Gabriel Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) Anyone else disappointed with the string of Original XBLA games? For a couple of weeks there, I looked foward to see what classic arcade game would be put on XBLA. I've been looking forward to seeing Gyruss, and I was ecstatic when I heard the news that Double Dragon is eventually coming. And, I thought if the new original stuff was as good as Geometry Wars, then it was a good deal. Then Small Arms came out and damaged what little belief I have in a benevolent god. If god is so good, why does he allow crappy games like this to be made? Practically all the crappy elements of games are here: Platformer? Check. Rapid Fire shooter with really limited ammo? Check. Instantaneous cheap deaths? Check. "Cute" furry anthropomorphs? Check. Total fucking garbage. But, I said to myself, next week will be something better. Maybe Gyruss! Instead, it was Roboblitz. A game even the ordinarily overly optimistic gaming press is calling a "tech demo". Ugh. At this rate, I'm almost afraid to download the trial for what this week's game is supposed to be, Assault Heroes. IGN paints a picture that it's supposed to be like Smash TV or Geometry Wars. Of course, they also painted that picture about the atrocious Small Arms, and that was one biggest lies they've ever done. At least it's a free download, but the last two have been so bad it almost seems like a waste of time to even bother. Here's hoping for Double Dragon soon. Anyone else feel this way? Edited April 11, 2007 by Gabriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 I downloaded the trial to assault heroes earlier, and it kicks all kinds of ass. Give it a whirl, see if you like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 I downloaded the trial to assault heroes earlier, and it kicks all kinds of ass. Give it a whirl, see if you like it I hope so. Tonight is my company's employee awards, so that means about 4 hours of mandatory pain. I'll need something tonight to reaffirm my desire to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 So far I have been pretty disapointed with both XBL Arcade and the Wii VC. I guess we can't expect them to release a bunch of hits right? I can't understandy why anyone at Microsoft thinks that releasing games that no one wants is a good idea when there are tons of games out there that people will buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Gabriel, with that attitude, maybe you should stick to Pac-Man and Dig-Dug. Personally, I like seeing the originals, but I realize that not every one can hit everyone's gamerbone. Personally, Contra and MK3 are among the few games I didn't buy, and Double Dragon will be on that list as well. Bleah. Have you tried Cloning Clyde, Outpost Kaloki, Marble Blast, or the Popcap games? There's plenty of good stuff coming out on this thing, and the prices are right. Assault Heroes is OK for what it is: an SNES-style 8-way shooter. It reminds me of Capcom's "The Speed Rumbler" a little bit because when your car explodes, you get to run around on foot (while extremely vulnerable) for a while until you get another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 So far I have been pretty disapointed with both XBL Arcade and the Wii VC. I guess we can't expect them to release a bunch of hits right? I can't understandy why anyone at Microsoft thinks that releasing games that no one wants is a good idea when there are tons of games out there that people will buy. Such as? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) Here's hoping for Double Dragon soon. Anyone else feel this way? Nope, not at all. Small Arms is good stuff , I played online for about an hour with a buddy of mine that had brought the game to my attention and we had a blast, not to mention the game has been getting impressive reviews by the gaming community. IGN 8.2 Game Spot 8.1 Team Xbox 7.2 Keep in mind these are cumulative members reviews and not one individual persons review, which IMO are more accurate because they give you an average gamers opinion as opposed to one particular person who might dislike that particular type of game. Me personally I would probably tend to give sports games or racing games low reviews because they aren't my bag, but I will disagree strongly, the Original XBLA games are some of the best "pick up and play" games available. I think it's safe to say you are just a retro gamer at heart and fear the new. Edited December 13, 2006 by moycon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 Gabriel, with that attitude, maybe you should stick to Pac-Man and Dig-Dug. Personally, I like seeing the originals, but I realize that not every one can hit everyone's gamerbone. Personally, Contra and MK3 are among the few games I didn't buy, and Double Dragon will be on that list as well. Bleah. Have you tried Cloning Clyde, Outpost Kaloki, Marble Blast, or the Popcap games? There's plenty of good stuff coming out on this thing, and the prices are right. Assault Heroes is OK for what it is: an SNES-style 8-way shooter. It reminds me of Capcom's "The Speed Rumbler" a little bit because when your car explodes, you get to run around on foot (while extremely vulnerable) for a while until you get another one. Yep. I've tried the games you mention. Cloning Clyde is utter crap. Marble Blast isn't for me. Had it been simply an over the "shoulder" Marble Madness, then I probably would have enjoyed it, but instead they made it a same, lame 3D platformer. I liked the demo of Outpost Kaloki enough to buy it, but since then I haven't been able to sit down with it long enough to get much into it. Geometry Wars is always easy for me to get into. Buying it was the best purchase I've made for my 360. Feeding Frenzy is another one I've bought because I like Shark Shark. It's relaxing. Mutant Storm Reloaded is a minor disappointment, but still OK. The trial made it seem much more zonerific with fast frantic Robotron style action. In actual practice, it's much more slow paced and deliberate (rather than instinctual). Its just that lately (past Defender) the releases have been really lame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay2068 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) My biggest gripe is if I purchase them online with my Live account and unplug my internet I can't play them! If I take my xbox somewhere where I can't get the internet or if I stop paying for Xbox Live the games go bye bye even thou I paid for them. The only one that does work when I'm not online is Cloning Clyde and only bought that for the niece and newphew when they visit. p.s. I also thought scramble sucked was hoping for a more true emulation. It just doesn't feel right. Edited December 13, 2006 by jay2068 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 (edited) You actually have to be able to be online to use purchased live stuff? Well that sucks! I don't always have my 360 near a network cable. Edited December 14, 2006 by Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 You actually have to be able to be online to use purchased live stuff? Well that sucks? I don't always have my 360 near a network cable. I never heard of this either. My 360 has remained hooked up the entire time I've had it though. I'm going to try unhooking the cable later when I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 (edited) You actually have to be able to be online to use purchased live stuff? Well that sucks! I don't always have my 360 near a network cable. No. Games are linked first to the console you downloaded them to. As long as you're playing them on that console, then you don't need to be connected to Live and can be signed on to the system under any gamertag (or none at all). If your console dies, you can still download your content to a new console. BUT, to use the content on the new console, you MUST be signed on to LIVE and MUST be signed on with the gamertag you originally downloaded the content with. If your original X360 dies, and if you can prove it to Microsoft (send them the broken console), then reports are that they will (after about a month) refund all the points you spent on Live content so that you can repurchase it all again to link to your new console. No. I don't really like this arrangement. But, if any of us are going to play games in the future, it's an arrangement we better get used to, because physical media and the idea of owning your own copy of a game are going the way of the dodo. Edit: Sorry. A little inaccuracy there. Since I wondered about something, I made a quick check of three games: Geometry Wars, Robotron, and the trial version of Assault Heroes. Geometry Wars doesn't care if you have your internet cable hooked up at all. It also doesn't care if you're even signed on with a profile. Robotron and the trial version of Assault Heroes don't care if you're hooked up to the internet. Both require you to be signed on to a profile to start the game, though. On Assault Heroes, if you try to start a game with a Live profile, it will warn you that you aren't connected to Live once. You'll just have to press start game again and the game will start. These are all games which are locked to my console. Edited December 14, 2006 by Gabriel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHufnagel Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Gabriel, Thanks for the info. I was planning on downloading some stuff after the boys open the Xbox 360 for Christmas. Now I don't have to worry about being online to use the content. I only have one DSL line and I'd rather keep it connected to my computer. I'll have to get wireless this coming year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay2068 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 That explains it. I had my 360 premium die on me and I bought another one (core) and just used the HD on my new unit. I guess I never realized that it was tied to my orginal console. Still sounds like a pain in the ass as I don't have the my orig dead console as I sold it on ebay. I thought it would follow my gamer tag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Incidentally, Assault Heroes has somewhat restored my faith in the original content. What I expected: something like Smash TV (small fixed areas filled with enemies), with vehicles. What it actually was: more along the lines of Total Carnage (scrolling open battlefields), with vehicles. Mostly, it's OK, there were two key things which irritated me, though. The first one is the way the jeep maneuvers. Yes, it's more "realistic" to have it pivot and turn the way it does, but it really bogs down your control in what should be a much more smoothly flowing game of movement. The second problem is the multiple weapons, while initially cool, it quickly becomes a pain in the ass to switch back and forth between them. I really feel that a single weapon (plus the grenades) and occasional powerups would have been a better idea. I'll probably end up buying this game. But what it really made me wish for was a traditional scrolling shooter. XBox Live Arcade could be a true renaissance for the old scrolling shooter. Imagine something like Gradius V or R-Type Final in glorious high def widescreen with even better visuals to wow and amaze. I really think it would be good if the folks at Microsoft would consider that genre. I think Live Arcade has enough dual joystick multi-directional blasters for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper_Eye Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Yep. I've tried the games you mention. Cloning Clyde is utter crap. Marble Blast isn't for me. Had it been simply an over the "shoulder" Marble Madness, then I probably would have enjoyed it, but instead they made it a same, lame 3D platformer. I liked the demo of Outpost Kaloki enough to buy it, but since then I haven't been able to sit down with it long enough to get much into it. Geometry Wars is always easy for me to get into. Buying it was the best purchase I've made for my 360. Feeding Frenzy is another one I've bought because I like Shark Shark. It's relaxing. Mutant Storm Reloaded is a minor disappointment, but still OK. The trial made it seem much more zonerific with fast frantic Robotron style action. In actual practice, it's much more slow paced and deliberate (rather than instinctual). Its just that lately (past Defender) the releases have been really lame. I think Cloning Clyde was great for a short game. Marble Blast Ultra is not the first Marble Blast. Marble Blast has been a 3D platformer for some time. Try Marble Blast Gold. It is practically the same game with lower quality graphics. I was already a fan of Marble Blast before the 360. GW is the big surprise out of XBL for me. I knew nothing about it before I downloaded it and is has had my attention ever since. Outside of originals I have Doom. I have played this game since 93/94 and have always loved it. I never stopped playing (check what the app in my sig is for.) When Symphony of the Night goes live I am going to be all over that. Anyway, I am quite happy with the arcade. I don't care for everything up there and I pick and choose carefully what I buy from it but I am happy with the purchases I have made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moycon Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Anyway, I am quite happy with the arcade. I don't care for everything up there and I pick and choose carefully what I buy from it but I am happy with the purchases I have made. It's not that hard to pick and choose carefully when you can try out each and every game they offer.....for free, yet another great thing about the Live Arcade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King_Salamon Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Assault Heroes is OK for what it is: an SNES-style 8-way shooter. It reminds me of Capcom's "The Speed Rumbler" a little bit because when your car explodes, you get to run around on foot (while extremely vulnerable) for a while until you get another one. As a HUGE fan of The Speed Rumbler, I am now quite interested in this title! It's news like this that gets me leaning closer to grabbing a 360. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SomeGuyWithDSL Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 (edited) Assault Heroes: what the ... this is Jackal! Why the heck did no one tell me this sooner! Check this out! Not only is the game similar, but it's like the entire first level is a tribute. Beach setting, transport aircraft drops off your vehicle, water on the left, palm trees on the right, tanks, troops and helicopters attacking, boats attacking from the water as you cross a bridge ... eerie. Jackal play-through video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ5l087vMQk Edited December 15, 2006 by SomeGuyWithDSL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyper_Eye Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 Jackal is one of the best games ever... period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mendon Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 If you read the 360 forums at all on the MS website, you'll notice that MS can't win with Marketplace no matter what they do. They release Frogger, Pac-Man, Defender, Galaga, etc and hundreds of posts appear about how stupid MS is releasing this old crap and expecting people to pay for games 20 years old. Then MS releases new games like Feeding Frenzy, Clyde, Roboblitz, Assault Hero's, etc and hundreds of posts appear about how stupid MS is releasing these new crap games when there are so many older games people want and are willing to pay for. LOL.. makes me glad I'm not in the gaming business! Mendon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Microsoft is really turning things around for the Xbox Live Arcade service. Assault Heroes is sweet, with high production values but the endearing qualities of late 1980's and early 1990's military shooters. The game's got so many muses that it's impossible to count them all. Ikari Warriors, MERCs, Speed Rumbler, Top Gunner/Jackal, even a Japanese Saturn game called Guardian Force... you name it, and it's probably in there. It's a very well done hybrid, and I can't wait to purchase the other stages. Small Arms is kind of a stinker, but at least it's an original property. Problem is, I just don't think the designers understand what makes a multiplayer battle game work. A big part of what made Smash Bros. work is that the characters are always on the move, trying their damnest to push their opponents off the screen while remaining on it. There's none of that in Small Arms... rather than scurrying around, trying to put the hurt on the other players, you just stand there anchored to the floor while aiming for targets. Getting hit with weapons has little effect; you're not knocked back, and you're barely damaged. What fun is wielding a samurai sword or a missile launcher when they pack all the punch of a dime store squirt gun? Maybe the designers can get it right in a sequel, but not this time. JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddWakkr Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 Just bought Assault Heroes as well. Really cool game. Need more XBLA games like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay2068 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 m$ is a bunch of bitches! I don't have any information from my original console so they won't transfer the games to my new console. Been on the phone with them over an hour and not getting anywhere. Grrrrrr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddWakkr Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 m$ is a bunch of bitches! I don't have any information from my original console so they won't transfer the games to my new console. Been on the phone with them over an hour and not getting anywhere. Grrrrrr... I thought they were linked to your GamerTag. Can't you just do an account recovery and redownload them all for free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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