XBLA gems you may have missed while you upgraded to the Xbox One

The Xbox Live Arcade, the perfect place to go for a game that doesn’t require 80+ hours to complete but just enough for you to squeeze in a quick fix if you’re strapped for time. With the wide array of titles via this service, it can be easy to overlook some gems. I’m going to ignore popular titles such as Castle Crashers, Battleblock Theatre, any classic remakes, ‘Splosion Man, and titles like it that have been covered countless times. This isn’t what this list is about. Here are a few titles that, to the unknowing gamer, might have been glossed over and never played, or should be revisited:

Pac Man Championship Edition

The iconic classic with a twist. PMCE is the one of the best in Xbox Live Arcade style score-based competition. It has mazes that change constantly as you’re clearing out dots, funky music to keep the tone exciting and tense, and simple, but challenging gameplay. Remember when there were four ghosts chasing you? Try having 20 tailing you! It’s not as scary as it sounds. Its addicting gameplay definitely has some allure, and before you know, you’d have killed half a day trying to top your score and maybe even have a go at the leaderboards. If you haven’t already, give PMCE a go!

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai/Vampire Smile

Gratuitous violence? Check. Impossibly awesome selection of weapons to slaughter the masses? Check. Cyborg-demons coming in by the droves only to be brutally maimed in their attempts to stop you? Double check! Both Dead Samurai and Vampire Smile (sequel) are action games that don’t relent on the gore and fighting. With an arsenal of seemingly odd makeshift weapons, you are pitted against a giant robot wyvern, hockey goalies, and tank/giant hybrids in a seemingly endless battle. The abilities available to you from the start are enough to put down any resistance, but the ones you unlock later only add to the twisted and awesome ways you can end your foes. Not many games can make use of your guitar hero controllers, but if you have a friend who wants to watch but still would like to contribute with minimal effort, toss them your mighty plastic Axe and have them shred away on those five buttons of pure pain!

 
Small Arms

One of the initial releases of the XBLA. Small Arms is, at best, described as an extremely watered down Smash Bros. wanna-be. Up to four players duke it out in arenas of various sizes, and hazards and items appear over time. But instead of punches and kicks, every character dons a mid-to-long range weapon of sorts; flame throwers, chain guns, you name it. Although that’s all you’ll need to rip into your opponents. There are some balancing issues in terms of character strength and playability, but that shouldn’t deter you from loading this bad boy up and trying something different for a little while. It definitely had its charm with me, long enough for me to go 100% on the achievements list.

Dorito’s Crash Course/Dash of Destruction

Okay, let me just say this: Dorito’s has some pretty sweet programmers at their disposal because both Crash Course and Dash of Destruction were really awesome games in their own right. The best part? Both games are FREE! That’s right, at no cost to you, you’ll be able to test your mettle with some interesting platforming action and dodging skills, respectively. Let’s tackle each game separately though, shall we?

Crash Course

An American Warrior-styled obstacle course platforming game that throws your avatar into the fray to compete with other players for the best time on the available courses. You can either tackle the leaderboards, or go head to head with another player, via online or local. Again, there’s a particular charm to this game that pulls you in. Some light and moderately difficult courses make for a great time among veteran and casual gamers together. Definitely worth checking out, and why not? It’s free!

Dash of Destruction

You’re a Dorito’s delivery truck, putting pedal to the metal trying to out-run a giant T-Rex who wants your shipment of delicious snacking goodness! Yup, you read that right. Although, I almost forgot to mention you can turn the tables and BECOME the T-Rex! That’s right, eat or be eaten! Four players can join in on the fun as either truck or rex and compete to see who can eat “X” amount of trucks (as dino) or make all their deliveries (as truck) before the rest complete their objective. Get your thumbs warmed up because if you’re not quick enough, victory will be NACHOS! (I know… Terrible puns are terrible.)

Half-Minute Hero

Originally a Playstation Portable title, HMH makes its way to the Xbox Live Arcade so a new audience can see what made this game so awesome. Granted, its much better “on-the-go” and the pixelated graphics can be a bit of an eye-sore on bigger screens. Still, everyone should have a go at this game. You play a hero who has to defeat an evil monster who learns a spell that can destroy the world in 30 seconds! This isn’t your Final Fantasy time zone where meteors can stay in the air forever while you go race some birds at the local carnival. No, this is 30 seconds of real time to level up your hero via conventional means of grinding baddies and buying weapons until you can take them head on. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? Trust me, the gameplay and system in place is far from unforgiving and is surprisingly deep for a game meant to last 30 seconds (sort of). Though, thanks to the port to consoles, the multiplayer mode adds a new layer of competition to the formula that I was quite impressed with. If that isn’t enough to reel you in, then at least know that the story across the entire game will blow your f***ing mind! See for yourself! You’ll thank me later!

Hard Corps Uprising

Ready for a challenge reminiscent of Konami’s trademark “TLC”? Then step right up to Hard Corps! Essentially the spiritual successor to Contra, HCU is a side-scrolling shooter with graphics similar to the visuals of Guilty Gear and the playstyle of Contra III: The Alien Wars. The difficulty is on par with Contra and is definitely satisfying with every level you complete; that is, if you actually live long enough to complete it! The DLC characters are fun to play with, though, they provide a different kind of difficulty as they play different than the two characters you start with. Give it a go and let me know what the ending is… I’ve thrown a few controllers too many trying to finish this game… hehe…

So, there’s my list of gems you may or may not have missed. If you think I may have missed an obscure Xbox Live Arcade title or otherwise, let me know!