Top 10 Xbox Live Arcade Games

Imagine if Super Metroid and Metal Gear Solid got together and had a baby. The result would be Shadow Complex. It is a game of upgrades, exploration, crazy conspiracies, boss battles, and more all in an isolated military complex. And the best part is that it looks like a current-gen, Unreal Engine game but is played from a 2D side-scrolling perspective. It pairs amazing presentation with amazing gameplay to create one of the best XBLA games yet. It costs 1200MS Points ($15), but the replay value is through the roof so there is no question you'll get your money's worth.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is one of the greatest games ever made, and even though it is ten years old, it is still very impressive. It features amazingly satisfying action/exploration gameplay, tons of secrets, and one of the best soundtracks ever to grace a videogame. This is a fantastic oldschool game that hardcore gamers will really appreciate. Castlevania: SOTN is highly recommended.

The easiest way to tell the truly great games apart from the rest of the crowded games market is longevity. Good games find a niche ten years down the road. Great games become a phenomenon all their own. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is one of those mythical great games. Here we are ten years after its initial release, and it still stands as one of the best 2D fighting games ever. And even better, the XBLA release is the best version of the game yet.

Castle Crashers will immediately catch your eye thanks to the bright, colorful, and clean art style, but it is the hack n’ slash, co-op gameplay that will really hook you. It is sort of gory and fun and funny and thanks to the wealth of unlockable characters and weapons combined with playing with friends via Xbox Live makes for a surprisingly deep and satisfying experience that is among the best the XBLA offers.

Take everything that made Geometry Wars great – simple graphics, fast paced frantic gameplay – and multiply it by ten and you’ll end up with Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2. It is bigger, better, more beautiful, and packs six distinct modes that will keep you coming back for more. The new modes are also noteworthy because many of them are quick and easy to jump in and out of and you don’t have to spend half an hour and score into the tens of millions to be satisfied like you do with the first game. Geo Wars 2 is unquestionably better than the first game and is one of the best titles on XBLA.

Puzzle Quest is pretty much the result of what happens when a puzzle game and an RPG meet up after a night of drinking. It is a puzzle game at its core, but rather than trying to get a high score, you are battling an enemy. You alternate turns with your opponent, trying to match three or more of the same color of pieces in order to earn magic so you can cast spells. You cast spells and attack and try to whittle their hit points down to zero, just like an RPG. As you play, your character gets stronger and learns new skills. Puzzle Quest sounds weird, but it is absolute addictive and completely fresh and original.

Worms is a turn-based 2-D geometry/physics-based strategy game where you pit teams of worms against each other in all out warfare. Bombs. Guns. Sheep. Anything is fair game to be used as a weapon. The first Worms on XBLA was a bit bare-bones, but Worms 2: Armageddon adds a ton of new weapons and challenges and is a much bigger, deeper, and better game overall. Worms 2 offers local and Xbox Live multiplayer and is definitely worth picking up to play with friends.

Uno is easily one of the best games available in the Xbox Live Arcade. It is easy to learn, fun to play, and just good all around. You can listen to custom soundtracks and chit chat with other players while you are playing and it is just a ton of fun. Sure it seems odd to have an HD game system and a fancy HDTV just to play Uno, but that is part of the charm of the game.

Peggle is a puzzle game that plays like Plinko from The Price is Right. The board has pegs on it and your objective is to shoot a ball and take out all of the orange colored pegs on the board. Each of the playable characters has a different power-up ability, and having the right ability on a given board makes all of the difference. Peggle is addictive and satisfying and just plain fun and the great sense of humor displayed as the game is loading up lets you know you are in for a good time. At 800 MS points ($10) it is a pretty good deal.

Another classic European board game takes a stab at Xbox Live Arcade glory this week, and Carcassonne, like Catan before it, is an amazingly fun game that works perfectly on the XBLA. Carcassonne actually bests Catan in a few key ways, such as having a faster paced game and local multiplayer, to make it stand as easily the best of the two. Whether you already love the game or have never played it before, Carcassonne is absolutely worth checking out.