Good xbox live arcade games

It looks like Wii currently has the best Bomberman game available for a next-gen platform so far. The XBox could also offer some additional benefits. One of the weaknesses of the player action of Saturn Bomberman is that it would go into widescreen mode and it would make the characters and playing field harder to see. However, since the offers widescreen and HDTV capabilities, it would be much easier to see clearly with so much action going on. Powerstone 2 Once Super Smash Bros Brawl is released on the Wii, Nintendo will have their third installment of the party-friendly brawler.

With its superior online capabilities, the XBox should capture an arena brawler of its own. Originating in the arcades and on the Dreamcast, the Powerstone series would be the perfect solution for the more mature audience of the XBox fanbase. Instead of a traditional 3D fighter like Soul Calibur or Dead or Alive, Power Stone 2 allowed up to four players to freely run around in open playfields and use items from their surroundings chairs, boxes, poles in addition to bonus weapons and standard punches, in order to beat the crap out of their opponents.

With its anime stylings and intense but crazed gameplay, Powerstone 2 seems like it would be a natural fit in the XBLA atmosphere.

This fact-paced racer had great physics and lots of powerups and cash to help you customize your truck. Though the overall design of the game is simple, there is always a bit of an adrenaline rush when competing against a rival. The sheer amount of difficulty and stages that you found later on in the game made it almost an obsession to play.

One of the most addicting features is that you can go back and upgrade your car with different options to give your truck an advantage. Since the game excels while playing with human opponents, Super Off Road would definately thrive in an online environment. As one of the Holy Grails of console game collecting , Radiant Silvergun would surely be snatched up quickly. Fetching hundreds of dollars on eBay and only playable on the relatively obscure Sega Saturn as a Japanese import, Radiant Silvergun is one of the primary targets to bring to a more modern and popular console.

Ikaruga is also a cult classic on both the Dreamcast and Gamecube, but would benefit from a upgrade as well. Shooter fans everywhere would be snatching up XBox s like mad. Both Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat have made their way to the XBox Live Arcade, so why not mix things up with the best arcade sports game of all time.

Playing a single player game of the old NBA Jam games can be a little dull at times, so this would be a prime opportunity to tweak some things and get the classic game back in shape. Of course, 4-player online play would make for some quick and exciting gameplay, but some more realistic AI enhancements for the CPU players would be nice as well.

It would be interesting to see some different options for the teams and players since it has been over a decade since the franchise debuted.

Obviously, there would be some licensing issues to work out with NBA Jam. And finally, it would be interesting to see some trademark hidden characters thrown in as well. Master Chief laying down a tomahawk slam, anyone? Chu Chu Rocket As one of the first console games to support online multiplayer, I thought it was only fair to include Chu Chu Rocket in my wishlist.

The mice walk straight forward, but you can plant arrow shapes in their way to redirect them. In single-player mode, the game is a puzzle-fest that is great for casual gamers. You have to figure out where to put the correct arrow pieces to get every mouse into the rocket. The game includes quite a few single-player stages that are a good workout for the brain. Multiplayer mode is just as fun but is especially optimized for hardcore gamers. In this mode, up to four players hop onto the same board, and attempt to direct as many mice as they can into their own rocket.

Special mice like the little golden ones will give you a nice scoring boost, and watching everybody fighting over one of them is great, chaotic fun. If you have played the game, you may remember that you have a neighboring city on each of your four sides.

When I played the game back in the day, I always wished I could interact a bit more with the neighboring cities as they had a bit of influence on how your city did economically.

You could compare this to Animal Crossing on the DS , but taken to the next level. You have complete control over your own city, but other gamers can visit your cities and interact and compete with them. I suppose SimCity the version used for the upcoming DS port would be fine too, but SimCity seemed a bit simpler while still being an enjoyable experience.

And when you do, the hell you just went through makes Ikaruga's completion that much more satisfying. While original versions of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 encouraged players to unlock a host of new characters, the Xbox Live Arcade version's focus is on competitive play.

While we're still fans of the original Marvel vs. Capcom 2, this new version affords players the possibility to play a game that is no longer readily available, unless you're willing to pay an arm and a leg for a Dreamcast, PS2 or Xbox version of it. It may not scratch that progression reward itch, but it's one of the fastest and most fun fighting experiences available today.

Winterbottom is a stocky man with a penchant for delicious baked goods. After chasing a pastry through his town, Winterbottom accidentally jumps through space and time, replicating himself ad infinitum. Unabashed by his misfortune, the top-hat sporting gentleman -- along with his seemingly never-ending stream of clones -- set off on an adventure to collect all the stray pies in the land to whet his insatiable appetite. Winterbottom is a stylish, black and white game inspired by silent films and developed by a team befitting of their moniker, The Odd Gentlemen.

It's also one of the most charming, challenging and quirky puzzle games available on Xbox Live Arcade. But the game is hardly simplistic. Pixel-sized enemies haunt you at every corner waiting to decimate your stick-figure character and drive you insane with frustration. Some have compared Peggle addiction to that of substance abuse. Of course, real substance abuse is no laughing matter, but Peggle does have the ability to melt away hours, leaving relationships ruined in its wake.

Inspired by the Japanese game pachinko, Peggle is a casual game that has burst through the classification and latched onto every group of gamers. There's something to be said for a title that can draw in hardcore gamers and grandmothers alike, but Peggle does just that. The XBLA version also includes various multiplayer modes where those aforementioned hardcore gamers and grandmothers can throw down in epic online battles.

Still Alive comes with the original mind-bending first-person puzzle game with a heaping serving of additional content: fourteen new challenges that were based on Portal: The Flash Version. With the recent announcement of Portal 2 coming later this year, now's a good time to prepare for the sequel. When it first hit stores in Japan, Rez was released with one of the most bizarre peripherals we've seen: The "trance vibrator.

Q Entertainment's XBLA version ditches the extra and delivers what shooter fans really want: a gorgeous remake of its addicting shooter. Rez still holds up today with its distinct visuals and pulsating electronic music that the player manipulates by playing the game and destroying enemies.

There's no question that the is my console of choice and having been with IGN for so long and with such a focus on Xbox, well, I've pretty much played every big XBLA game and many of the crappy ones. I'm a contributing editor to IGN. Also, I'm a very important person. After feeding teraflops of game reviews, features, and images into IGN's reactor core, my personality was reconstituted within the company's content publishing software. XBLA continues to amaze me with the quality of its best titles.

For those gamers that don't have the time or money to play every big release, XBLA is a godsend with games that are often more imaginative than what's on store shelves. Scott Pilgrim Vs. Marvel vs. So many great games, but only one could be named top of the XBLA heap. The 1 game received more top votes than any game on any ballot in the history of IGN top 25s. Basically, everyone thinks this game is the very best you can find.

The Xbox Live Arcade now boasts more than titles from independent and major game developers alike, ranging in cost from nothing on up prices frequently change , and capping size limits of more than 2. Many of them are still the classics we know and love, or re-envisioned versions thereof, along with a formidable host of burgeoning new hits like Castle Crashers and the sandbox phenomenon known as, you know, Minecraft.

No one should have to play a game produced by a company known for its seasoned tortilla chips. No one. Here are our picks for the best Xbox Live Arcade Games so you can avoid sifting through hoards of egregious titles. Game designer Ron Gilbert has shown an often amusing knack for interactive story telling given his previous work on the first two Monkey Island games and Maniac Mansion.

The action RPG is loaded with wit and loot, and savage unicorns, all set against a vividly gorgeous backdrop of 2D and 3D animation. Whether it be the uninspired gameplay, the generic three-class system, or its feeble attempt of humor, it comes of as a sub-par knockoff of the more renowned and robust titles currently flooding the market. However whittled down its core may be though, the mere fact the title offers online and local co-op helps add a much-needed social element often lacking in RPG industry.

Once connected, four players can simultaneously don the role of either a wizard, assassin or mercenary — each with its own skill set — and traverse the Crimson Empire in search of ways to upgrade their loot and eradicate the armies of darkness. Sound familiar? When Bastion burst on the scene in , the hack-and-slash RPG was noteworthy for its compelling story, awesome narration, and gorgeous hand-painted environments.

The crumbling world of Calamity is rich and compelling, loaded with dark secrets and ferocious beasts, and stacked to the brim with a slew of upgradable weapons at your disposal from the get-go. The original score is also one of the most finely-crafted musical journeys of any indie title to date thanks to first-time game composer Darren Korb.

Again, dig that narration. The title sports similar gameplay and the isometric perspective akin to Diablo , but it does so with several refining characteristics and modern twists, carrying the player through a series randomized dungeons beneath an old mining boomtown infatuated with a magical ore known as Ember. The usual RPG classes are all present i. The drawback? The side-scrolling game, set in a fantastically absurd medieval world of mysticism and magic, follows four knights on their quest to reclaim a stolen gem and an abundance of princesses from a dark sorcerer hellbent on power and world domination.

The plot is simplistic, but the title shines in its character progression, varied game modes and a quirky sense of humor that remains authentic and wildly entertaining from start to finish. See our comprehensive Walking Dead game, Season 1 review for a closer look. With Heavy Weapon , players control an atomic tank using two joysticks, warding of the Red Star army through 19 action-packed levels in true, arcade-style action. You begin with a basic cannon, upgrading your weapon arsenal to include lasers and homing missiles along the way, while continually striving toward the iconic nuclear blast that eliminates all enemies on the screen.

Shadow Complex is a fine example of that former gameplay, a shooter deeply rooted in an arsenal of power-ups, color-coded doors and vast exploration that will keep you running for hours on end. However, the old-school feel only delves so deep, as the title is bolstered by new-age, 3D graphics and futuristic flourishes courtesy of the powerful Unreal 3 Engine.

The plot? Your girlfriend has been captured and held hostage in an underground complex by a band of revolutions planning on carrying out a violent government coup in the near future.