XBLAFans 15 Must Own Games
Xbox Live Arcade has come a long way since its launch on the original Xbox a little over 6 years ago. Back then the selection of games was in the teens but now there are hundreds of games on the service. You can play anything from 16-bit classics like Streets of Rage 2 to exceptional original titles like Shadow Complex.
With so many games to choose from it’s hard to know what to spend your good ‘ol Microsoft Points on. Lucky for you however we at XBLAFans have taken it upon ourselves to compile a list of the 15 XBLA games you must own. The games featured (listed alphabetically because they’re just too good to rank on quality) are the best of the best. If you haven’t played a game on this list then you owe it to yourself to at least download the trial (which we’ve handily linked to) and give it a go.
So let’s get on with it shall we, below you’ll find the games we decided on and brief summaries from our writer explaining why they’re deserving of the term “must own”. If you agree or disagree with the list, or just want to comment in general please feel free to do so.
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Anyone familiar with the Battlefield games knows that no one creates the feeling of a battle like DICE. Battlefield 1943 is no different, and is one of the best multiplayer shooters on XBLA.
Set in the Pacific Theater of World War II, Battlefield 1943 features the franchise’s trademark mix of vehicle warfare and specialized soldier classes. Like Battlefield: Bad Company 1 and 2, environments and buildings in 1943 are destructible. This means the battles change dynamically over time. Tanks run over trees like they’re made of paper, and buildings can be bombed until all that’s left is their foundation. Things like this not only ensure each battle is different, but force the player to react and adapt to their environment as is required, something that most first-person shooters don’t emphasize.
In addition to having fantastic multiplayer gameplay, Battlefield 1943 also features some wonderfully brutal audio effects. Explosions pack a deafening punch, and weapons sound immensely fierce. Make sure to turn up the volume while enjoying this fantastic multiplayer shooter.
Tyler Cameron – Associate Editor
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Though Bionic Commando: Rearmed features a beautiful retro single player experience and includes a splendid co-op mode, it’s the oft-forgotten competitive multiplayer experience we want to highlight.
Though the developers admitted that the multiplayer mode was added late during the game’s development, it’s solid fun, quite extensive and has different modes like Death Match and Last Man Standing, but also a Don’t Touch the Floor (pretty self explanatory) mode that makes things extra spicy.
The adjustable multiplayer settings allow even the newest Rearmed initiate to enjoy his 10th shotgun in the face, while the more experienced players can risk their lives not touching the ground. Getting together with three good friends with 4 Xbox 360 controllers turns Rearmed’s multiplayer modes into one of the best activities 4 players can experience on XBLA.
Vlad Micu – GameSauce/VGVisionary
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Braid is one of the most creative games of this generation. It’s also one of the most unique games you’ll ever play. The look, sound and feel of Braid is unlike any other XBLA game. It also packs a story with so many revelations, it’s going to take you a few playthroughs to wrap your mind around everything.
At first glance, Braid looks like a platformer. But it’s really a puzzle game, and a brutal one at that. Every world reveals a new way for the main character, Tim, to manipulate time in order to collect puzzle pieces that unlock the final scene. Each level will also leave you doubting your intelligence as some of these puzzles are hard, very hard. But figuring them out will often leave you believing you’re a genius. The puzzles in Braid are very rewarding.
If you’re stumped, just take a minute and admire how beautiful the sound and scenery is. It might even help you figure it out. Were this list just about games released on all games this generation, digitally distributed or otherwise, Braid would still be on it. That should speak volumes to its quality.
Andrew Crews – Staff writer
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When many of us were kids, playing on our 8 or 16-bit systems, we didn’t dream about 3D games. That concept never entered our minds, no when we imagined games in the future we thought they’d look just like the animated movies we’d see at the cinema. With amazing animation and stunning visuals. We thought they’d look like Castle Crashers.
Castle Crashers is what video games would have become had we never moved into the realm of 3D. Now with XBLA we have a resurgence in 2D brawlers but they are a far cry from the Final Fights of old. Castle Crashers adds a huge amount to a formula that doesn’t quite work anymore and in doing so makes it compelling again. By playing you level up and unlock new powers, make yourself stronger, find new weapons and you do it all while playing with 3 of your buddies over Xbox Live. There really is no better place to get your old school thrills in an incredibly polished modern package.
Ross Adams – Staff writer/Editor
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There weren’t many games available on XBLA when the Xbox 360 launched and, at the time, no one was really sure what kind of potential the platform might have—especially given the unwieldy and unpopular nature of XBLA on the original Xbox. The console shipped with Hexic HD, a casual puzzle game that received positive critical response, but Geometry Wars turned the heads of more hard core gamers. This addictive and highly polished shooter requires skill and patience. Among a slew of arcade remakes and quirky indie games, Geo Wars stands out as a new, original, but old-school style game. It’s the 21st century equivalent of a quarter-eater and it really put XBLA on the map.
While Geometry Wars 2 added a surprising amount of new content—including one of the best implementations of leaderboards ever seen in a game—we don’t think Retro Evolved should be overshadowed. It made people take notice of XBLA in a way they hadn’t before. And we haven’t looked back since.
Kaitlyn Chantry – Associate Editor
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The Tomb Raider series hasn’t been quite the powerhouse it used to be in recent years. While the last 3 games produced by Crystal Dynamics were well received they didn’t quite capture public attention in the way the original series did on PS1.
So Crystal Dynamics decided to experiment, they dropped the Tomb Raider name and headed to XBLA. Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light has more in common with a dungeon crawler like Diablo than it does Tomb Raider. And yet it is very clearly still rooted in many aspects of the Tomb Raider franchise. This combination goes together far better than anyone could have expected, with excellent platforming and puzzles on top of a loot system that’s simple but effective. On top of that is (now online) co-op which is integral to the game and really how it should be played. There’s nothing quite like spending 10 minutes trying to figure out a puzzle with your co-op buddy and then both working together to come up with the solution.
Ross Adams – Staff writer/Editor
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There are really only three atmospheric puzzle-platformers from indie developers that matter on XBLA. Braid was the first (and probably the most important). Then came The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. Then came… Limbo. This is a game unlike anything you’ve ever played. Sure, it’ll remind you of those other games. (You have to figure things out and the game doesn’t help you much.) But Limbo will still surprise you with its complete lack of explanations—or even text. The art and sound design will haunt you, as will some of the ghastly death scenes. Most importantly, we can think of no other game that will make you say “whoa” quite like Limbo.
Much like its predecessors, Limbo will make you think. And there are times when Limbo will make you feel like you’re missing something obvious. But it’s the “aha!” moments that you live for. Limbo makes us thankful that indie developers have this avenue to get their games seen by more than just PC users scouring the web for downloads.
Kaitlyn Chantry – Associate editor
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Monday Night Combat is a third person online multiplayer shooter a la Team Fortress 2 combined with a Tower Defense game. A unique combination we’re sure you’ll agree. The games six fully upgradeable (and after a certain point customizable) classes have something for everyone.
The games main mode, Crossfire, pits 2 team of 6 (plus their AI controlled robots) against each other with the goal of destroying the other teams “money ball”. Each team’s base also has turret nodes where players can build various different types of defense, which are also fully upgradeable. It’s certainly a lot to take in but when the game clicks it is a wonderful chaos that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else.
Blitz is an up to 4 player co-op mode which features the same player classes but this time you must defend a money ball from wave after wave of robots. It’s a quite unique take on the tower defense formula and one that provides an extremely entertaining challenge, and time sync.
Ross Adams – Staff writer/Editor
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Who could’ve guessed that Pac-Man, a classic arcade game from the 80s, would be one of XBLA’s best games? It may be hard to wrap your head around, but Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is the real deal. With more mazes, more modes and more ghosts (a lot more ghosts), Pac-Man CE DX is all about going for the high score. And to get that high score, you’re going to have to eat a lot of ghosts. Seriously, the first time you grab a Power Pellet and proceed to devour a few dozen ghosts within the span of a few seconds is one of the most satisfying experiences gaming can provide.
By changing a few of its core mechanics, Namco Bandai has created one of the most profoundly addictive games out there. It’s simple and easy to learn, as was the original Pac-Man, yet utterly engaging and fun to play. Something this addictive should be illegal, but it’s only $10, and there is no reason why you shouldn’t own it. Oh and that music…
Tyler Cameron – Associate Editor
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Many a gamer would argue that Portal is one of the best games ever on any platform let alone XBLA. So it should come as no surprise it makes it onto our list. There are only a handful of games that are so unique that you’ll never forget the first time you played them, Portal is one such experience.
Portal’s unique style of mind bending puzzles with FPS gameplay makes it a one-of-a-kind game. Although it’s more of a puzzler than it is a shooter, FPS skill is still a requirement for success. The puzzles in Portal are remarkably rewarding and satisfying. None are hard enough that an average gamer can’t figure them out, but they certainly aren’t easy either.
Playing and completing Portal is one of those accomplishments you won’t soon forget. The story is riveting and the voice of GLaDOS is as eerie as she is hilarious, leaving you desperate to complete a puzzle just to see what she says next. It’s probably the only game on this list to spawn at least two internet memes, that has to count for something too surely?
Andrew Crews – Staff writer
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If you were a fan of either Metroid or Castlevania Symphony of the Night, Shadow Complex is not going to disappoint. Playing Jason Flemming whose girlfriend is kidnapped while out on a hiking trip. The caves Jason and his lady were exploring just happens to house a high tech military base
The game is a great single player experience that you can replay time and time again. One of the more ingenious things Shadow Complex does is keeps track of how many soldiers you make scream, how many head shots you get, and a series of other stats that you can compare to your friends. The upgrade systems greatly encourage exploration with many sections of the complex cut off from you until you unlock a certain weapon or item. A truly impressive perfection of a formula we haven’t seen in quite a while Shadow Complex is a modern classic.
Xeserox – Staff writer
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‘Splosion Man is deceptively simple, the controls consist of using the analog stick to move and any of the face buttons to ‘splode. Of course the platforming action that takes up most of the game is far from simple. Often requiring timing that will have you yelling that the poor little orange fellow out of sheer frustration at missing that exploding barrel by just one second.
The world of ‘Splosion Man is wonderfully manic, full of character, charm and hilarity. If you haven’t heard ‘Everybody loves Doughnuts’ then you simply haven’t lived. The game also includes an entirely unique co-op mode which doubles, triples or even quadruples the precision requirement. Trying to work together to figure out just how to get across a chasm together is a lesson in patience if every there was one. As with any game with this high a challenge, the satisfaction gained from completing a level is what you come to ‘Splosion Man for.
Ross Adams – Staff writer/Editor
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Back in the days of the NES, SMB meant Super Mario Bros, the classic platformer that defined the genre. Well thanks to Team Meat many gamers now associate those 3 letters with an altogether different kind of genre defining platformer. Super Meat Boy is a platformer that can be so brutally hard you feel like you are straight up bad at games. The controls however are so precise that when you mess up a jump, or a move, you know that it’s your fault and not the game mechanics. To quote our review “The controls are so responsive that the tiniest leap, dodge, and dash is exactly how you input it on the controller. If you miss a wall-jump by a fraction of an inch, it’s because you missed that wall-jump by a fraction of an inch.”
SMB has so much to love with a simple adorably silly story, a ton of unlocks, countless homage’s to old school games and a challenge that while extremely difficult is incredibly satisfying. When you beat a level you truly feel like you accomplished something, so get to it.
Xeserox – Staff writer
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The truest example of how “just one more try” can turn into a few hours in the blink of an eye, Trials HD puts players on the seat of a motorcycle and forces them through a gauntlet of jumps, stunts and obstacle courses that would make Evil Knievel think twice.
As the title suggests, Trials HD is about putting you through trials and tribulations. Your speed and weight distribution are the most important skills to utilize for completing courses quickly and with as few crashes as possible. Frustration will run high, but the payoff for completing a difficult course and beating your friends on the leaderboards makes it all worthwhile. With dozens upon dozens of courses, various mini games, a level editor and two downloadable expansions, Trials HD has a lot of game for the price. Repeatedly failing has never been as fun as it is here, which is why Trials HD is an absolute must-play.
Tyler Cameron – Associate Editor
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It may have been Halo 2 on the original Xbox that made online console multiplayer exciting, but it was UNO that really paved the way for socialization over Xbox Live. When the Xbox 360 first launched, you could always find hundreds of games of UNO at nearly any time of day. The lobbies were most active late at night, after everyone had already burnt themselves out playing Gears of War, Halo 3, Rainbow Six Vegas, or COD4. In 2007, UNO became the first XBLA game to hit one million downloads. In 2008, UNO was still one of the top 20 games played on Xbox Live—including all arcade games, indie games, demos, and full retail games. UNO has been in the top 20 XBLA downloads nearly every week for the last four years.
The game is incredibly well-made, easy to play, and a great excuse to chat with strangers or XBL buddies. It’s a slick and addictive digital update to a game we loved when we were kids. If you’re reading this article, you probably already own UNO. And if you don’t… where on earth have you been?
Kaitlyn Chantry – Associate Editor