Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1
Developer: Various
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: Out Now
Players: 1, online multiplayer
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So, what we have here is a disc costing £24.99 (RRP), on which you get 6 of the games from Xbox Live Arcade. Of course, we've not reviewed any Xbox Live Arcade games on Gamecell as yet, which means I've got 6 game reviews to pack into your short, short attention span. Now I know what you're thinking – you're thinking: “6 games? 1 review? That's not humanly possible!”. Oh yes it is. It's time for Ultimate Gamecell Xtreeeeeem Reviewing!!!.

So, in reverse alphabetical order (that's how Xtreeeeeem we ride around here)... GO!

Wik: Fable of Souls: Single screen platforming game, where you have to collect some little bugs before the time runs out, and while other creatures are trying to steal the bugs away from you. You hop around the level like a small frog, and can navigate bigger distances by grabbing pieces of the level with your character's massive tongue and then swinging back and forth. It doesn't look all that great, and it's a bit dull, as it's neither particularly action-packed nor brain teasing.
4/10

Texas Hold 'Em: Poker. Looks okay, has Live Vision Camera support and the interface works well enough. You can play offline or online, but quite why you'd want to play a sociable game like Poker offline is beyond me. Obviously you don't get to play for real money, but you have persistent bankrolls for online and offline play. Two things drove me crazy about this game though:
1. The music. It's one short loop, over and over. Argh.
2. If you hit 'Quick Match' when trying to play online, the game tries to enter you for tournaments that your bankroll can't afford. What's the point of that?
More to the point, you can play poker in lots of places for free on the web, or (unless you're an American) even play for money on the internet, which makes things more interesting.
5/10

Outpost Kaloki X: Oooh, strategy/resource management in the Arcade. You take a space station, that has limited space, and then build stuff to attract visitors. Some space stations receive more of one type of visitor than another, and so you have to match the facilities to your 'crowd', not to mention provide power and maintenance for the facilities too, all while staying within your budget. It's bit too simple to work for anything more than 3 or 4 hours of play, but it's one of a kind in Xbox Live Arcade at the moment, and I really hope for more innovation like this. Note: The default text size is too small for non-HDTV sets, but is adjustable in the menu.
6/10

Hardwood Backgammon: It's backgammon. It has a nice tutorial, and the computer opponent's ability is widely variable. The music's ok, and it has Live Vision Camera support, but it looks pretty poor.
6/10

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved: Rapid arcade shooting action. One screen, lots of aliens (well, Geometric shapes, thus the name) attacking your little ship. Left stick moves your ship, right stick shoots in the direction you push. It looks lovely, with stuff flying everywhere and some nice effects like the screen distorting around your weapon fire. Hugely addictive if you've got a friend to challenge for high scores, but not much longevity without that. Currently the benchmark for action games on Xbox Live Arcade.
7/10

Bejeweled 2: It's a casual puzzle game, where you have a grid of coloured jewels. Swap two adjacent jewels and if they make a row of three or more of the same colour, they disappear, you get points and the jewels above will drop down to fill their place. There are multiple modes, including an action mode where you have to get a number of points before you progress to the next level (and each level ramps up the difficulty and adds new features in) and a puzzle mode where you have to clear each screen of jewels completely. It's alright, the music is nice, but there's a million games like this free on the web if you have even a simple PC. Actually you can play Bejeweled 2 on the web for free at Popcap's website.
5/10

And breaaathhhhe...

So, a decent enough set of games, but I just don't understand what the point is of this pack: Download the games online separately from Xbox Live Arcade and they would cost 4000 points, which equates to around £34 (2000 points for £17, or 5000 points for £42.50). That's a £9 saving by buying this disc. But that presumes you want all of the games. If you don't have your 360 online then I guess there's no other way of getting these games (but why isn't your 360 online?), but it also makes Texas Hold 'Em a bit pointless, which deducts value from the pack. If you are online then you can download all of the demos to try out, and as I can't see anyone wanting all of these games, I think you'll save money by doing so.


Best Bits

- Geometry Wars brings the high score board into the 21st Century.
Worst Bits

- Playing on your own at Texas Hold 'Em.

by: Jocky

Copyright © Gamecell 2006