Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Vol. 1 (Xbox 360) Review
Posted by Greg Bruno on 12.23.2006
Don't have Xbox Live? Microsoft has you covered with this compilation of Arcade games. But are they worth it?
Xbox Live is a wonderful thing. It enables us to communicate with each other, play against each other, and download games to our hard drives. Unfortunately, not everyone has Xbox Live, and even though Microsoft wants to change that, they are aware of it. Microsoft Game Studios has compiled a collection of Xbox Live titles for those poor souls without a broadband internet connection for which to download these games. But the real question is, are these games worth it? Keep reading to find out if Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Vol. 1 is worth your investment.
Texas Hold'em is a great way to play Poker on your Xbox 360.
Graphics
Geometry Wars -Bright, colorful, and simple. These make for some very effective graphics in a game like this. From the second you start playing, you can tell it’s about game play, not the visuals, although it does look good. The net behind the ships ripples in a very cool way.
Hardwood Backgammon -3D chips and die add to the effect, although there’s really not much else to it. Very simple and basic graphics.
Bejeweled 2 -Shiny, colorful, and bright jewels are laid out upon some petty interesting background screens, most of which would make for some cool desktop wallpaper.
Wik: Fable of Souls -Very unique art style. Fantasy setting is really captured in this game. The 3D models look pretty good for an Arcade game.
Texas Hold’em -Well, it’s a card game, so it’s not really about the graphics. Basically consists of a deck of cards, some poker chips, and a table top. All, of course, are next-gen quality.
Outpost Koloki X -Again, very unique in style. 3D ships and worlds make the game look crisp.
Overall: A lot of these games aren’t about insane visuals. Although some do look good (Geometry Wars, Outpost Koloki X), some fall short (Backgammon, Texas Hold’em). Overall, nothing looks terrible, but nothing looks amazing either.
In Wik: Fable Of Souls, you'll suck. Literally.
Gameplay
Geometry Wars - Basic controls; left thumb stick moves your ship and the other is your direction of fire, trigger buttons for bombs. It may seem rather simple for the first minute or so, but you’ll soon be wondering how so many shapes fit on screen at once. You’ll be bombarded with enemies as you try to rack up the points.
Hardwood Backgammon - Pretty much basic Backgammon rules in this arcade title. Roll die, move chips, repeat as needed. Not much else to it really.
Bejeweled 2 -Moving shapes together into lines of 3 clears them from the board, making room for new ones. To clear the level, the player must fill the bar at the bottom of the screen. Advancing to the next level changes the background display.
Wik: Fable of Souls -This might sound a little dirty, but the basic idea here is to suck, spit, and swing our way across levels. Wik, the little woodland creature, sucks items into his mouth and swings across tree limbs to save the grubs. Very unique, to say the least.
Texas Hold’em -I don’t know how I made it through college at Illinois State University without learning how to play Texas Hold’em, but alas, it’s true. Texas Hold’em as an arcade game is a great idea. Very easy to pick up and play with virtual money against either the computer. Controls are simple enough for anyone to play, even this lame reviewer got into it.
Outpost Koloki - Think Dinopark Tycoon meets Star Trek. The basic idea of this game is to make the most money you can on the worlds you are given. You do this by building different kinds of shops to lure space shoppers to you. But don’t forget, you need sufficient energy to run the shops! Better by some power supply to make sure everything runs smoothly. If anything, this game is great with helping you manage your money.
Overall: These are some pretty interesting and unique games for the most part. Wik gets my vote for most unique Arcade game on the disc. It very different than anything you may have played before.
In Outpost Kaloki X you'll set up a inter-stellar garage sale.
Sound
Geometry Wars - Hard hitting techno. If you hate techno, be thankful you can play your own music in these games. I found the music quite fitting to the game play, however. The music is fast paced, just like the game itself. Try some Prodigy to see if that helps you get more points.
Hardwood Backgammon - Close your eyes and imagine you’re in an elevator. Yup, kind of like that but a bit more mellow. DJ Bruno suggests you play Weird Al. It’ll make you forget you’re still playing this game.
Bejeweled 2 - Easily dismissible background music. Nothing too exciting or memorable in this one. I suggest some Dragonforce while playing this one.
Wik: Fable of Souls - The music is light, mystical, and fun. The soundtrack is worth keeping on for this game, as it sort of sets the mood for it. If you must change the soundtrack, rock out to The Who.
Texas Hold’em - Again, this is simple background music. Try playing something you’d hear in a bar. I feel AC/DC would make it more enjoyable.
Outpost Koloki X - This has a bit more feeling to it. The background music has an old fashioned swing vibe to it. The music is definitely not as bad as Backgammon, but nothing outstanding. You’ll want to play something along the lines of Jimmy Buffett.
Overall: My terrible taste in music aside, there’s nothing too good here. Most of it is rehashed elevator music that either bores you or makes you change to your own.
Look honey! I got you jewels!
Lasting Appeal
Geometry Wars - The achievements in this are pretty hard to get. For you gamerscore junkies, this will keep you coming back again and again. Survive a million? I can’t. But apparently the Online Leader Boards say it’s possible.
Hardwood Backgammon -Eh, it’s backgammon. Unless you have nothing else to do, you’ll probably still not play this one more than once.
Bejeweled 2 - The achievements in this aren’t exactly difficult, just time consuming. There are a lot of levels, plus an endless mode for those of you who are really into puzzle games. This is a good time killer.
Wik: Fable of Souls -A lot of levels to play though will keep you coming back. Once you complete the story mode, there are some bonus levels to play through as well. Achievements are fun to try and accomplish.
Texas Hold’em - You can play different levels of difficulty against the computer players for a challenge. How good are you?
Outpost Koloki X - A lot of scenarios keep this game fresh. The addition of downloadable content only adds to the experience. Achievements are fun to earn.
Overall:There’s really only a few games you’ll come back to play, mainly Geometry Wars and Outpost Kaloki X ( and Texas Hold’em for you card players). Everything else is rather forgettable.
If you suffer from Epilepsy, Geometry Wars might not be a good idea.
Fun Factor
Geometry Wars - trying to get the high score becomes more of an addiction than just fun. The first time I broke one million points, I called my girlfriend at work. Geometry Wars is the most fun game on this disc.
Hardwood Backgammon -Boring. There’s really not much to it. Definitely the least exciting game of the bunch. I’m not too sure why this was put on this compilation in the first place.
Bejeweled 2 - A fu game for puzzle lovers. If you enjoyed Hexic HD you’ll get a kick out of this game.
Wik: Fable of Souls -I had a blast playing this game. Wik is extremely different than every game on this compilation. It’s good to see developers try new things.
Texas Hold’em - Since I’m not big into Poker, I didn’t really enjoy this all that much. That’s not to say that it’s not fun, though. Poker players will have a lot of fun with this.
Outpost Koloki X - Very unique game play. A lot of fun to play through the scenarios and earn new gamer pics.
Overall: There some hits, but there’s more misses. You’ll really only play for Geometry Wars, Outpost Kaloki X, and Texas Hold’em.
Try to contain your excitement while playing Hardwood Backgammon.
The 411
As a first attempt at a compilation disc, this one kind of falls short. Out of the 6 games on it, only 2 or 3 are actually worth having. Is this worth your $40? I think not. Do what you can to get Geometry Wars, Outpost Kaloki X, and Texas Hold’em. Forget about the other titles. Here's to hoping the next compilation offers some more interesting titles. The following ratings are for the disc as a whole.
Graphics
7.5
Nothing mind blowing, but hey, they're arcade games.
Gameplay
8.0
Some intuitive games are bogged down by some dreary ones. Try out Wik: Fable Of Souls for some very interesting gameplay.
Sound
3.0
Easy to forget. You can try my uber-awesome alternate suggestions to enhance your gaming experience, or stream your own music.
Lasting Appeal
7.0
Again, some games you'll play again and again, while others you'll wish you didn't play the first time around.
Fun Factor
7.0
Outpost Kaloki X, Geometry Wars, and Texas Hold'em are fun. The others...not so much.
