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360 Live Arcade Details Out
Edge Online has a short piece on Xbox VP Peter Moore's announcement of the Live Arcade's full potential. Gamespot has a list of the planned titles, which is thoroughly impressive, including hits like Bejeweled 2, SmashTV, and Wik:Fable of Souls. From the Edge article: "Amongst the 40-odd developers slated for further Live Arcade development are Namco, SEGA, Konami, Capcom, SNK Playmore and Hudson Soft providing a selection of their retro titles, as well as the usual lineup of casual PC game producers like Wild Tangent, PopCap, and GarageGames, but the two most unexpected additions to the list are Mizuguchi's upstart Q Entertainment and AntiGrav/Guitar Hero developers Harmonix."
Not to come across as a fanboy, but the above poster is absurdly incorrect. Sony and Nintendo do not offer what Microsoft offers - a premium online service that offers free and purchased downloadable content, free game demos, bundled communicator headsets, a friends list, and automated matchmaking. Add to this the centralized, broadband-only nature of Live and you can see why Microsoft charges a fee for their online service. Upcoming 360 features include free VoIP chat and free basic (silver) access included in all Xbox 360s among other things.
People don't complain when there are nominal fees for online games (such as Everquest, Asheron's Call, WoW, et al). Microsoft is offering, for all intents and purposes, a very similar gaming environment and charges a similar price. The above poster needs to get off his high-horse and realize Microsoft is actually trailblazing new grounds here and that such action should be endorsed.
"a premium online service that offers free and purchased downloadable content, free game demos, bundled communicator headsets, a friends list, and automated matchmaking"
Welcome to the Internet circa 1996. Only thing missing is that pesky headset. Oh wait, I already got one with my UT2004 DVD Edition.
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