Is something rotten in Xbox Live Arcade land just now? I can’t go to any gaming site at the moment without seeing snippets of news suggesting that it’s a format in a state of rapid decline and we should, you know, all start praying for our lives and other sensationalist tripe. it can’t all be bad surely? Just look at some of the cracking titles winging their way to the marketplace this summer, namely, Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Castle Crashers, Braid and let us not forget a little-known game called Soul Calibur.
Time-bending platformer Braid could be the kickstart XBLA needs
So what’s the cause of this sudden brouhaha? Some insiders have suggested that small developers get a raw deal when agreeing to distribute their wares via the service. While subsequently, in an almost reactionary move, Microsoft recently suggested that things have been set in motion to develop a new framework for the service which should appease everyone involved.
Some may view this as a little too late but at least they’re trying to put stuff right? I don’t know about everyone else, but I think XBLA has masses more potential than – dare I say it – Virtual Console. Bear with me here…
Soul Calibur on XBLA? I’ll take ten shopkeep!
The reason being, I’m 24, I don’t have any right to say I’ve been there and done that when it comes to retro titles, but I know my Chuckie Eggs from my Finders Keepers and no matter how many times I buy Streets of Rage 2 on another system it’s always going to be the same game.
Fair play, WiiWare has just hit the scene and sure enough, it’s offering all sorts of cool new IP as opposed to the usual retro fare on Virtual Console, but there’s still one market Nintendo and indeed Sony wont be able to get their hands on easily. I would propose to Microsoft that they start re-releasing more old-skool PC titles like ID’s Doom, which found a perfect new home on XBLA.
Now, how many people would happily buy 360 versions of Duke Nukem, Diablo, Trackmania and Quake II if they had Xbox Live play as standard? I think sales would go through the roof and let’s not forget single player capers such as Commander Keen – you really don’t want to get into what I’d do to see that series resurrected on XBLA – no, you really don’t trust me.
Oh Microsoft! Wont you give this poor wee guy a new home?
Of course, stumping up the cash for the rights to some of these oldies would be no problem for the big green giant, but I imagine ownership of some of these titles has become somewhat muddied over the years, but hey, it would absolutely be worth the effort…
…or am I sounding like a lone gunman here?
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