All of Xbox Live Arcade's potential delisters revisited

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 3rd 2008 at 10:55AM }

Although Microsoft has yet to make a formal announcement about any games that fall into the company's new delisting policy for games on Xbox Live Arcade, we do know the criteria for titles in danger (six months old, 65 or less Metacritic score, less than 6% buy the game after trying the demo). There's no way of knowing what games have less than 6% adoption rate, but we do know what games are old and poorly reviewed.

We've revisted every single XBLA title on the chopping block (the demos, at least) to give quick impressions on the rogue's gallery of titles. Find out which games were the best of the worst and, well, worst of the worst. Meet the games who may be evicted from XBLA by hitting that fancy button above. Or don't ... don't press the button!

Vote: Your pick for best of the XBLA chopping block, and also the worst of the XBLA chopping block. (Update: The results are in.)

Tags: delist, delisting, joystiqfeatures, xbla, xbox-live, xbox-live-arcade

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

PojoMofo @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:01AM

maybe if the XBLA wasnt littered with 90% crap this wouldnt have to happen. I am all about letting people decide what they like, but not if they are just going to get rid of it 6 months later. A little quality control wouldnt hurt either.

xFenixKnightx @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:07AM

Keepers IMO.

Double Dragon
Fatal Fury Special
Texas Holdem
Tetris Splash

Get rid of the rest.

Mr.ESC @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:08PM

I agree. If you ask me these titles should be spare from their cruel destiny.

Asteroids:Is not that bad but lower the price and improve the controls. If it was at 200p I could see myself buying it.

Ecco:Is still kind of cool but I recommend Sega Genesis collection.

Novadrome: I would like to try this one before is too late. I was a fan of this kind of games.

Rush and Attack: Is not bad, kinda like Contra.

Super C: I recommend Contra 4 in the Ds since it includes Contra 1 and Super C but people should at least give this game a try.

Marathon: Even if it is Doom’s extreme cousin is still kina of cool.

TiQal:I don’t think it’s bad.

Xevious: It was fun to play but lower the price.

But this one that should be gone for good

Wing Commander Arena: Kill this one with FIRE and thank you developers of WCA now I won’t ever associate Awesome with Wing Commander now I will associate it with deception. Man I bought this game because it said Wing Commander in the title and demo wasn’t bad I can’t believe it was such a POS.

Dirk Dorkelson @ Jun 3rd 2008 5:42PM

Eh, Hardwood Hearts is pretty good. It's certainly no worse than Uno. It's just a less popular game. Spades multiplayer is decent, too, although the AI isn't very good.

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:12AM

Paying for crap should be illegal

Marcus D @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:16AM

Keepers IMO.

N+
Bomberman Live

Get rid of the rest, seriously. This is definitely one area Microsoft can't top PSN.

xFenixKnightx @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:08PM

LOL! "Boy are you stupid er somethin?" PSN has some good titles dont get me wrong but theres hardly anything there. Just in the weekly XBLA Top 10 these titles blow anything away PSN has.

XBLA TOP 10
Penny Arcade Adventures
Assault Heroes 2
UNO
Brain Challenge
DOOM
N+
Worms
Ikaruga
Bomberman LIVE
Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Sure theres junk on there but anyone that *really has a 360 knows theres alot of great content. I have

Streetfighter II Turbo
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Double Dragon w/upgraded HD graphics
TMNT Arcade
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Undertow
Omega 5
Aegis Wing

Mr.ESC @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:16PM

Hey one question how many games the PSN has? Last time I checked there were like 10 good games.

PojoMofo @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:19PM

No doubt PSN takes the quality over quantity approach, but that is not always the best.

Fenix: I agree to a point, I think that Super Stardust HD, Calling all Cars, Echochrome, and Pixeljunk Monsters are every bit as good as the games you mentioned. I do agree that XBLA overall has a better selection but...*insert SDF quote #6 - 360 has one year head start -*

tcc3 @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:33PM

Thats funny I remember the "one year PS3" delay being an argument for how much better and more refined all their stuff would be.

Now "360 had a year head start" is an excuse?

It cant be both.

xFenixKnightx @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:07PM

Pojo Ive played all of those and to be honest I didn't feel they warranted a purchase. Superstardust HD is a little overrated IMO but good nonetheless, I also like Blast Factor. Seriously I'd rather play Omega 5 or Aegis Wing. Just IMO of course.

Marcus D @ Jun 4th 2008 2:06AM

Let's see here, PSN has Warhawk, PAIN, Calling all Cars, Everyday Shooter, Echochrome, Super Stardust HD, Pixeljunk Monsters, Tekken 5, and coming soon Socom and Wipeout HD. Sorry but I'll take PSN titles over Catan or Undertow or whatever garbage games XBLA has.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:38AM

Screwjumper was fun when it was free and online against Thorned, Fernando, and Noshino... $10 doesn't seem worth it though.

Tony @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:39AM

I love how people trot out the "90%" crap comment when the amount of games that even fall within potential de-listing is more around a 33%. Is that even really that much worse than the retail market?

I don't know what standards people are using to come up with these numbers, but not everyone likes exactly what you do. I don't know what else to day about that.

The funny thing is that every single person is going to go through this list and tell us that Microsoft should keep completely different games. That alone should prove to people how faulty this logic is.

Just improve the damn interface. Allow people to rate titles they've played like the Wii does. Maybe come up with a Web site that complements the Marketplace properly and allows people to browse and buy items from their computer, using an e-commerce style interface people are all familiar with already.

By the way, Marathon got a patch changing the default view mode. The original made me sick as well (and you can still switch back to it in the options), but the view it's set at by default now is pretty typical for the genre and I can't imagine it'll make anyone sick.

Von Dozier @ Jun 3rd 2008 11:56AM

I'm surprised and dissapointed by Texas Hold 'Em possibly being axed. It's a great poker game for XBLA, and you can pretty much always find a full table in multiplayer.

Sean @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:14PM

You don't have to worry. I seriously doubt Texas Hold'em has less than a 6% conversion rate. It was also free for like a week as I remember.

K387 @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:18PM

Arkadian Warriors isn't too bad. But its not worth the 800 points in my opinion.

I would love to see a 200 points category for titles that are on the chopping block. I think it would extend the life of the game even if many wouldn't consider it worth the 200.

Isn't part of iTunes success that they make the songs so cheap that you buy tons of it and don't realize you're blowing all your money?

K387

PojoMofo @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:27PM

I think M$ isnt going to use an Apple pricing format on principle alone, but you are right that a "bargain bin" would be a very good idea

Altairio @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:35PM

They should just file these under a bargain bin tab and cut their prices in half. Delisting just seems so unnecessary in a digital distribution environment.

And I thought Yie Ar Kung Fu was a lot of fun personally.

Doug @ Jun 3rd 2008 12:36PM

These games aren't bad, just overpriced. $10 for 10-15 year old games is waaaaayyyy too much.

AoE @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:58PM

um... except none of the arcade classics cost $10-15, they cost $5, across the board. Only original titles are higher priced, and even then not all the time... Do you let your ass do ALL the talking for you?

Korova Pyro aspect @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:05PM

Where is Yaris? Or is it gone already?

I wouldnt really move a whisker if any of those would be removed.

But why not just put them in the bargain bin?

What XBLA really needs is an interface overhaul. It looks worse than the internet inside GTAIV. Seriously, MS, fire up iTunes, see what an online media store should look like.

Ross Miller @ Jun 3rd 2008 6:10PM

Here's the catch: there's no Yaris demo, and therefore no conversion rate. Technically, that means it's not on the chopping block. As noted by Alex, the Devil is in the details.

J @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:19PM

I liked the joystiq reviews of these games, but did the stupid full-screen hummingbird ad have to come up every-other time I clicked on an arrow? I understand the need for ad revenue, but does it really have to be full-screen? I actually have to keep the joystiq screen small so that I can keep an eye on my "real" work, but it forces me to make it full screen to skip the ad. It is SO annoying. I know that I'm not new to this complaint, but now it's my fucking turn ;)

I love this site. I just hate the ad. Thanks.

michas_pi @ Jun 3rd 2008 1:47PM

Adblock Plus is your friend.

Altairio @ Jun 3rd 2008 2:12PM

Agreed. So sick of that hummingbird.

Korova Pyro aspect @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:43PM

I support your fury with my own, although I havent seen the bird in a few days. I have been furiously clicking skip every time I see it and may be it cookied it in?

Watch me get it again as I press add your comments.

Awww...

J @ Jun 3rd 2008 5:07PM

I think Adblock only works for anything other than IE, which I HAVE to use here, and I can't download anything whatsoever anyway... poo.

I just don't see the need for a full-screen ad. I still don't know exactly what "it" is they're selling, so it's not even working, but once I figure out what "it" is, I will surely hate "it" and will groan negatively and loudly anytime "it" is mentioned in a real-world conversation.

lrowe @ Jun 3rd 2008 2:22PM

so what happens if you happened to purchase one of these crap games? Nothing I suppose?

Korova Pyro aspect @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:45PM

you get to compare your opinion of hte game with that of the internet enthusiasts and go either OOUUUU or AAAUHHH at this news?

Abhinav Kumar @ Jun 3rd 2008 2:39PM

TMNT II: The Arcade Game is the best game ever. Period.
I really hope they drop the price on some of these games if they ever consider de listing them. I really want Hardwood Spades (what can i say, i'm a sucker for spades) but $5 does not seem worth it.

Mike @ Jun 3rd 2008 3:26PM

Put those stinkers at $2.50 ea and be done with it.

(ads?.. what ads?. muahahhaa.. adblock plus FTW)

ALH @ Jun 3rd 2008 4:50PM

Further proof that Ecco is a dramatically underappreciated game. Hard to view it without nostalgia goggles, but it sure as hell still stands up for me.

carterman @ Jun 3rd 2008 6:35PM

You're hating on Contra with online co-op? Please die, thank you.

SABCA @ Jun 4th 2008 10:43PM

Fatal Fury Special Rocks.

I'd definitely pick up something like Rush 'n Attack at a cheaper price, it feels perfectly like a bargin-game you'd pick up at a flea market on a slow day... XD

And it'd be nice to have something to drop "waste points" on other than themes and gamer pics... I have 330 random points that'd easily be spent on a game, if there where any applicable ones. (Probably will end up getting some arcade DLC...) I liked that hald-price Arcade game sell they did last year, I wish they'd do things like that annually.