11 years ago
Friday Top Five: Worst XBLA movie-licensed games
Most movie-licensed games are a special kind of terrible, but every once in a while you’ll find a gem that salvages the crummy image they’ve cultivated for themselves. That’s not the case here. At best, these are thinly veiled advertisements for summer blockbusters; at worst, they’re gaming’s equivalent of Happy Meal toys – cheaply assembled from hunks of material lying around to capitalize on the fervor of whatever the target demographic is smitten with at the moment. And like those little plastic tchotchkes, if you want the thrill of playing with a relic of your new favorite license, you’re going to have to eat some junk.
It’s been a long time coming, but we’ve finally whittled down a surprisingly robust list of big-screen bombs. We’re counting down the top five worst Xbox Live Arcade movie tie-ins (in no particular order).
11 years ago
Deal of the Week: Half off movie tie-ins
The deal this week is admittedly scant on Xbox Live Arcade offerings, but there’s a decent pull or two if you’re looking for a game based on a movie. …
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11 years ago
Pacific Rim washes up on Xbox Live Arcade next week
YUKE’S Co. has announced Pacific Rim The Video Game, the aptly titled tie-in to the Warner Brothers’ and Legendary Pictures’ upcoming summer blockbuster about giant robots fighting giant monsters …
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12 years ago
Top-selling XBLA games of 2012
Now that the year 2012 has been set firmly in the books, the boys back at the lab have poured over the raw data to bring you the top arcade titles of the year. The figures, based on full versions sold, were tallied from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012, and made public thanks to Xbox Live’s Larry Hyrb.
No surprise to anyone was Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition topping the list this year. Having launched in May, the massive Minecraft community helped propel the title to well over 5 million downloads by year’s end. More impressively, the arcade adaptation outsold its robust PC cousin by nearly a million copies, securing Xbox Live Arcade as the fastest (legally) growing Minecraft community of 2012.
Trials Evolution rode into the second spot of the year’s most-purchased title on XBLA, and despite the staggering difference between first and second place, did very well for itself. Our Game of the Year, The Walking Dead wrapped up the third spot thanks to critical acclaim and its infectious word-of-mouth campaign. Pinball FX2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive rounded out the top five, in that order.
Amazingly, the never-say-die mantra of Castle Crashers has proven itself again; moving the sixth most number of copies nearly half a decade after its initial release. Filling out the top 10, in order, are: Gotham City Impostors, I Am Alive, Fruit Ninja Kinect, and finally, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD.
You can check out these titles in list form, along with the rest of the top 20, after the jump.
Real Steel update brings new parts, moves to robo-brawler
Released near the end of last year, Yuke’s Real Steel – based on the movie of the same name – offered a chance to practice the sweet science Rock-Em …
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13 years ago
Fez claims weekly top spot in XBLA activity
Exalted puzzle/platformer Fez has hurtled into pole position in this week’s Live Activity leaderboards, warding off strong competition from Skullgirls which debuted at number 2. Comments from controversial helmsman …
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13 years ago
Real Steel review (XBLA)
Real Steel was developed and published by Yuke’s Co., Ltd. It was released on December 14, 2011 for 800 MSP. A code was provided for review purposes.
Like its big-screen brother, one would have a fair amount of skepticism going into the game adaptation of Real Steel. However, unlike the film you will most likely find frustration rather than dumb fun. That’s a shame, really. There actually is ample potential within Real Steel, but issues that seem small at first end up ruining everything in the long run.
13 years ago
XBLA sales data for week beginning January 30
Worldwide Xbox Live Arcade sales data for the week beginning January 30 has been published revealing the top 20 games on XBLA and XBLIG. The Simpsons Arcade leads the pack ahead of Bastion, Fruit Ninja Kinect, the ever-popular Pinball FX2 and robot-brawler REAL STEEL, while a glut of mining games rule on XBLIG.