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EspañolXBOX LIVE ARCADE
'Xbox Live Arcade' (XBLA) is an online service operated by Microsoft that is used to distribute video games to Xbox and Xbox 360 owners and from late 2007 to Games for Windows - Live users [1]. The service was first launched in late 2004 and offers games from about US$5 to US$15. In late 2005, Xbox Live Arcade was relaunched with the release of the Xbox 360 in which new games and features were offered. The games are generally aimed toward more casual gamers, striving for "pick up and play" appeal. Examples of some of the more popular among them are ''Lumines Live!'', ''DOOM'', '', '', ''Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved'', ''Catan'', ''Pac-Man Championship Edition'', ''Gauntlet'', ''UNO,'' ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'', ''Smash TV'', ''Prince of Persia Classic'', ''Bomberman Live'' and ''Cloning Clyde''. As of September 5, 2007 there have been 86 titles released for Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360.
Xbox 360
Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360 Dashboard.
The service was relaunched beginning November 22, 2005 on the Xbox 360. The Arcade service is integrated with the Dashboard user interface, allowing for distribution through the Xbox Live Marketplace using Microsoft Points. Arcade titles on the Xbox 360 support accurate and up-to-date leaderboards, with high scores linked to a player's Gamertag. Players can see where they stand in the Xbox Live community, take a look at the records set by the world's top-ranked players, or see how they match up against individuals on their friends list.
Consumers are given an option to download trial versions of Xbox Live Arcade titles for free. While these demos are playable, most offer only a fraction of the levels, modes, and content of the full game. A full version of the game must be purchased to allow the user to upload scores to the leaderboards, unlock achievements, play multiplayer, and download bonus content.
All Xbox 360 hard drives come with a free copy of ''Hexic HD'' preinstalled.[1]
On October 31, 2006, as part of the Xbox 360 Dashboard's fall update, the Arcade menu received a major overhaul. Included in the update is instant enumeration of arcade games present on the hard drive, more sorting options (including by recently played or by category), an auto download feature for any newly released arcade trial game, and a "tell a friend" feature, which sends a message to a friend about a given game.
Achievements
Main articles: Gamerscore
Each Xbox Live Arcade title has 12 "Achievements", which have a total of exactly 200 Gamerscore points. As of February 1, 2007 Microsoft has updated their policy to allow developers to offer an additional 35 Gamerscore points and 2 achievements for their Xbox Live Arcade titles via downloadable content (free or paid).[2]
Microsoft Points
Main articles: Microsoft Points
Xbox Live Arcade games are purchased using Microsoft Points. Since these points are distributed by Microsoft they are not legal tender, but rather a form of scrip, sold via the Xbox Live user interface.
Xbox Live Arcade games for the Xbox 360
| Title | Developer | Release Date | Price (Points) | Live Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action Arcade | ||||
| ''Aegis Wing'' | Carbonated Games | May 16, 2007 | Free1 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Alien Hominid HD'' | The Behemoth | February 28, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Assault Heroes'' | Wanako Studios | December 13, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Bomberman LIVE'' | Backbone Entertainment | July 18, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Camera Enabled, Downloadable Content |
| ''Boom Boom Rocket'' | Bizarre Creations | April 11, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Cloning Clyde'' | NinjaBee | July 19, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Crystal Quest'' | Stainless Games | February 7, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Downloadable Content |
| ''Doom'' | id Software | September 27, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Feeding Frenzy'' | Sprout Games/CTXM | March 15, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| '' | Bizarre Creations | November 22, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Heavy Weapon'' | PopCap Games/CTXM | January 17, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Marble Blast Ultra'' | GarageGames | January 25, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| '' | Freeverse | August 1, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Mutant Storm Reloaded'' | PomPom Games | November 22, 2005 | 800 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Pac-Man Championship Edition'' | Namco Bandai | June 6, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''RoboBlitz'' | Naked Sky Entertainment | December 6, 2006 | 1200 | Leaderboards, Downloadable Content |
| ''Small Arms'' | Gastronaut Studios | November 22, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Downloadable Content |
| ''Space Giraffe'' | Llamasoft | August 22, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Custom Soundtracks |
| ''TotemBall'' | Strange Flavour | October 4, 2006 | Free2 | Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled, Downloadable Content |
| ''Wik and the Fable of Souls'' | Reflexive Entertainment | December 15, 2005 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Wing Commander Arena'' | Electronic Arts | July 25, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| Bar Sports | ||||
| ''Bankshot Billiards 2'' | PixelStorm | November 22, 2005 | 1200 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Camera Enabled |
| ''Pinball FX'' | Zen Studios | April 25, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Camera Enabled |
| Card and Board | ||||
| ''Carcassonne'' | Sierra Online | June 27, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Camera Enabled |
| ''Catan'' | Big Huge Games | May 2, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Hardwood Backgammon'' | Silver Creek | December 8, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multplayer, Camera Enabled |
| ''Hardwood Hearts'' | Silver Creek | December 8, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled |
| ''Hardwood Spades'' | Silver Creek | December 8, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled |
| ''Soltrio Solitaire'' | Silver Creek | May 16, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled, Downloadable Content |
| ''Spyglass Board Games'' | Strange Flavour/Freeverse | August 1, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Camera Enabled |
| ''Texas Hold'em'' | TikGames | August 23, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''UNO'' | Carbonated Games | May 9, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled, Downloadable Content |
| Coin-Op Classics | ||||
| ''Centipede/Millipede'' | Stainless Games/Atari | May 2, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Contra'' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | November 8, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Cyberball 2072'' | Midway/Digital Eclipse | September 5, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Defender'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | November 15, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Dig Dug'' | Namco Bandai | October 11, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Double Dragon'' | Empire Interactive | May 9, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Fatal Fury Special'' | SNK Playmore | September 5, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Frogger'' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | July 12, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Galaga'' | Namco Bandai | July 26, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Gauntlet'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | November 22, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Golden Axe'' | Sega | July 11, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Gyruss'' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | April 18, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play, Multiplayer |
| ''Jetpac Refuelled'' | Rare | March 28, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Joust'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | November 22, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Missile Command'' | Stainless Games/Atari | July 4, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Ms. Pac-Man'' | Namco Bandai | January 10, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''New Rally-X'' | Namco Bandai | December 27, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Pac-Man'' | Namco Bandai | August 9, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Paperboy'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | February 14, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| '' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | January 6, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Root Beer Tapper'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | February 7, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Rush 'n Attack'' | Konami | May 23, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play, Multiplayer |
| ''Scramble'' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | September 13, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| ''Smash TV'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | November 22, 2005 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| '' | Capcom | August 2, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Super Contra'' | Konami | July 25, 2007 | 400 | Achievements, Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' | Ubisoft/Digital Eclipse | March 14, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Cooperative Play |
| ''Time Pilot'' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | August 30, 2006 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Track & Field'' | Konami | August 8, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'' | Midway Games/Digital Eclipse | October 21, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Xevious'' | Namco Bandai | May 23, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' | Konami | July 18, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| Console Classics | ||||
| '' | Konami/Digital Eclipse | March 21, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Ecco the Dolphin'' | Sega | August 15, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Prince of Persia Classic'' | Gameloft | June 13, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' | Sega | July 11, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards |
| ''Streets of Rage 2'' | Sega | August 29, 2007 | 400 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play |
| Puzzle and Word | ||||
| ''AstroPop'' | PopCap Games/CTXM | March 22, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Bejeweled 2'' | PopCap Games/CTXM | November 22, 2005 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Eets: Chowdown'' | Klei Entertainment Inc. | April 25, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Hexic HD'' | Microsoft Game Studios | November 22, 2005 | Free3 | Leaderboards |
| ''Hexic 2'' | Microsoft Game Studios | August 15, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Jewel Quest'' | iWin Games/CTXM | March 8, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Lumines Live!'' | Q Entertainment | October 18, 2006 | 1200 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Downloadable Content |
| ''Luxor 2'' | MumboJumbo | April 4, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| ''Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix'' | Backbone Entertainment | August 29, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| ''Zuma'' | PopCap Games/CTXM | November 22, 2005 | 800 | Leaderboards |
| Racing Games | ||||
| ''Mad Tracks'' | Load Inc. | May 30, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Downloadable Content |
| ''Novadrome'' | Stainless Games | December 20, 2006 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Downloadable Content |
| ''Street Trace NYC'' | Gaia Industries | August 22, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| Sports Games | ||||
| ''3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures'' | Wanako Studios | April 18, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer |
| Strategy and Sims | ||||
| ''Band of Bugs'' | NinjaBee | June 20, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Downloadable Content, User Creatable Content, Camera Enabled |
| ''Outpost Kaloki X'' | NinjaBee | November 22, 2005 | 800 | Leaderboards, Downloadable Content |
| ''Worms'' | Team 17 | March 7, 2007 | 800 | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Downloadable Content |
| 1Canada and United States download only 2Xbox Live Vision needed to play 3Comes preinstalled on Hard Drive | ||||
Upcoming games
Many upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles for the Xbox 360 are reported or confirmed by Microsoft, third party publishers or the press. Arcade titles are usually officially confirmed and dated by two Microsoft-associated blogs, Gamerscore Blog and Larry Hryb's Major Nelson Blog.
Sales and milestones
Microsoft announced that as of March 10, 2006, three million downloads of Xbox Live Arcade games had been made, at least 600,000 of which had been purchased.[3] Also, over 60% of gamers connected to Xbox Live on the Xbox 360 had downloaded a trial version of an Xbox Live Arcade title.3 In terms of sales, the best selling Xbox 360 titles were ''Uno'', followed by ''Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved'', ''Gauntlet'', ''Smash TV'', ''Bejeweled II'', and ''Zuma'', in that order.3
At one point, ''Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting'' was the fastest selling Xbox Live Arcade game, with hundreds of games played an hour.[4]
On August 23, 2006, the full version of ''Texas Hold 'Em'' was available for free for 48 hours, making it the first fully functional game on the Live Arcade service that was available as free download and not as a demo. At one point during this period, the game peaked out at over 100 downloads per minute.[5] ''TotemBall'', a game which can only be played with the Xbox Live Vision camera, became the second Xbox Live Arcade release to be free upon its initial release on October 4, 2006. ''Aegis Wing'' became the third and was released on May 16, 2007, though only available in North America.
On January 30, 2007 Microsoft announced that over 20 million downloads of Xbox Live Arcade games have been made.[6] On March 6, 2007 Microsoft announced that Xbox Live Arcade downloads had reached 25 million. [7]
On March 27, 2007 Microsoft declared ''UNO'' to be the first Xbox Live Arcade game to exceed one million downloads.[8] On that same day, '' was released and was the first game released on the Live Arcade service since Microsoft extended the capacity limit of all Live Arcade games from 50MB to 150MB. Other Arcade games that exceed 50MB include ''Boom Boom Rocket'', ''Golden Axe'', '', ''Ecco the Dolphin'', ''Hexic 2'', and ''Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix''.
On September 2 2007 Microsoft held the first ever Xbox Live Arcade sale. Four titles were sold at half price over a 48 hour period -- ''Zuma'' and ''Small Arms'' for 400 Microsoft Points and ''Gauntlet'' and ''Dig Dug'' for 200 Microsoft Points.[9]
Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays
Main articles: List of Xbox Live Arcade games by date
On July 12, 2006, Microsoft launched the "Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays" program,[10] which calls for a new Arcade game to be launched every Wednesday for the rest of the summer. From now on, Arcade games are expected to be released exclusively on Wednesdays.[11]
However, the first game since the "XBLA Wednesdays" that was not released on a Wednesday was ''Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3'' which was released on October 20, 2006. The game was accidentally released early instead of the originally intended October 25, 2006 release.[12]
January 3, 2007 was the first day of the "XBLA Wednesdays" program not to feature any new games or downloadable content.[13] On Major Nelson's February 25, 2007 podcast, he clarified that "Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays" means that Xbox Live Arcade games will be released only on Wednesdays, but that there should be no expectation that there will be at least one game released every Wednesday.
April 18, 2007 was the first week during the Xbox Live Wednesdays program where two XBLA games were released on the same day.
Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged
On September 5, 2006, Microsoft Game Studios released 'Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Vol. 1' as a retail package of six Xbox Live Arcade games and three demos[14]. The compilation carries a MSRP of $39.99, which is cheaper than the 4,000 points ($50.00 USD) that it would cost to download the games. The disc also comes with a code for a 30 day trial of Xbox Live Gold. The disc works by inserting it into the system just like any other game. However, rather than directly launching any of the titles, it adds nine items to the Xbox Live Arcade menu with a small disc icon next to each name. Microsoft's Worldwide Games Portfolio Manager David Edery has stated in an interview that 'Unplugged Vol. 2' was one of many "options" being "evaluated" for release.[15]
| Title | Developer | Live Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Games | |||
| ''Bejeweled 2'' | PopCap Games/CTXM | Leaderboards | |
| '' | Bizarre Creations | Leaderboards | |
| ''Hardwood Backgammon'' | Silver Creek | Leaderboards, Multplayer, Camera Enabled | |
| ''Outpost Kaloki X'' | NinjaBee | Leaderboards, Downloadable Content | |
| ''Texas Hold'em'' | TikGames | Leaderboards, Multiplayer | |
| ''Wik and the Fable of Souls'' | Reflexive Entertainment | Leaderboards, Multiplayer | |
| Demos | |||
| ''Feeding Frenzy'' | Sprout Games/CTXM | Leaderboards | |
| ''Marble Blast Ultra'' | GarageGames | Leaderboards, Multiplayer | |
| ''UNO'' | Carbonated Games | Leaderboards, Multiplayer, Cooperative Play, Camera Enabled, Downloadable Content | |
Xbox
The Xbox Live Arcade service was launched by Microsoft on 3 November, 2004 for the original Xbox game console.[16] To publicize the service Microsoft distributed a starter disc that contained the Xbox Live Arcade software and a free version of ''Ms. Pac Man''. In addition to being available through the mail, the disc was also bundled with certain Xbox packages. Once connected to Xbox Live, customers could purchase additional titles by using a credit card, or download a limited trial version of each game. A demo version of the Xbox Live Arcade was also released with Forza Motorsport which came with the Xbox when purchased.
Xbox Live Arcade games for the Xbox
The following is a list of Xbox Live Arcade games released for the original Xbox:
| Title | Price | Title | Price | Title | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ''Alien Sky'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''AstroPop'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Atomaders'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Bankshot Billiards'' | $9.99/£11.50 | ''Bejeweled'' | $14.99/£11.50 | ''Bookworm'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Dangerous Mines'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Dino and Aliens'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Feeding Frenzy'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Fuzzee Fever'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Gauntlet'' | $4.99/£3.79 | ''Guardian'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Hamsterball'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Hardwood Solitaire'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Joust'' | $4.99/£3.79 |
| ''Marble Blast'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Ms. Pac-Man'' | Free | ''Mutant Storm'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Namco Vintage'' | $14.99 | ''Orbz'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Pipeline'' | $9.99/£7.49 |
| ''Ricochet Lost Worlds'' | $9.99/£7.49 | '' | $4.99/£3.79 | ''Smash TV'' | $4.99/£3.79 |
| ''Super Collapse II'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Think Tanks'' | $9.99/£7.49 | ''Zuma'' | $14.99/£11.50 |
References
1.
Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20 GB)
2. As of June 16, 2007, no Xbox Live Arcade games have featured the full 250 points.
Addicted to Achievements?
3. Q&A: Microsoft Discusses Xbox 360 Live Stats Carless, Simon
4. Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting Becomes Fastest Selling Xbox Live Arcade Title For Xbox 360
5. Texas Hold 'em Review (Xbox 360)
6. 20 million downloads on Xbox Live Arcade
7. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13010
8. Souped-up Xbox 360 set for April
9. http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/08/30/552943.aspx
10. Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays
11. Street Fighter II will sell for on Xbox Live
12. UMK3 was this Wednesday's Arcade game
13. No game released on XBLA on Jan. 3rd 2007
14. Xbox.com Official Unplugged Vol. 1 Page
15. Interview: David Edery (Part 1)
16. Xbox hugs Ms. Pac Man
See also
★ Software emulation
★ Virtual Console
External links
★ Official Xbox Live Arcade website
★ Official Japanese Xbox Live Arcade website
★ Official Xbox Live Arcade Forums
★ Xbox Live Arcade, An Unofficial website & forum dedicated to Xbox Live Arcade Game Reviews, News and Forums
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