Will

Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade has come and gone. A couple of weeks ago I got a message from LIVE letting my know that 800 points had been credited to my account. This made me look back at the  5200 points I spent to get this rebate.

When I first saw the line up, I was unsure of most of the titles. Getting 800 points back was a nice incentive to take a chance on them. Now, having played all of them, I found that my expectations and my experiences with the games did not match up.

Pre-demo impression: What’s the name of the game? ‘Splosion Man? Pass.

Post-demo impression: Whoa, this game is kinda fun. The demo let me play through a few levels (six, I believe) and even gave me a sneak peek of the first boss; just enough for me to get a handle on the game. There is no tutorial at all, but I didn’t need one. All face buttons ‘splode. The left analog stick moves. Pretty simple, and I like it that way.

Post-purchase impression: The game starts of nice and easy. Every level slowly ramps up the difficultly, but at no point did I feel overwhelmed or frustrated. No matter how difficult the puzzle, I always think about how I can change my tactics to complete the puzzle.

Verdict: Satisfied. This is my favorite 2D platformer on the XBLA.

Pre-demo impression: I played Marvel vs. Capcom 2 when it was out on the Dreamcast. I’d play with my brothers, wife, her brother, and her future brother-in-law. We had a blast, so adding an online mode with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix’s quarter match setup and excellent netcode? How could I go wrong?

Post-demo impression: The demo doesn’t do a good job of showing what the game can offer; you can only choose from six characters in offline mode. Oh well, since I liked the game years ago, I’m sure the full version will be fine.

Post-purchase impression: I don’t remember this game being completely unbalanced. In particular, multiple characters share similar moves (such as Captain America’s Charging Star and Jill Valentine’s Kinkyuu Kaihi B), but have completely effects in combos, allowing certain characters to be more “cheap” than others. Using the two characters I mentioned as an example, Jill can land multiple hits when your character is in the prone position, whereas Captain America can’t, despite the fact that both moves only differ in a cosmetic way. These differences lead players of Marvel vs Capcom 2 to build squads made up of the cheapest possible characters that can land as many unblockable hits in a row as possible. As I prefer to build thematic squads (such as my Boys in Blue and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants teams), playing against this type of gamer leads to me getting frustrated.

Verdict: Regret. Years of playing better-balanced, slower-paced fighting games like Street Figher IV, Soul Calibur IV, Dead or Alive 4, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix have made this game unplayable for me.

Pre-demo impression: Just like with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, I played this game with friends and family on the SNES. It was such a simple game with memorable music and colorful graphics that looked like the cartoon. Now I’ll get this game again, with updated graphics and  four-player LIVE play? Instant buy.

Post-demo impression: What happened? I already knew that the graphics were going to be different. Unlike many message board posters, I actually like the new graphics, since they look a lot like the most recent CG TMNT movie. However, I did not expect the light-hearted and sometimes goofy music to be replaced with totally uninspired music that could have been copied directly from a low-budget B-movie’s soundtrack.

Post-purchase impression: I just can’t get over the change in music. When I think back to the multiplayer beat ‘em up action games from my youth, like Streets of Rage and Final Fight, one of the things that sticks out is the music. This game’s dull tones seem to be trying to put me to sleep. Knowing what the music should sound like prevents me from getting into it. That aside, it works well as a four-player online game.

Verdict: Regret. My nostalgia for the SNES version of Turtles in Time negatively affected my ability to enjoy this new version.

Pre-demo impression: Some called this game an HD ExciteBike. I never played that game or its Nintendo 64 follow-up, so that comparison didn’t take hold on me.

Post-demo impression: This game is pretty fun! The tutorial is simple but effective. I breezed through the levels offered in the demo. I imagine the game will get harder, but I should enjoy it.

Post-purchase impression: This game is ridiculously hard. In no way did the demo prepare me for the extreme ramp up in difficulty. The Beginner and Easy tracks are pretty easy to get gold medals in. The Medium tracks are unbelievably hard. I don’t even want to see what the Hard and Extreme tracks are like. Want to see how hard this game is? The split wasn’t in my controller before buying Trials HD:

Verdict: Satisfied. Yes, it is ridiculously hard. If you have the patience to push your way through, or a lot of controllers to go through, you will enjoy it. When I first wrote my post-purchase impressions on this game, the Medium tracks were practically impossible. Now, I have gotten through them, finished most of the Hard tracks and am struggling with the Extreme ones. My controller has flown across the room a few more times, but I keep coming back for me.

Read our full review on Shadow Complex.

Pre-demo impression: This game is constantly referred to as a Metroidvania-style title. Those are mighty big words for me, as that designation doesn’t only describe how it plays, but it is a statement about its quality.

Post-demo impressions: I can see that Shadow Complex has a lot of potential. I enjoyed the opening sequence, where you get to see how powerful your character will become. It is an effective tease.

Post-purchase impressions: Shadow Complex was very difficult for the first few hours. Jason Flemming could not take many hits before dying, and I found the “aim at the background” mechanic to be flawed and aggravating to deal with. Given how difficult the beginning was to me, it became immensely gratifying to see Jason’s power grow. By the end of the game, I strolled into every room without bothering to take cover. I walked over every enemy, including those annoying black-suited agents that would hang from the ceiling. The ending sequence is one of the easier ones I’ve seen in a game, which was a bit anti-climactic.

Verdict: Satisfied. Shadow Complex became an obsession for me. I wouldn’t quit until I found all of the items. I intend on going back to get all the way to level 50.

I spent 1200 more points than I should have. The rebate made up for the cost of Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, but I’m still out for the cost of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Even though I really enjoy the three Arcade titles that I had no previous experience with, buying into the Summer of Arcade was not a smart financial move.