It's no secret that when the Xbox Live Arcade initially launched in 2004, it was a little underwhelming. Although the idea yielded promise, the original line-up left a lot to be desired. Aside from a few old school nostalgia trips such as Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV, there wasn't much else to write home about. How many times can we play Ms. Pac-Man and Gauntlet? The public yearned more. More diversity, more relevance and most importantly of all, more challenge. As the game library started expanding, so did the quality of the titles, in terms of Microsoft's selection of both stone cold classics and the more original, indie-flavoured sleeper hits.
With breakthrough smashes such as Bionic Commando: Re-Armed, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, Trials HD, Shadow Complex and the Geometry Wars series, a new era was ushered in with regards to downloadable content. As of August 2011, there have been 413 titles added to the marketplace, and an estimated 70% of Xbox Live users have downloaded at least one title, averaging out at roughly 6-7 titles per user. With statistics like this in under a decade of implementation, it's hard not to be impressed, and with the current 2011-2012 line-up, we're in for a few well deserved treats.
5. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (TBA 2012)
You'd be hard pressed to meet a gamer anywhere in the world who hasn't heard of the renowned Half-Life mod Counter-Strike. Originally 'developed' by Jess 'Cliffe' Cliffe and Minh 'Gooseman' Le, it was later adopted and expanded upon by Valve and both modders went on to work for the company. As much as IGN could be improved, the fact that they rank both original developers as number 14 in their top 100 game creators of all time list speaks volumes.
At one point, it was the most played first person shooter in the world, a claim it wore as a badge of pride for more consecutive years than almost any other shooter to date. Its immense popularity was so consuming, in fact, that in 2002 it was outselling all PC FPS counterparts at a 3:1 ratio. In recent years, its popularity has waned, but only slightly. It remains a heavyweight contender and somewhat of a phenomenon in the PC market.
With semi-pretenders Blacklight: Tango Down and Battlefield 1943 failing to ignite the market, it seems like there could be potential for a new competitive arcade FPS daddy. Providing Valve get it right and it doesn't feel constrictive or unsatisfying, we could see a trailblazer in action. With Doug Lombardi promising to "expand on CS' award-winning gameplay," its hard not to feel confident. After all, Valve are one of the few companies who have rarely put a foot wrong in their fifteen years in the industry, a feat accomplished by few, if any, others.
Whilst at the time of writing, little has been made official, it wouldn't be presumptious to assume Valve are intending on updating maps and gameplay modes, with perhaps the addition of a selection of newer maps. The old phrase 'if it isn't broken, don't try to fix it' comes to mind as CS 1.6 has remained the most consistent and enduringly popular out of all the mods and expansions. If you've yet to play it, or if you're a veteran of it, it doesn't matter. Buy it, appreciate it, enjoy it. You never know, you could be at the forefront of something very special, indeed.
4. Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (August 31st 2011)
Okay, we admit it, this is a dodgy one. Remembered more for its fatalities, almost needless amount of gore and its abundance of borderline broken fighting mechanics, Mortal Kombat has been up until very recently a difficult sell. Even its publisher Midway, the undisputed king of the cash-ins, relied a little too heavily on it and ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2009.
With Warner Bros picking up the rights to both the franchise and a wide variety of other Midway assets, however, we've started to see a change of pace and direction for the franchise. By making the newest title, the self-proclaimed Mortal Kombat, a balancing act between accessibility and a deeper fighting experience, the series has achieved dual accolades for the first time in its existence via critical and commercial response.
This factor has no doubt been taken into consideration by Warner Bros, and the release of this port of the original three titles is most likely a response to the rapturous response to its predecessor. One of the main reasons anybody truly cares about this Kollection is the return of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. Cruelly taken off Xbox Live Arcade (before we realised it had been reduced to 400 points) due to licensing issues, this affected a small, somewhat niche band of fighting enthusiasts, including myself, who ended up feeling deprived of the simple yet satisfying combinations and the ability to rip your friends head off over Xbox Live Arcade.
The reasoning for this being that sometimes, not often, but nevertheless occasionally, broken games can be fun. Not fun in a Dynasty Warriors (excluding the original) or Serious Sam sort of way, but fun in a loop the same combo in a corner and watch your opponents reaction sort of way. How else could you explain the persistently groundless popularity of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Considering it first launched in 1992 and in many senses has progressively deteriorated over the years (excluding the newest title), that's almost twenty years of mediocrity. Bearing in mind that it only took one or two titles to sink Pandemic, Bizarre Creations and Realtime Worlds, all of which have more talent in their baby fingers than the entire NetherRealm Studio development team, it is puzzling if nothing else.
With this in mind, while the original two titles leave a lot to be desired, they are by no means unplayable. Of course, they lack the charm and allure of Street Fighter 2, but they are entertaining on a more basic level. Of course, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is where you should be directing your attention to, with its impressive roster of characters and least broken fighting mechanics, but the total package for 800 is a steal.
3. Guardian Heroes (Q3 2011)
In spite of its somewhat cult-like status, Guardian Heroes is widely considered to be both the best game on the Sega Saturn and the best scrolling beat-em-up ever made. With its branching pathes, multiple endings and karma meter (a meter which determines how the game concludes depending on your actions throughout), it really was ahead of its time.
Developed by the illustrious Treasure, makers of such critical darlings as Dynamite Headdy, Gunstar Heroes (no relation), Ikaruga, Sin & Punishment and Radiant Silvergun... Treasure remain a creative force to be reckoned with. Their mentality of smaller teams making tight and responsive titles which push the boundaries of innovation to breaking point bodes well for their output and reception. Sometimes less is more and with Treasure that's definitely the case. Their last original game, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor came out in Japan in 2009. Since then, the Call Of Duty/Modern Warfare franchise alone has released two new titles, with a third merely months away. That ought to put it in perspective.
Due to the rarity of the game itself, not a lot of people, particularly in Europe, have been able to get their hands on a copy, which is a crying shame because of the calibre of the mechanics and structure of the game. Many will (incorrectly) tell you that the Saturn had no good games. Naturally, such a standpoint is misguided at best, but its difficult to blame someone for adopting it.
Sega's European and American divisions left a lot to be desired during the 32-bit era. Instead of capitalising on their strongest developers in Japan, alteratively they attempted to port bad rehashes of existing games from competitive systems. Needless to say, this didn't end well, as the Saturn was optimised for 2D games first and foremost and the rest is history. We're not going to sit and list off every great game for the system as we'd be here all day but if you don't believe us, by all means give Guardian Heroes a play through.
2. Radiant Silvergun (TBA 2011)
Continuing on the Sega Saturn bandwagon, here's an example of another Treasure classic, the rich and rewarding Radiant Silvergun. In spite of how infamous its price tag has became in recent years, it is actually really good. The ability to switch between an assortment of weapons and the sheer domineering ferocity of the enemy attack patterns is something that has to be seen to be believed. Whereas it is by no means the hardest shmup of all time (that commendation goes to the frankly astonishing Mushihimesama Futari), it is still insanely difficult. Treasure also make a point of exemplifying what they do best: making bosses that defy the odds (and often gravity).
Few could present opposition to Treasure's boss design, attack patterns and graphical prowess. Those who've encountered Seven Force in Gunstar Heroes not only know what we're talking about, but could also most likely list in detail each form of the encounter, which is undisputedly a testament to their ability to construct a memorable boss character. What's even more interesting is the little homages and references contained within Treasure titles. The last boss, Xiga, in particular, should elicit some fond memories from more retro-orientated gamers.
Through the re-release of this seminal classic, Treasure has opted to include several new features. From a purely visual standpoint, it has been overhauled with HD visuals, which will undoubtedly deal with all the jaggies encountered in the Saturn version. On top of this, they've also decided to include leaderboards, online co-op and an Ikaruga-inspired shooting mode. We're excited. You should be too.
1. Street Fighter: Third Strike (August 24th 2011)
This article has been written to coincide with the release of what many consider to be the greatest beat-em-up ever made. Truth be told, we'd intended to get this out sooner, but time has a funny way of creeping up on you. It seemed like only yesterday that the word on the grapevine was that it was being re-released in HD. It felt like a dream then, it feels like a dream now.
Continuing on the HD trail, as previously mentioned, it has been overhauled in HD which despite not making a huge difference, is still a nice touch. A few other nice touches are the addition of challenges, online play and a theater system which allows players to upload their matches onto YouTube. To all five of you who haven't seen the Daigo VS Justin Wong EVO 2004 'The Beast is Unleashed' video, Capcom's Third Strike places a huge emphasis on technicality, which is best expressed through competitive play. Often imitated, and rarely, if ever, bettered, Third Strike set the benchmark back in 1999 when it was released.
Although we've progressed through a few updates, it seems the third (or fourth in this scenario) edition is the conclusive piece to the Street Fighter puzzle. Like a fine wine, it has aged well, and although it has remained suspiciously absent from some of the professional tournament scenes in recent years, hopefully this updated version puts the spotlight back where it should never have left.
It's mechanics, from the most basic level of parrying to cancelling into a Super Art, are flawlessly implemented and though at the start it can be a little off-putting to newcomers, if you're new to it, stick with it and the cogs will all eventually click into place.
The only main criticism comes from the limited character roster, which admittedly isn't its strongest point. The irony is that Capcom's biggest criticism in general is its ability to milk a popular franchise to saturation point. The multitude of different Street Fighter 2 titles by itself is cause of concern, as even some of the more preferred series out there are outmatched in number by how many times its been re-released. Third Stike is a breath of fresh air in this department, and while some (okay, most) characters could be improved, there are no Stryker's in there. Intriguingly, some of the best players in the world use the likes of Q, Necro and Oro - characters most would agree are completely useless.
The inclusion of competitive online matches should be sufficient enough to wet even the hardest critics appetite. Back in 2004, when it was released on the Xbox as part of the Anniversary Edition package, Xbox Live was still finding its feet and it was difficult to get matches with anyone but Japanese prodigies. These days, XBL is unmistakenly dominant in the online division and both Street Fighter and Third Strike are more popular than they've been in quite some time. This is primarily down to the success of numero four and its expansions but at the same time Daigo's incredible comeback video can no doubt be at least partially attributed to the increasing demand in player's curiosities.
Adding a tournament mode and customisable player matches (best two out of three rounds, matches and best four out of seven matches) should mix it up and keep the game on the online rankings list. Those new to it are in for the Knickerbocker Glory-style treat of their lives, something that looks horrifingly good yet somehow manages to taste even better. Appropriately, the old guard have similar benefits, primarily the ability to pulverise any and all who stand against them accompanied by a new soundtrack by celebrated composer Simon Viklund of Bionic Commando: Re-Armed fame. See you on the battle ground.
