Step into the Arcade

I've got the world's most powerful gaming console at my house. There's a full library of games, too, organized alphabetically and neatly arranged on a shelf. Add to that a 52" HDTV and a home theater system, and you've got all the makings for a great weekend. Why is it, then, that I spent a good chunk of last weekend playing UNO and Zuma, rather than getting onto Live and blasting my buddies in G.R.A.W. or Battlefield? Basically, I spend as much time playing casual games as I do retail titles. Like many of my peers that spend a great deal of time on Xbox Live, I've found that while blockbuster games come and go, you'll always keep coming back to the Arcade.

If you haven't played any Xbox Live Arcade games yet, you're definitely missing out on one of the best aspects of Live. For the uninitiated, Live Arcade occupies the corner of Microsoft's online services that's dedicated to casual games. It used to be that PC (and to a lesser extent, cell phone) gamers played the majority of casual games, as many developers simply couldn't afford the costs of producing full-scale retail titles. In an era when budgets and development costs are going through the roof, these dedicated men and women focused on creating games with something for everyone. They are easy to learn, tough to master, addictive (who among us hasn't gotten a quick Solitaire fix at work?), and best of all, relatively inexpensive. After all, would you rather pay $5 for Tetris or $60 for another mediocre action game?


Getting in and using Live Arcade is a breeze, as all you've got to do is hop on Marketplace and select the Games option. Once you're there, just start selecting the games you want to check out. Since you've got to throw down some hard-earned Microsoft points (the majority of the games are in the $4 to $10 range), it's worth downloading the trial version for a sample of what you'll be getting. Microsoft's got a 50 MB limit for Live Arcade titles, so the download times for all of the games are relatively quick, and unlocking the full version of game is instantaneous if you've already got the trial. Best of all, the games are available to both Silver and Gold members.

So, you might be wondering, what are some of the hottest Arcade games right now? Everyone's got their own opinions depending on their preferences, but there's no doubt that Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (which can also be unlocked in Project Gotham Racing 3) is still the most downloaded game. Personally, I'm not that good at the game (damn that Robotron control scheme!), so I spend most of my time playing those highly addictive puzzle games. From trying to line up 3 balls in Zuma or blasting boxes into color groups in AstroPop, if it's on Live Arcade there's a good chance I've spent hours trying to master it. There are also more traditional card and board games, although I still don't understand why there isn't a chess game yet. Get on it, Microsoft!