Xbox Live Marketplace
At A Glance
We asked Xbox.com forum readers to let us know what they think is the best free content on Xbox Live® Arcade, and which content is totally worth their hard-earned cash—or Microsoft Points, actually. One respondent was randomly chosen to receive a MS Points card. Congrats to JerryG from South Euclid, Ohio! Let us know what you get with your Points, dude. Meanwhile, we got HUNDREDS of emails on this topic, and can’t publish them all. The standout favorite for free content is the EA SPORTS™ Fight Night Round 3 demo. As for downloads that set you back some Points, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was the big winner. The best free content out there right now are the demos. I mean, what's cooler than hearing about an awesome game so you go to Xbox Live Marketplace, download it, and you're playing it within the hour. To me that's the very coolest thing. The best premium content for sure is Geometry Wars, that game was only five dollars and I'm playing it more than all my other games combined. So simple, yet so much fun. Marketplace rocks! Zuma—keeps the girlfriend quiet when the football's on! The best thing about Marketplace to me is that it allows so much of the gaming world to be accessed at the click of a simple button. Normally, you'd have to buy a particular magazine or subscribe to a particular website for a variety of game trailers, demos, or even movie trailers but now Marketplace has created a bridge for gamers that gives them a single access point for all of this and more! Overall, the best thing in Marketplace has to be the themes you can purchase. Although the selection is limited, there's nothing like customizing your Xbox 360 with your favorite game's theme or even representing that game with a gamer pic from that particular game. It is in so many ways a true marketplace. I can't wait to see how much more is implemented … My fave thing on the marketplace is Hardwood Hearts. It’s the perfect way to end a game of fragging. I'd like to officially say that arcade games are the best part of Marketplace. Personally I could care less about gamer pics or anything else that will make me 'stand out.' I'm into gaming for just that: gaming. I love having the ability to download arcade games, they aren't something I would buy from a store, but having them at my fingertips is definitely appealing. By the way, I'm completely addicted to Zuma. In my opinion thebestpiece of freecontent is The Red vs. Blue: Full Circle Trailer. It may be short, but it manages to show the RVB we know and love, and it welcomes Xbox 360™, and Marketplace, in a clever and funny way. My vote for best free content is the Kameo™: Elements of Power™ holiday pack, best purchased content is all the retro games with a personal fave of Joust. Best free content: I would have to say the hi-def movie trailers. Free Content: Fight Night Round 3 demo. Until I played this demo, I was never interested in boxing games. The demo alone has sold me on this game. Best Purchased Content: Geometry Wars. Although I am quite crummy at the game, it is very addicting, gorgeous, and a whole lot of fun to play. You all have made the achievements difficult but attainable, great job on this one! I love everything about Marketplace. The only thing I would change, would be to see a list of upcoming things to Marketplace. I would also like to see dates on the items that come out. I also think it would be better to create a section of Marketplace dedicated to demos. Everybody may miss a demo if they don’t check the current list regularly. It would be great if you could create a list of all demos in its own section. The best thing for Marketplace is demos, I have bought a lot of games because of demos … it gives gamers a chance to see what the game play is like and gives us a chance to get hooked. What is needed though are tournaments or competitions in games that will win you some MS Points or unlock some simple free things like avatars—nothing huge, just a taste. I’d have to say the Project Gotham Racing® 3 demo, that demo totally sold me. I say the best free content is the iPod software. Streaming is so much better (not to mention quicker)than ripping CD after CD. TriXie, per your request, I am sending you me favorites (to date); The best free content:
The best "worth the money":
—Atom69 Best free content? Well that would undoubtedly be Texas Hold'em. I know, not available yet but according to Major's blogcast it will be free at some point in the future, so that is probably going to be the best free content available when it arrives. My favorite purchasable download is the Call of Duty® 2 icons. Best free piece of content is the trailer of Mission Impossible 3. What's totally worth the money is Mutant Storm Reloaded. Personally, I think the best thing on Marketplace to purchase would be Gauntlet. The old-school classic is a blast to play with four people on Xbox Live. Also, a great free thing on the Marketplace is the Rare® theme. It's a nice theme that has a pleasant background. Best piece of free content for me is Hexic, I'd never played the game before and now I absolutely love it! The best free stuff is game demos (QUAKE™ 4 and Fight Night Round 3). The best purchased stuff is old-school games (Smash TV). If you continue adding good content, people will continue to buy it! My fiancée isn't too big into Xbox®, but when I told her Bejeweled was available as a download, she flipped. It used to be her favorite game on PC. I'm sure I'll be purchasing this in the near future and getting her to use Xbox 360 as well. The best thing free thing is demos in general. To be specific, the best demo is QUAKE 4 because it has online capabilities. The best thing to buy is Smash TV. A great suggestion is to put The Simpsons Arcade on Marketplace. You guys would make a lot of money! Plus make many people really happy. Go Xbox 360! The best free piece of content is definitely the game demos. The throwback games such as Gauntlet and Joust are definitely worth the money, it helps get the whole family involved with gaming. Put more games on there that target a broader audience and everyone will have one. Games like Ms. Pacman—women love that game. My girlfriend will stop busting my chops about playing the game a lot, because she will be playing it too. Best free stuff is definitely the game demos. I think it’s great I can play a little of the game before I decide to purchase it. Best paid for stuff would have to be Hardwood Backgammon. I love the game and it’s great to play against other players on live. I think the best thing on Marketplace is being able to download movie trailers and music videos. Since I got Xbox 360, I don't go on the computer to look at that stuff anymore. Worth the money: Marble Blast Ultra. I just got it and I'm happy I spent the money, great game. Best free piece of content is game demos! Best content for a fee is Robotron 2084! Xbox Live has taken gamers to the next level. The new Marketplace and arcade games are amazing and I often find myself playing them for hours when all I intended to do was get on and play Dead or Alive® 4. A personal thank you from a VERY happy customer. I think Microsoft has done a wonderful job with Marketplace and has created a good balance between free and non-free content, but I think some additions could be made to perfect their already near-perfect system. The feature I most want is a preview of themes. The best things free on Marketplace are the demo games. This allows me to try some games before I spend my hard earned money and so far I have purchased three games this way, and pre-purchased Full Auto™ and Fight Night Round 3. The trailers help, but the demos give you an idea of how the game is going to play. Thank you! Keep up the great work! Best Free content: Fight Night Round 3 demo. The best thing on Xbox Live Marketplace is easily the Condemned: Criminal Origins™ demo. It's a great thrill to play through at 2:00 A.M. and it actually made me go out and buy the game. It's now one of my favorite games, and the graphics are superb. Free demos for games (both in Xbox Live Arcade or just Xbox 360) is the best thing ever. There are games I thought I would never like and here I'm loving the demos and already bought four. What could be better than viewing the world premiere of the MI: III trailer right from my very own home? And better yet, have it saved to my Xbox 360 Hard Drive! But wait, when new games are due to launch, demos hit the shelves first! It's insane! Play before you buy? Renting video games to test them out is almost obsolete with this new feature. It completely revolutionizes the whole Xbox 360 experience! The best thing free is definitely the Full-Auto demo. Worth the dough, has got to be Mutant Storm. Geometry Wars, Zuma, and even Wik: Fable of Souls! Robotron is a must. Frankly you guys did a good enough job that I'm getting in trouble for my constant points replenishment! The game demos are by FAR the best free downloads! It's a great way to sell those games, I know I wouldn’t have considered buying Fight Night 3 without it and I already bought Madden NFL 06 due to the demo. In second place are the music videos. Those are AWESOME, but there are only two. Please, ma'am, may we have some more??? The best free content is the PGR™ 3 demo. Best money content is definitely the 12-month Xbox Live Gold membership. You can’t have a good Xbox 360 experience without Xbox Live. The best free piece of content has to be the Condemned demo. I was in no way interested in this game, but after playing the demo, I realized this is one of the best pieces of software to show off the power of Xbox 360. |
