Xbox Live arcade titles added: free to try, $5 to $15 to buy
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Nov 19th 2005 at 7:00AM }
Content is being added to Xbox Live all weekend leading up to launch. Overnight, 15 trailers
were added, as we noted earlier. We also just found that
new Xbox Live Arcade titles have been launched. Here are some details.
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Titles available: Joust, Gauntlet, Geometry Wars, Bejeweled 2, Bigshot Billiards 2
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Cost each: free to try, cost varies from 400 MP (Microsoft Points) 1200 MP to buy the fully-featured version of each game. Remember, $1.00 USD purchases 80 MP, so that means these games will cost $5.00 to $15.00. (Will the Nintendo Revolution back-catalog be priced similarly?)
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File sizes: the downloadable versions of these games are generally in the neighborhood of 18 MB (for Joust) to 37 MB for Bigshot Billiards 2.
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Fun factor: awesome. Heck, you could even skip the launch lineup if there's nothing in it that really catches your eye. Some of these arcade titles will tide you over until, say, Oblivion comes out. Careful, though, you may find that the button-mashing nature of a game you formerly loved to be a tad much given modern design trends away from grueling tests of repetitive finger speed.
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Disruptive potential: We've noted it before, but we'll note it again: this is the new distribution model for games. All sorts of small-time developers will be clamoring to bring their titles to the Xbox Live Arcade. Initially, we'll only see small titles and demos of fully-fledged games. Eventually, however, this could become a major distribution channel for all kinds of new games.
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New hard drive please: We've had this Xbox only a few days, but we've already filled the 20 GB drive to half-full. We'll be looking for added capacity ASAP.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brad @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Can you still earn points by finishing games?
Chris @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
You guys need to get off the fear of digital distribution. You're like those people that thought you'd go blind if you broke the speed of sound..
Worst case scenario, EB and Gamestop go under. I wont be overly upset.
Chris @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Oh yeah, and look for LiquidMercury on the Joust highscore boards come Tuesday ;)
Repsode @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
#2- Who are you referring to? I saw no fear or negativity in the article. I think they are opening it with open arms, as it encourages small companies. Wher you referring to greifers whos posts were removed?
Chris @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Click the link in the 2nd to last bulletin. Joystiq's been on some odd warpath about the 360's digital content delivery being a subversive and negative thing
Vasco @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
#2 >
Well if you want to go for an economic stand point, that would be horrible, considering all the people working for them would be out of a job.
So thanks for caring about the common worker.
Chris @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
and replacing zitfaced kids working behind the counter pushing the latest NBA Live on me, we see more small and startup game development companies getting off the ground.
Art and game design schools crank out thousands of skilled workers every quarter who can't get hired and not for lack of talent, but because the industry is very tightly locked. Getting into an art or programming job takes years of hard work AFTER graduation.
As more games find success through the shareware-like distribution system (a requirement of my 'worst case scenario') these skilled workers can finally do what they've always wanted. These are the workers I care about. GreasyfaceJoe from EB can go work at Barnes and Noble or Starbucks or wherever else he wants.
Hugh Jass @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"Worst case scenario, EB and Gamestop go under. I wont be overly upset."
I think I love you. ;-)
As for the drive being half-full: doesn't it ship full of video clips, including a "making of Titanic" documentary? Delete that crap and play Joust.
DG @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Five dollars to pay Joust? My ass. That should be free. They'll charge $10 to play Pac Man. And idiots would pay it, too.
Bob @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Nothing in life is free. Unless you're a pirate and you like wearing those puffy shirts.
Captain_Duck @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Thinking about this, this has been an very smart move by microsoft. These game titles may not speak out as much to us hardcore gamers, but they sure do to the casual gamers. Games like bejeweled and and zuma are very popular amongst them
Hell, my father would probably buy a a xbox360 if he knew he could play zuma on the tv with that. If they could get more flash games on the 360 and such then that would be a great thing to for small-time game developers, because it would be a very good way to get themselves to the people.
Anyway not that i'm buying a 360 though. Most of the interesting titles prolly will come out on PC just like it happened with the first xbox anyway.
Beanie @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
^^^^^^^Don't knock it till you've tried it.. the puffy shirts that is..
Agent X @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
18 MB for Joust? The original arcade game fit in under 64 KB!
Joystiq's comment above implies that this might be the smallest of the available downloadable games. I have to wonder if Microsoft is deliberately padding the classic games so that they occupy more space on a memory card, thus rapidly filling it by allowing you to store only two or three games rather than the tens or hundreds that you might otherwise expect. It seems like a way of punishing people who are opting to go with a memory card alone and not the add-on hard drive.
Rjcc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I'm assuming the original arcade game of Joust didn't have any online networking code or output in 1080i either.
Watership @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
RE: #13. the original joust was very small yes. But this is Joust in 1080i with 5.1 with Xbox live Network code. It's exactly the same, just better.
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"Warpath"? HUH?! We LOVE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION. Dudes...
JRM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
it costs me 25 cents to play ms. pac-man! Also, isn't 18MB too big for a game like joust? does it have next-gen graphics or something? most NES roms are barely 100kb.
Zaius @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
You know what I'm REALLY interested in?
Why did Microsoft pick a 100=80 relationship for their Micro$Money?
Am I a geek for wondering how they arrive at that number?
tack @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
My bet is it's set up as an artificial disconnect designed to remove the actual correlation of $ to MPs encouraging spending.
SurfMurph @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
This version of Joust includes being able to play a friend over Xbox Live. It isn't a straight port. That's probably why its 18MB in size.
Same goes for the other arcade titles that will be on Xbox Live Arcade, including Robotron and Smash TV.
epobirs @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Even with the added features it seems extraordinary that Joust, a game originally measured in kilobytes, requires 18 megabytes to store. Features like online support don't require massive amounts of code to implement. Even at 1080i and 5.1 Surround it's difficult to imagine how a game as simple as this could require so much space. Is there some added items like a museum mode with the game history or an FMV intro?
Nicholas Puleo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The drive actually ships with 12 GB free. There's a bunch of HD videos and music you can delete but it still doesn't get you much more than 13 or 14 GB. I guess 4Gb is set aside for cache...I'm not sure where the other 2 went.
Rishard Chapoteau @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Response to 19
Good Question. My guess is math is harder to do in non even numbers like that so u don't think about how much your actually spending. If it was a whole number your mind would probably figure it out a lot easier.
360hack @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
http;//360-hacks.com hacks Mods News For The Xbox 360
Twist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Running out of HD space already? Might as well be the first to hack it to use a normal 3.5 inch HD then. J. Allard did say that it is supposed to be user upgradable ;)
Brian @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I love it how people are paying $400 at the dawn of a new generation of high definition gaming consoles, and then getting their Joust and Gauntlet on. =)
Coyote @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Watership
"RE: #13. the original joust was very small yes. But this is Joust in 1080i with 5.1 with Xbox live Network code."
Im confused as to what the point of a Hidef Joust would be... are the sprites antialiased so they look like the blocks their suposed to? And 5.1??? the games 2D at its best.. stereo is practicly to much for it....
OK this is makeing my head hurt.. maybe microsoft should spend time working on their launch titles instead of spending untold man hours rehashing a 40 year old game
Andrew Taylor @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Why's everyone hating the old school classics, I for one welcome our new re-visited classing gaming overlords. When the 80's phones for it's games back, it can kiss my joust.
If I'm going to blow $400 on a 360 (which I am) yeah, I'm going to be playing some Next-Gen titles on a weekend, but, I've got a life to live as well as a job I can't commit to hours and hours of gaming. If I can get a quick 10 minutes session here and there on Gauntlet, from my couch on a big screen TV then that just adds to the experience. We don't want to go through the hassle of messing around with emulators, we just want a quick, well-rounded, gaming experience. I don't want to spend 2 hours on a Sunday getting 'P0wned' by some pre-pubescent high-schooler with more zits than social skills, but, on the other hand, I don't have the 7 hours a day to get to a level where I can hold my own, I've got other things to fill my time with, a job, a mortgage, car payments, holidays etc etc.
I can't wait to see what they'll bring it out in the future, I'm pretty sure there'll be a Mortal Kombat release at some point, I'd love Rally-X 360 and some of the original 2d side-scrollers, Final Fight and the Punisher. I don't need faithful arcade re-creation, I need a liberal use of the license on a sub $10 download. There's loads of really great games that could do with a spruce up, the distribution method (5 minute download, instant fullfilment) will really fuel the console. Think Bomberman or one of the original WWF games from the earlier 90's
Andrew
David @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Joust is abandonware and it IS free.