaming experience. Remember the feeling of hanging out at an arcade with friends? You see a game you all want to play and you walk over and play it for a little bit, and then move on to the next one? The vast variety and ability to share games with your friends was a feeling unmatched by home systems until now. We have polled every staff member and asked them what their top 5 XBLA games are, and the results were a surprising mix. Proof that the Live Arcade has a little bit of something awesome for everyone. Hit the jump for The Weekly Geek's list of Top 5 XBLA Games and then post your own Top 5 in the comments.
Grant:
5: Geometry Wars - Pretty much the game that defined XBLA. It's pretty and fun and all, but it's not higher on my list because I suck at it. Terribly. And I don't seem to be able to get any better.
4: Aegis Wing - A great classic side scrolling shmup, made better with multiplayer functionality, made even better by having multiplayer combine-o-matic into one big freakin' death ship. Oh, and it's FREE.
3: Carcassonné - Just a great, smooth adaptation of the rad board game. Plus, since it doesn't require a private hand of cards or anything like that, you can play multiplayer on local just as easily as over Live.
2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - I couldn't get enough of this game in the arcade. The XBLA version is a perfect port with multiplayer functionality over Live. Lots of great classic beat 'em up times to be had here.
1: Worms - I don't think I could ever tire of this game when playing local or on Live with 3 other friends. It's pretty much always a level playing field and you never know what's going to happen or how someone is gonna screw up. It's always a great time playing this game with friends. Colette:
5: Puzzle Quest - This is the downloadable version of crystal meth laced cigarettes. Seriously, just writing this makes me want to drop the laptop and go play it. RPG elements mixed with Bejeweled-style game play easily make it my favorite game on Live.
4: Alien Hominid - Another awesomely addicting hybrid title, Alien Hominid takes the simplistic 2D side scroller style and gives it a fresh face with remarkable art by Dan Paladin. This game is a blast to watch and even more fun to play, not to mention insanely challenging. I can't wait for Castle Crashers!
3: Bomberman - Not only is this one of the greatest casual series ever made, but the Xbox live version features Mr. Destructoid as a playable character. Playing with a full crew of Dtoid robots makes this title a must have for any fan of the site.
2: Super Puzzle Fighter HD - I started playing this game because of my addiction to Puyo Puyo. The rumor was that it was somewhat similar, and I wasn't disappointed. Playing against friends is a lot of fun and I love the goofy deformed characters.
1: Zuma - The truth about Zuma is it's the kind of game I play when I don't want to think very hard. When it comes to that, it's the ideal game. Sometimes mindless blasting is simply necessary.
I based my choices on the fact that Puzzle Quest is crack and I think about it constantly when I'm not playing it. It could have been 50 bucks and I would have bought it. So there, complainers!! Anyway, for me the winning element is playing these games with other people within an online network and competing for scores. Nothing can compare to Live!
Mike:
For me, XBLA Games are the pinnacle of instant gratification in gaming. I don't think I'll ever get over the novelty of being able to download classics from the comfort of my couch. I based my answers on titles that exhibited fun factor, uniqueness, and a time-consuming quality.
1. Zuma - Somewhere in my head there will always be frogs spinning and colored-balls clinking for eternity. Zuma is addictive in an ungodly way and it breeds a frustration that only makes you want to start over and try harder. The first game that made me want to brag about my high score since Pac Man.
2. Carcassonné - What a perfect adaptation of board game to video game. I would say Catan is better, but Carcassonné is a lot easier to learn and you can get more games per night in. If you can learn to play dominoes you can learn to play this game, and love it.
3. Puzzle Quest - Take the magic of Bejeweled and merge it with a classic quest-based RPG format and you have a winner: Puzzle Quest. The highlight, for me anyway, is frantically searching for 4-of-a-kinds when a baddie has you on the ropes and the only way you can win is to keep it on your turn.
4. Worms - Is there a multiplayer game on live that's more fun than this? I had to name my custom team after The Beatles in the hopes that Ringo and Paul would have to stay alive in every game to mirror the real world. But my-my is the chaos beautiful in this game - throwing a Banana Bomb and watching everything go to shit is one of the funnest things in an arcade game ever.
5. Assault Heroes - Imagine Tonka trucks being cool again for adults. Assault Heroes is that, plus cool little side missions that oddly resemble the Super Smash TV controls. Also, the cut scenes and little details are awesomely pretty for such a tiny game.
Sexcab:
5. Candy Pants - This charming game is about a man who has candy... FOR PANTS. Follow his exciting adventures as he avoids bees and diabetics while trying to win the Nascar championships. Fun for the whole family!
4. Word Wrestling - An educational title from New Zealand, Word Wrestling combines all the time tested fun of professional wrestling with Scrabble. Who can resist?
3. $30 for a Blue Controller - One of the first groundbreaking peripheral purchasing simulators, $30 for a Blue Controller has been beloved by fans the world over by making the experience of buying a new blue controller so realistic that it has never been duplicated.
2. Corpse Grinder - Ironically, this is a golf game.
1. The Wisdom Tree Gallery - All of Wisdom Tree's amazing Christian games, from "King of Kings" to "Bible Buffet" are yours to enjoy for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever...
Chris
I am basing my list on titles that I keep coming back to. Stuff that I can pick up and play and then move on when a friend sends me an invite to something else. The XBLA is pretty much the reason I own an Xbox 360 and I spend more time in it than anything else.
5. Carcassonné - I love board games, and being able to play one of my favorites over Live with my friends is awesome. It's the perfect multiplayer game, supporting local and online players, easy to pick up, hard to master. The Live community is polite while still being hardcore at times, and the game itself is relaxing and fun.
4. Pac-Man Championship Edition - I forgot how much I love Pac-Man. This version is a fantastic re-imagining, reworking Pac-Man into a more frenetic Geometry Wars style. Everything from the visuals to the sound effects are satisfying and incredibly well-done. A classic formula updated perfectly.
3. Every Extend Extreme Extra - A more recent release, and a completely addicting one. Every little bit of gushing I could do about this game has already been done over here.
2. Geometry Wars - Pretty much the title that sold me on the Xbox 360, it's a classic arcade-style game where there is no ending. It also made me pay attention to that little thing that says "high score" that is at the top of the screen on games sometimes. Remarkable! Too bad I still suck.
1. Worms - The ultimate party game, playing local or over Live. The craziness of randomly blowing yourself (and your friends) up with a misplaced grenade generates the kind of laughter and mirth you usually look for when playing a game. It's a base, primal level of happiness hard to find in games these days. If you haven't played, do so.
What are your favorites? Post in the comments!
What say you?!