Xbox Live Arcade
At a Glance
- Premium Gold Membership
- Online multiplayer games
- Matchmaking and feedback
- Exclusive Gold content
If you're an Xbox Live® subscriber, perhaps you've heard about Xbox Live Arcade. It's a service that lets you download cutting edge arcade games directly onto your Xbox® console. All you need is the free Xbox Live Arcade starter disc (for the setup software) and an Xbox Live account, and within seconds you're downloading tons of great arcade games from your easy chair.
Now with the launch of Xbox 360™, you get these added benefits:
- Every Xbox 360 comes with an Xbox Live Silver (free) account and access to Xbox Live Marketplace. No Xbox Live Arcade setup disc is required.
- You can try out new award-winning titles like Wik—The Fable of Souls with the click of a button
- Preview hot new titles from genres like arcade, strategy, card games, sports, and more
Check out Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360.
I spoke with Greg Canessa, the General Manager of the Xbox Casual Games Group at Microsoft®, to find out more about this awesome online service.
The Man with the Plan
You probably haven't heard of Greg Canessa, but thanks to his vision Xbox Live has transformed from a simple multiplayer service into something greater. Because of his efforts to bring Xbox Live Arcade to fruition, you now have Xbox games on demand.
"Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable
and a great value for the consumer."
Every single console comes with a free Xbox Live Silver subscription, and you'll have the opportunity to browse and shop the Xbox Live Arcade online catalogue from day one.
According to Mr. Canessa, "We've fully integrated Xbox Live Arcade into the console itself. One press of the controller button and you're in Xbox Live Arcade. Xbox 360 Live Arcade is prominently featured on the games blade of the Xbox 360 Guide when a user turns his/her console on."
Manage all your downloads in Xbox Live Marketplace.
"Here we've created a single destination on the console for users to download, try, buy, and launch their Xbox 360 Arcade games, manage their Arcade collection, check out what games are new and hot, and experience exclusive around-the-game features. And Xbox 360 Live Arcade is powered by Xbox Live Marketplace, so all of the game downloads are managed by the same system as other types of downloadable content on Xbox 360."
"As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which
is free), you can download free trial versions of each game."
That doesn't mean original Xbox owners will be left out in the cold. The service will continue to be supported for the current generation console for the next few years, so it's likely that we'll see the same games available on both platforms. It's logical to assume that the Xbox 360 version will have improved graphics, beefier online functions, and extra features as well.
"You don't even need a subscription to use Xbox 360 Live Arcade. As long as you have an Xbox Live Silver membership (which is free), you can download free trial versions of each game. Then, if you want to buy the game, you can use a credit card. This combination of factors -- built into the console, and does not require a Live subscription -- makes Xbox 360 Live Arcade extremely accessible and simple for users. And Xbox 360 Arcade games will be very affordable and a great value for the consumer."
Current Xbox Live subscribers can download trial versions of great games like Marble Blast. Once you select the title to preview, Xbox Live Arcade simply downloads the content to your hard drive. You can then play a few levels to get a feel for the game. If you like it, all you have to do is select the full version from the onscreen menu and within moments the game is installed onto your Xbox. It's painfully simple.
Indie Rock
One of the coolest advantages of online distribution is the cost factor. Console game development is becoming prohibitively expensive. With the advent of high-definition graphics, sophisticated 3-D worlds, advanced artificial intelligence, and realistic physics, game development teams are growing larger by the minute.
Sample the coolest indie games.
The steep fee of entry is preventing creative small studios—the risk takers—from bringing their ideas to market. But with an online distribution service like Xbox Live and Xbox Live Arcade, the "little guys" can now get their games in front of millions of eyeballs at the click of a button. They no longer need to shell out thousands of dollars on manufacturing, retail packaging, and distribution.
Instead, studios can focus on creating innovative games that otherwise wouldn't see the light of day. Casual titles like parlor games, card games, 2-D shooters, side-scrolling adventures, and strategy games can all get a fair shot at catching your eye. Sample a wide variety of genres and formulate your own opinion, rather than leave it to simple economics. A new era of content is possible through Xbox Live Arcade, and its potential has only been touched upon.
Article by Jim W. Gettys
