Xbox LIVE Arcade games to play

A couple of days ago, I started a list of PS2 games that are still worth playing, even in this era of "next-gen" gaming platforms.

kapital asked if I knew of any Xbox LIVE Arcade games that might be worth playing. They had some extra points left over after getting the downloadable Mass Effect module, "Bring Down the Sky" - great choice, btw - and wanted to know where they might spend those points.

Well, after taking a look at the games in my XBL Arcade library, I've found some patterns.

Of the games available from XBL I seem to prefer the puzzlers. I think it's because I can easily get into those games and don't need to play them for a long time, so if I've only got 15 minutes and want to get lost in a game these work great.

Of the true puzzlers, Bejeweled and Hexic are my favourites. They are similar games in that they provide you with a container and you have to rotate pieces in the container to make matches.

Zuma and Luxor are more arcade-style puzzlers. They present you with a row of balls, and you have to aim and shoot other balls into the chain to make sets of three. If the chain of balls advances into your "house" before you make them all disappear, you lose. Amazingly simple to play, amazingly compelling, too.

Of the shooter-type games, Geometry Wars and Rez HD (the same game I mentioned in the PS2 list, but ported for Xbox Live) are my favourites. Crystal Quest is similar to these, but rather than being a pure shooter, you have to pick up crystals while avoiding the enemy ships and mines. It's tricky.

A more recent game I've tried and quite liked is Omega Five, which is a traditional 2D arcade game in which you play a warrior with a big gun, shooting at things that come at you as you move across the screen.

And if you're older, and nostalgic for arcades of the past, you can always go for the old stand-bys: Galaga, Joust, Dig Dug, and Tron have all brought back memories for me.

Most of them good.

You've got questions? We've got answers

rawbean asks:
I have a PS2 but only have two games: Katamari and a disc (disc?) of old arcade games like PacMan. I have played a total of 20 minutes since receiving the PS2. What should I do now? PS I also like the sims.

Well, rawbean, Katamari is still one of the most fun, most clever video games ever made. There is a new version of the game - which is essentially the same as that first one - for the "next-gen" Xbox 360.

But if you say you haven't played the PS2, you might not realise how much fun there is in a session of Katamari Damacy.

I believe that everybody is a gamer. What differs is the type of game people prefer and the degree to which they like playing. Even paper-and-pencil Sudoku puzzles are games. So are crosswords.

Monopoly? Texas Hold 'Em? Fetch with your dog?

All games.

In terms of video games, though, they have come a long way, to the point where they are truly interactive entertainment.

Both Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 will give you access to game demos, so you can try some new games to see if you like them.

Xbox LIVE, which is the online marketplace for the Xbox 360, has a wealth of arcade and casual games for people to download and play without having to commit 80 hours or $80.

And the PS3 is still the best Blu-ray player on the market, so if you are thinking about upgrading your DVD player, the PS3 is cheaper than other players, it's a better player than the others, and you get the option of playing games if you want, too.

Does that help?

'Bring Down the Sky'

Mass Effect fans who've run through the game a couple of times (don't laugh, I know a few who have) get another reason to play today.

The first downloadable content pack for the space epic released today.

“Bring Down the Sky” includes an uncharted world that introduces a new alien race: the Batarians. In the storyline, a Batarian extremist group has hijacked a mobile asteroid station in the Asgard system, and have set the asteroid on a collision course with the nearby colony world of Terra Nova.

It's up to you, as Commander Shepard, to save the millions of innocent civilians before the asteroid impacts the planet.

The 90-minute download pack is available for 400 MS points via Xbox LIVE. You'll also be able to earn 50 new Gamerscore points.

I'm adding something to my "to do" list: find some time to play more Mass Effect.

Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards

While we're on the topic of awards, Microsoft is giving gamers the chance to select the winners of the first-ever Xbox LIVE Arcade Awards.

Voting begins Tuesday, January 22 at 2:00 a.m. PT (5:00 a.m. GT) and runs through Wednesday, January 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT (January 31 at 02:59 a.m. ET).

The public get to have a say in the following categories:

• Best Overall Arcade Game
• Best Classic Game
• Best Original Game
• Best Family Friendly Game
• Best Competitive Multiplayer Game
• Best Cooperative Multiplayer Game

Other award categories - fans don't get a say in these, though - include:

• Best selling game
• Most played game
• Highest rated game
• Staff choice

The winners of the new awards will be announced at GDC in February.