TOP 5 XBOX LIVE ARCADE GAMES

5. BOOGIE BUNNIES

What the hell are you laughing at? Yes I am totally serious about this pick. When Boogie Bunnies first came out on Xbox Live Marketplace, the name immediately drew your attention. But I automatically thought, really? Am I really going to download this trial version and play with bunnies? You betcha! So I’m playing Boogie Bunnies for my first time, minding my own business (at this time, COD4 was my main game of choice to play online, but I just wanted to change it up). My best friend hops online and sees that I am playing this game called Boogie Bunnies. I get the following text online: “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I saw that reaction coming. So all I had to do was to tell him, download the trial version right now. I”m telling you dude, this game is a blast! You and your girl can both play it. So sure enough, he tried the trial version, liked it enough to buy the full version and to this day he still has more achievement points than I do. It’s a fast pace game, it’s great to play on co-op, and it’s actually quite difficult to master. Look, you don’t want to like this game. But the fricken‘ bunnies are so cute, you don’t want to let them die. So you keep playing, and there’s nothing you can do to stop yourself from playing it.

4. SWITCHBALL

Ahhhh… the one game that has got me stuck. I can’t beat it. I mean, I can but.. the part I got stuck on I’ve played so many bloody frustrating times, I’ve just completely given up. Some of you might be familiar with this game. I have seen this game advertised in commercials as one of the many games for, I think ITT Tech. I don’t think students from ITT Tech made this game though, it was made by an indie Swedish developer originally for the PC and then released on XBLA a few months later. Either way you look at it, Switchball is an awesome game that any gamer of any age can play. Did you ever play that game, Labyrinth? It was a wooden box that had knobs on the sides and you had to maneuver a steel ball through a tilting maze. You had to tilt each side until you get to the end, which is where you win the game. Switchball is kind of like that but on a whole other level. Switchball is the one game that has got me stumped. I had deleted it out of frustration but since I started writing this post, I’ve re-downloaded it again because I refuse to be conquered. I will get that fricken‘ ball to the end of the maze! Give it a go, you, your kids and your friends will all enjoy this one.

3. BOMBERMAN LIVE

If you don’t know about Bomberman, then you haven’t been playing games for very long. I remember playing this as a youngin’ and enjoyed it. The good folks at Backbone Entertainment in Vancouver (Shout out to Albert Art!) did an absolutely fantastic job at re-creating this classic. In fact, they have improved this game above and beyond from the original. I feel it’s one of those games, it might not be your first choice to play on game night, but it’s a great game to fall back on when you have a lull in big video game releases. Bomberman is a masterpiece of frantic gameplay. If you like to dress up your Bomberman in a Princess dress and tiara while blowing up your enemies, then this game is for you. Hell, even if you don’t like dressing up as a pretty little princess, there’s always the one legged Pirate costume you can use. But I’d much rather defeat my opponents in stilettos. (Thanks to my girlfriend who explained to me what stilettos are)

2. WORMS

One of the better games I can reminisce about from my youth. The “warriors of the underground” as I call them. Cute little worms always ready for a battle to keep control of their territory. Dig in the dirt to attack your enemy from underneath the soil, bombard your enemy whose enjoying a peaceful scenic view on a cliff with a homing missile or just give up all hope and take yourself and your enemy out with a kamikaze style death strike. However you decide on killing the other team, the greatest method of total destruction on your enemies has got to be the bouncing white sheep hell bent on accomplishing a “worm jihad” on their asses. There are so many ways to destroy your enemy and so many laughs come along with it. This game incorporates straight up “strategery“. (Thanks G.W. Bush for that wonderful new word). So use it.

1. CASTLE CRASHERS

I don’t know how many people I will have agreeing with me on the arcade titles I have listed above, but I know a majority will present no argument towards me when I say the best, the “must have” XBLA game right now, is Castle Crashers. Never has an arcade game generated so much enthusiasm inside me to play, similar to a $60 title. I’m pretty sure I only paid $10 for this game. I think they could have gotten away with charging more. (No The Behemoth, that doesn’t mean you should charge more! I’m just saying you guys gave us a game above and beyond the price.) The Behemoth have given us a memorable 4 player co-op that will be played for ages to come. I feel it became an instant classic. With the bowel exploding owls and deer and all. For $10, this is quite possibly the greatest XBLA game to ever be released. I know Behemoth is already slaving away on their next big hit, and I can’t wait to find out what it is. From here on out, when The Behemoth releases a game, people will take notice.. and I’ll be busting out my credit card to buy more points to download it.