Xbox Live Arcade

"A good service that falls short of its potential at launch."

When I first read about Xbox Live Arcade, I was excited. Here was a service that promised to give me, and other gamers, a chance to relive some of the all-time best games ever, and allow us to play low-end PC games and possibly homebrews later on. Well, months after the initial announcement, and a seeming eternity in waiting to get my hands on the disc, I'm finally able to report on how the Xbox Live Arcade works out at launch.

As it stands now, there are about a dozen games available for download. One fantastic feature here is that every game has a demo, and the disc contains Ms. Pac-Man in full. The main menu is laid out like this:
My Games
New Releases
Retro Classics
Action and Arcade
Card and Board
Puzzle and Word
Social Sports
Strategy and Sim

As of 1/1/05, these 14 games are available:
Guardian (in New Releases and Action and Arcade)
Zuma (in New Releases)
Ms. Pac-Man (in Retro Classics)
Namco Vintage (Dig Dug, Galaga, and Pole Position, in Retro Classics)
Fuzzee Fever (in Action and Arcade)
Mutant Storm (in Action and Arcade)
Ricochet Lost Worlds (in Action and Arcade)
Hardwood Solitaire (in Card and Board)
Bejeweled (in Puzzle and Word)
Dangerous Mines (in Puzzle and Word)
Super Collapse II (in Puzzle and Word)
Zuma (in New Releases and Puzzle and Word)

Of these fourteen, I've played (and enjoyed) the demos for Fuzzee Fever, Mutant Storm, Namco Vintage, and Bejeweled. Fuzzee Fever is the weakest of the bunch, as it doesn't do all that much well aside from having good graphics and a unique play style to its credit. The Namco Vintage stuff (Ms. Pac-Man included) plays really well with the Xbox pad, and the games appear to be faithfully replicated, which is to be expected with them already being on the Namco Museum collection. Each game offers up at least online scoreboards, and that's the case with the Vintage games. Bejeweled, the popular PC/internet puzzle game is recreated perfectly here, and in my opinion, it's never looked better. Rather than mouse clicking being used to line up the rows of jewels, you hold the A button on the one you want to move into the proper position, then let go when that happens. It works far better than I thought it would, and I must say that I find this method of play a bit more comfortable than the clicking method in the PC renditions. Mutant Storm is an intense single-screeen shooter that harkens back to the days when getting to actually play your games was a quick process. The core play here revolves around using the right control stick to shoot at the foes who surround you. The R button can be used occasionally to unleash a massive attack, while the left stick is used to move your around the screen. The end result is an addictive blend of action and surprisingly sharp graphics that works out really well.

The demos for the games are pretty extensive. I expected rather paltry demos, but we're offered up multiple levels, and in some cases, stuff that ends up offering more fun for free than stuff that costs $50. Demos download smoothly, but should you hit a snag, you can pause the demo and resume it later. The demos are a great way to find out what may or may not be worth your money, which is more than can be said for most demos nowadays, sadly.

While there is a lot to love about this service, I do have some concerns about it. Chief among them is the game selection. While I wasn't expecting a plethora of stuff available at around launch, I'm disappointed that not every game listing has a game in it (as evidenced by the listing above). This kind of things really makes the service seem cheap, and makes me wonder how much effort was really put into it. Game prices also seem a bit high, especially since you're not getting them on a physical medium. It would appear that if your system flakes out on you, you're out of luck, so hopefully, MS works something out, maybe releasing a compilation of Arcade stuff on disc by request.

Realistically, there is a lot of potential for this service. While it isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, it does provide gamers with a chance to enjoy games they otherwise wouldn't be able to play on the Xbox, and in some cases, enjoy existing ones with new Xbox Live features. I'm pleased with the service thus far, and if you're interested in getting ahold of an Arcade disc, Xbox Live Gamer Vol. 1 (produced by the editors of the Official Xbox Magazine) includes the Arcade CD with it. If you pre-ordered MechAssault 2 at EB, you should have gotten one as well. Xbox.com also has them available, with a $5 shipping charge applied.

Initially, it was stated in press releases that EBs and GameStops would have them available for those who asked, but something must have gone awry with that plan, as that certainly wasn't the case when I tried. Luckily, I had some credit left over on my Edge card, and snagged the mag. Given that I wanted to have the disc in my hands after plunking down some dinero for it, I think I made the right choice. I've seen this mag at grocery stores and even 7-11, so if you want the disc, that might be your best bet. The mag itself is $10, but when one considers the shipping of the disc itself is $5, it's like getting the mag for $5, and getting the disc in your hand for $5, and avoiding any shipping snafus.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05