Jade's Top Arcade Picks

Remember in The Godfather III when Michael Corleone said “Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in”? That’s kind of the way it is for me with certain Xbox LIVE Arcade games. No matter how many new games come out every week, there are still some that I keep coming back to.

So, I thought I’d share my Arcade addictions:

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. Part Bejeweled, part Final Fantasy, this game perfectly combines the addictiveness of a puzzle with the longevity of a quest. Oh wait—that’s why they called it Puzzle Quest. With more than 150 quests to embark upon, if you haven’t tried it out yet this game will have you blasting lines of three or more skulls for hours and hours.

Time Pilot. A true classic that will never go out of style. A shooter that debuted 1982, but has been dusted off for the 360 generation, the “plot” of this game has the player controlling an experimental aircraft sent back in time to change the path of the future. What that really means is you get to fly in loops gunning down everything from WWI bi-planes to alien spacecrafts.

N+.I wish someone could explain to me why exactly I am obsessed with this game. Truthfully, I have a bit of a bad relationship with N+. I love it, but it continually shows me my flaws. I jump, I run, I move from box to box and platform to platform, I avoid obstacles, and I often fail, yet I keep coming back for more.  This game is so addictive, I’m pretty sure that the title’s “n” stands for “need”. And it’s Canadian! Go Canada!

Boogie Bunnies. It’s pretty rare that I describe games I actually really like as cute, but Boogie Bunnies is definitely one of them. The game focuses on a group of…well…boogie-ing bunnies that take their dancing show on the road from the Amazon to the Arctic. It’s a puzzle game with groovy rewards—every time you hit a certain combination, the Bunnies bust a move.

Rez HD. Like Tron with a beat. Okay, maybe that’s a bit vague, but it’s why I love this game—it’s impossible to describe. Rez HD has Tron-like graphics (the old-school gamer in me loves that), and the cool feature of morphing the soundtrack with my shooting: it is the perfect combination of destruction and creation and one that’s completely addictive.

Don’t forget, you can always download demos of classic and brand-spankin’-new Xbox LIVE Arcade games, so you can try them out before you use your Points.

So, what Arcade games keep you playing into the wee hours? Join us on the Canadian forums and have your say!