Five ways Microsoft can save Xbox LIVE Arcade

Neglect, mismanagement, and a stunning amount of shameless price-gouging are ruining one of gaming's natural beauties.

Few features of now-gen seemed so tantalisingly next-gen when they were unveiled last-gen as the delight that should be Xbox LIVE Arcade. Quirky odd-ball delights, downloaded for virtual peanuts (I call them veanuts) at the touch, as they say, of several buttons.

For a while, the dream seemed to hold. Geometry Wars genuinely was the best launch title, Hexic was like peering into Charles Babbage's brain while he was bust knitting, and Robotron 2084 is the centerpoint of any non-insane game collection. Then along came XBLA Wednesdays - now there's a topper idea. It's like regular TV schedules, but for games. How can any of this possibly turn sour?

But turn sour it did. Nasty Digital Eclipse-powered shovel-overs, bizarre and sadistic pricing policies, and lackluster line-ups soon stepped on my pretty dream and ground it into the mud. But it doesn't have to be like this. Here, in fact, are five things the North-West Giant can do to sort out their own backyard, followed by one thing you can do to help them.

1. Support it, Microsoft

We're talking hardware and software here. Obviously, as everyone knows, two out of three Xbox 360s are made out of explosive marzipan, and go off quite loudly sometime within the first year of their life, often taking desks, televisions, and loved-ones' appendages with them. That's all super, but when you get your heavily-fingerprinted, smashed-up and limply-wheezing refurb unit back from the busiest repair shop in the world, you'll find that your XBLA games will only work if you're online when you play them. Clearly, the reason for this is to prevent theft, copying, piracy, sharing, and that kind of thing - and that's fine and dandy on paper, but when faced with the staggering unreliability of their own hardware, Microsoft should change things: it's the majority rather than the minority who will end up playing XBLA games on their second 'box, so change things so they can do it without being online!

On the software front, the games themselves need better support after they're out there. Example: co-op for Smash TV doesn't work. Microsoft are aware of this, but aren't planning on fixing it. That's like knowingly selling you a shoe filled with spikes and poison. Sort of.

2. Less is more

I'm not saying ease-up on the release schedule, I'm saying think about how many types of a certain game are already out there. For example - how many versions of the Bejeweled or Zuma concepts do we really need? Microsoft seem to be working on the principle that XBLA is a kind of gaming Noah's Ark, and thus requires at least two of every game type, presumably to repopulate the world with Flash-based content following the apocalypse. Go for more variety, instead.

3. No more ports

Everybody loves Robotron and Smash TV (even if the latter doesn't work in co-op and nobody cares). They're classics, and not even Digital Eclipse can mess them up. That doesn't mean, however, that you should then shovel Rush 'N' Attack and Yie Ar Kung Fu onto us. These games are not classics. Nor is Gyruss. Nor is etc etc. Microsoft, when you say "Here are some classic games," more often than not you're saying "Here are some old games". It's not the same thing. Stalin, for example, was the "old" ruler of Soviet Russia. He was not, as far as I'm aware, much of a "classic". Also, sprucing these games up with a horrible new look doesn't cut the mustard either. If my house is structurally unsound, putting up some flock wallpaper won't help. Look at Pac-Man CE and Prince of Persia (kind of) as examples of how to do these things right. Then look again at the price of Pac-Man CE, and maybe take 400 points off it. Hmm.

4. Fix that D-pad

In the desperate years before the Nintendo 64 arrived, console games were controlled using D-pads rather than analogue sticks. The Super Famicom's was great, the Megadrive's, not so much. But even the worst examples from gaming history are infinitely superior to the Xbox 360's. It's not even up to the job of navigating menus, let alone 'popping off' Dragon Punches or swinging Pac-Man round corners with any kind of reliability, despite Major Nelson's awkward on-air (and failed) attempt to manipulate Billy Mitchell in to saying it was OK for playing the game that defines his life. When Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting was released on XBLA, some gamers turned to the analogue stick to better control their character. Microsoft know that happened too, and to ignore it is like a spoon manufacturer hearing that their spoons are so bad, people are using forks to eat soup with, and promptly doing nothing about it. For shame.

I love 2D games, but that pad means that more or less, each and every one that makes it to XBLA is crippled, destined to only frustrate and anger. And not be bought. Fix it, politely ask Capcom and SNK to release their 2D fighter back-catalogues to XBLA, watch the money roll in and my (winning) smile return.

5. Give Gold subscribers (gasp) free XBLA games

Wii and PlayStation 3's connected services are far from being the online darling that is Xbox LIVE, but they are catching up. And they're free. Is it so unreasonable that subscribers paying £39.99/year be given a free title per month, or have free, unlimited access to the more basic puzzle and board game titles on the service? Of course not, and to continue not to do so only compounds the now crystalised suspicions that Microsoft are looking to gouge profit from online users like never before. Let's not be naive, Microsoft are losing money on Xbox 360 hardware to install that noisy, off-white Redmond-bound coin slot in as many living rooms as possible, to take our virtual loose change for years to come, but Xbox 360 users' gouge-o-meters are already in the red. It's time to back off, and heck, why not surprise users with a genuine act of generosity?

And finally: One way you can help make XBLA better yourself:

VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET: "Classic", ports, Bejeweled knock-offs (it is itself a knock-off, of course) - don't buy them. Force Microsoft to deliver something better. XBLA is one of the greatest ideas the gaming landscape has seen in years - help it live up to its own potential.

Article by Doon & Stu.

Comments

[Dom]

Huh? What are you smoking??? Its the choices and variety that make XBLA great. I can't stand 2D fighting games and I love strategy games... I wish Microsoft would get off their arse and publish more turn based war games... perhaps a port of Warlords II maybe... You know this might come as a surprise but Microsoft is running a business and personally I am glad they have a success business model with XBLA otherwise we would have to but up with the Wii channels... now that's a tragedy in the making....

[Joe]

From what you have just said, you should be on Microsoft's marketing team. They obviously don't know what they are doing, and what you said would lead them to higher profit margins and happier gamers.

[Kelvis]

Just read this story linked from N4G.com where there are around 43 comments disagreeing with this article.

Seems people are quite happy with XBLA.

Yie Ar Kung Fu not a classic? Are 'Doon & Stu' perhaps too young to have played this in the arcade when it was first released?

'Give Gold subs free stuff' Yes, of course. While 'Doon & Stu' were composing this nugget of wisdom, I hope they called their utilities, cable provider, phone company, etc and pointed out to them they should also give free stuff to their customers.

'Vote with your wallet'. Think about this you fools:

Business offers product.
Customer buys product.
Business continues to support customer by offering more product.

Now,what happens to a business when the customer doesn't buy it's product?

Won't be coming back, just like me to this site.

[Chris]

The only sensible bit in that whole thing was the 'Vote with your wallet' part. Personally, I don't like the retro stuff, but they sell! They are cheap to make, and loads of people do like them.

The funny part is your pavlovian reaction in blaming Microsoft. They might be the platform owner, but they don't set pricing, or decide which 'classics' to put on it! How can MS give you free games, when they are not theirs to give.

The only valid point is the d-pad, that *is* their fault and heres hoping for an updated controller with a better one. I guess the arcade stick is something to be grateful for.

[Si]

Obviously all the XBLA games are waaay overpriced. The logistics are simple, there's no packaging, and you don't ever own anything tangible - it's a perfect set-up to feed games to people.

But why do they cost so much?

Surely if they'd half the prices, twice as many people would buy the games. Plus, more people would take risks on games if they were cheaper.

Also, why do the prices never even come down? Who is still buying Zuma for 800 points? Have a clearance sale on the XBLA stuff!

As the man said we already pay £40 year to play the games we pay £40 on each title to play them online. All that's on top of the console and accessories.

[Jay]

The Digital Rights Management problems suck ass... If I purchased a DVD, and I replaced my DVD player 3 days after purchasing it, I SHOULD be able to play the DVD in my new player without having to be connected to an online service.... and everyone in my house should be able to watch the movie without me being there.

THE SAME THING SHOULD BE TRUE FOR XBOX LIVE ARCADE GAMES! I paid for the damn things, why the f**k can't I play 'em on the NEW $480 I just purcahsed? (I wouldn't have had to replace my 1st 360 if Micro$haft had a better HDMI solution other than replacing the entire friggin' box!)

[Tom]

Wow am I glad you're not making the decisions for Microsoft.

I've bought loads of classic games like Gyruss (classic!), Rush'n'Attack (classic!), Double Dragon (classic!) and obviously many more.

I'm also glad they aren't sticking to the "one of each kind" game, as that would leave us with either Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man and not both as well as the utterly brilliant Pac-Man C.E.

I agree with the d-pad (luckily I have the excellent DOA4 arcade stick) and giving gold subscribers extra stuff as it's a rip-off for multiplayer only (even if I'd rather pay for a good service than get a mediocre one for free at the end of the day).

I guess you have to realize one thing: The ports come out because people want them. They may not want the same games as you (you couldn't pay me enough to play Robotron or SmashTV again while I love Geometry Wars), so there's a lot of variety to cater for everyone.

If people didn't want it, they wouldn't buy it and it wouldn't appear. Just face up to reality.

[Mystakill]

I beg to differ - Gyruss *is* a classic game. Rush'N'Attack, Yie Ar Kung Fu (and any other jump-across-the-screen, one-hit, cheap-shot games) are not.

DE's butchered Gyruss port is not the same game. Even with the "updates" turned off, the timing is off and the sound effects and music are horribly distorted. MAME plays Gyruss much better than DE's hackulator does.

[Mystakill]

And for what it's worth, I'm on 360 #5. My wife and kids are locked out of my XBLA games whether we're online or not. The games are tied to the console *and* the gamertag that purchased them.

*I* have to be logged into XBLA in order for them to play, which also lets them spend my Points and play games that they're not old enough to; they can't be constantly supervised, especially during the summer break.

[joker]

You are a fanboy! nuff said. Are you the same person who tried to say psn was better than live? In any case stop with the one sided blogs, if you want people to take it serous be honest and objective.

how many live subscribers are their vs psn users? Live isnt in trouble.

You must work for sony.

[Captain Blammo]

It's hardly Pavlovian to blame Microsoft for the content on their own Live service - it's not like they have no say over what to approve and what not to. XBLA is a great idea slowly sliding into absolute dreck, and Microsoft are the gate-keepers and quality control - ie, they're ultimately responsible. Voting with your wallet IS a good way of dealing with the problem, though. Here's how it would work (pay attention, Kelvis, and also check up on proper use of "it's" and "its"): Microsoft put out cheaply refurbed tat like Gyruss: nobody buys it. Microsoft puts out quality stuff like Mutant Storm Empire: everybody buys it. Microsoft thinks: hmm, tried to sell them some rubbish and didn't make any money; sold them some class and we're rolling in it - let's focus on selling good games because that's where we make money.

[The Blue Rajah]

@Kelvis: I'm sure you'll be sorely missed. And BTW, Yie Ar Kung Fu was just fine in the arcades "when it was first released", twenty-two years ago. Today, essentially untouched, for 400 MS Points, not so much.

You might want to double check your apostrophe usage too. As well as the rise of the free, advert-driven gaming business model. Ooops.