Not every quality gaming experience comes from a full retail-sized video game these days. The new surprising breed of gameplay fun can actually come from a downloaded smaller and less expensive bite-sized game from Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), Playstation 3’s Playstation Network (PSN), or Nintendo Wii’s Virtual Console.

While we enjoy these downloadable games from all consoles (Flower is an amazing concept!), we will be looking at our staff’s most loved XBLA games. See if you agree with us, or if you have your own favourites and comment at the bottom of the article.

OXCGN’s Most Loved

Darkmurder

Geometry Wars 2: What’s not to love about seizure-causing graphics, awesome soundtrack and addictive gameplay? I could play this game forever and never get bored with it!

Braid: This game should have been simply titled Awesome- the graphics were so detailed and lovingly created that it was a feast for your eyes and lets not forget the bloody brilliant gameplay mechanics that were incorporated. This much quality from an XBLA game!

Shadow Wave

Braid: The sound track, the artwork, the story and the gameplay all compliment each other in such a way that just makes Braid a joy to play. While it may be on the short side, the game will be remembered for a long time as the most unique XBLA game to date.

Castle Crashers: This game is great fun solo or online with buddies (although it can be a huge downer if you both want to play as the same guy). It’s full of humour for all ages, and generally provides some highly addictive fun that will last many, many hours. Definitely worth the money.

Banjo Kazooie: The N64 classic plays and looks the best on XBLA. It’s a great way for fans to re-experience the classic game, but also lets the next generation of kids experience one of the definitive adventure games to date.

Axis of Reality

Shadow Complex: It’s always a good day when you wake up to a Live Arcade game with production values as high as a top retail game at a fifth the price. Shadow Complex shows the potential for highly polished games that are right at home in the current generation to live in Live Arcade instead of just streams of old ports.

Geometry Wars Series: What Live Arcade list would be complete without it? Geometry Wars is attributed with prompting services like Live Arcade after it appeared in Project Gotham Racing 2 and was an instant hit. Small games for even smaller prices?

Who wouldn’t like that? And we all have Geometry Wars to thank for pushing Microsoft to create a service that I can’t believe I lived without last generation.

Halfbrick Rocket Racing / Echoes / Raskulls: From a studio that was known for licensed handheld games to suddenly break out with some of the best games on Live all at once is a massive achievement. Halfbrick Rocket Racing, Halfbrick Echoes and Raskulls are all amazing independent games that demonstrate small studios don’t have to live under the boots of a big publisher but can free their creativity and experiment with innovative new gameplay concepts on their own with Live Arcade and use the earnings that go directly back to them to make even more.

Sutton Dagger

Braid: Without a doubt, Braid is my favourite XBLA game. Essentially a puzzle platformer, Braid weaves the tale of a flawed man trying to find his ‘princess’, into mind bending puzzle elements based around the manipulation of time. Though some may argue a it’s a short game, the experience you’re rewarded with is priceless.

Banjo Koozie and Tooie: They are another great addition to the XBLA lineup. Classic Nintendo 64 platformers given the HD treatment and missing interconnectivity, what more could you want. This bear and bird duo still have the classic charm we all remember, these two games are a must have for gamers who want to experience the nostalgia of the ‘good old days’ and new players alike.

dkpatriarch

Carcassonne: Having played this tile strategy game in its original corporeal form I was excited to discover that it translated perfectly to video game format on XBLA. It now does the math for you so players can’t argue over how much grass it takes to be able to link up built castles and therefore get more points. Well worth the play and can be very addictive multiplayer game for even casual gamer types.

Zuma: Okay this one is old and relatively simple by XBLA standards these days, but it still is a classic. I hated Tetris and don’t like Bejewelled or other repetitive shape games but this one got me quite addicted for longer than most. Challenging without being too frustratingly so, it really was a clever idea.

Age Of Booty: Everybody loves pirates- well except the game, music and film makers who don’t like the kind that find ways of getting their products for free, and except the cruise passengers off the coast of Africa who see modern pirates in mini-boats waving RPGs at them- but everybody loves the mythical eccentric Johnny Depp-like pirate and pirate ships of legend!

This game is my pick because it is great for the family. Unlike most the bigger releases these days, Age Of Booty allows multiple players on one console and one screen. You all are seeking to battle it out with other ships and conquer fort towns to collect booty and resources to upgrade your ship. Capture enough fort towns on a map, and you win. Even better, the game features a rudimentary map editor so you can construct your own ‘high seas’ to battle on.

GrathiusXR

Shadow Complex: For the price of 1200 MSP and the final Arcade released in this year’s Winter Of Arcade for Australia/Summer of Arcade For America, Shadow Complex takes a twist in the 2D platforming genre and adds a unique 3d perspective to it.

Whilst controls may be a bit annoying at first once coming to grips with them and finding new weapons and power ups the game shows itself at its best. With multiple ways to complete the game on each play through with either being able to finish it in under 2 hour or over 10 hours it’s a gem of an arcade game that not only rivals some full retail games in graphics but also replayability.

Battlefield: 1943: Another gem of a game that goes for only 1200 MSP takes what we all loved about BF: 1943 and makes it better. Now whilst it may be missing the Medic class which many so love to play as it still did offer a heap of fun and value for your points.

Its graphics, again like Shadow Complex, rivals many full retail games and its multiplayer triumphs over many games that struggle to keep a room of 8 people lag free. It was a multiplayer only games that had much to offer and now still keeps on giving.

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