Like a lot of other people, I got an Xbox 360 for the first time when the price went down a week or so ago.
Now, for all of the next generation whizzy graphics and whatnot, some of the best and best value gaming comes from the Xbox Live Arcade. Two games in particular have made an impact with me.
Firstly, N+, a 2D platform game where you control a ninja collecting gold and avoiding enemies in order to escape the level. It’s so simple in principle, but there are so many things about it that raise it above the typical. The stick figure you control is deceptively simple looking. It is wonderfully animated as it runs, jumps and climbs – not to mention as it dies – there are a lot of realistic physics at play here. The game leads you in gently but as it progresses you have to get increasingly ingenious and improve you controls in order to progress.
Whilst the single player game is great, I was further impressed by the multi-player game. You can play co-operatively, and the maps that you play on are geared up so that the best way to complete them is through co-operation. Some of them can only be completed with multiple players. Using Xbox live and being able to talk to the other players as you come up with your strategy is great. You tend to hear a lot of grimacing noises and laughter though as various players are splattered!
You can download N, the game N+ was based on free for PC, Mac and Linux
here
Pac-man Championship EditionThe second XBLA game is Pac-Man Championship Edition. Now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the arcade versions of Pac-Man and especially Ms Pac-Man which I’ve always thought was the best version of the game. Every time anyone tries to update the game for a console, they tend to make it worse, or just emulate the arcade game and pad out the side of the screen with unnecessary artwork.
This is different. Pac-Man Championship Edition was developed by Tōru Iwatani who came up with the idea for the original version many years ago. This is apparently the last game he will work on. This is also the first Pac-Man related game I’ve played since those original arcade games where I think they’ve actually improved it.
There are half a dozen modes to choose from, but they all have some common themes. You have a fixed amount of time to play the game – 5 or 10 minutes depending on the mode. So, your goal is to score as much as possible in that time – and to begin with, even survive to the end of the timer. There is also just one maze and during that time, the action doesn’t stop. You don’t get cut scenes or pauses when all of the dots are gone. When you eat all of the dots from either the left or right hand side of the maze, a fruit appears in the opposite side. When you go and eat that fruit, the dots refresh in the other side of the maze. And so it goes on. Some of the game modes not only re-fill the dots, but also re-draw the layout of the maze.
While all of this is going on, there is a more modern thumping version of the Pac-Man background music playing – nothing horrible though – it just sounds like the original noise made modern – no fancy tunes or anything nasty!
So, if anyone fancies a bit of friendly high-score beating, you can find me here… ;)
(going out for a walk and to take some photos soon!)
![Portrait with a Clumber horse [10/52]
I actually intended to try and do quite a straight portrait and include the horse at the side of me. I stood with my back to the horse with my camera at ...](http://publicenergy.co.uk/Projects/52-Weeks/20100306-1145-0017-Edit/803460292_nQg6M-Th.jpg "Portrait with a Clumber horse [10/52]
I actually intended to try and do quite a straight portrait and include the horse at the side of me. I stood with my back to the horse with my camera at ...")
Dave Wild, and 
Rick Harrison 10:29 pm on November 30, 2008 Permalink |
Have you found anything to say when its coming out? It does indeed look fun :-)
Dave Wild 8:01 am on December 1, 2008 Permalink |
It was supposed to be before Christmas but the word on the, ahem, farm, is that it’s more likely to be January.