XBLA Top 10 - Week of 8/20/07
Look, I've improved. It's Monday and I'm actually getting the top 10 out. Is it sad that I'm celebrating the fact that I'm only 2 days late instead of 4?
As for the list, we've got some old friends back again but only one of the two new faces made the cut.
List now, prattle after.
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
| Rank | Last Week | Title | Release Date | WOC* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Track & Field | 8/8/2007 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 | Hexic 2 | 8/15/2007 | 1 |
| 3 | 6 | Bomberman Live | 7/18/2007 | 5 |
| 4 | - | Space Giraffe | 8/22/2007 | - |
| 5 | 7 | Sonic The Hedgehog | 7/11/2007 | 6 |
| 6 | - | UNO | 5/9/2006 | 67 |
| 7 | 5 | Spyglass Board Games | 8/1/2007 | 3 |
| 8 | 3 | Ecco the Dolphin | 8/15/2007 | 1 |
| 9 | - | TMNT 1989 Arcade | 3/14/2007 | 23 |
| 10 | - | Worms | 3/7/2007 | 24 |
*WOC: Weeks on Charts (Only full weeks are tallied, thus first week is zero.)
Let me just quote last week's post (amended slightly) because it's very appropriate here:
Track & Field people? Seriously? All those retro naysayers got a nice slap in the face (again)this week when nostalgia and button mashing outweighed
shark slaying dolphins and sparkly new hexesgritty hoverboards and LSD-induced giraffes.
At least UNO is back in the 6th slot and Worms makes a triumphant return to the list at #10. That calms me down a bit.
No Street Trace:NYC, though. Can word of mouth lift this game up next week? It's not for everyone, but it does have a ton of multiplayer options (Hunter is my favorite mode). Space Giraffe debuts well despite at least one dismal review (I'm sure being only 400 MSP didn't hurt it at all).
And finally, Hexic 2 must be making Microsoft warm inside. Their investment of putting Hexic on the HDD for free seems to be paying returns now (at $10 a pop). However, I still refuse to buy it because I am bitter about them turning it into a stupid jewel-swapping game. Why change the look of a great game Carbonated? Why?
Now that you have listened to my whining, give me some of yours. All I wanna see in the comments below are ridiculous, over-the-top complaints about how one of those games does not belong on the list. GO!
[via Major Nelson]
Imo: T&F and Turtles
Imo: T&F and Turtles shouldn't be there. Other than that, the list is alright.
About Street Trace. Am I the only one who feel a little sorry about the developers when the game doesn't even make Top 10 at all? ;) Especially when it is a new IP. For many of the games, anything other than the top spot the first week is disappointing.
In this case I didn't like it very much, but still.
I'm somewhat surprised that
I'm somewhat surprised that Ecco the Dophin is still on there, the reviews all say it's dated horribly and is frustratingly difficult. I guess people like Dolphins.
However, what I do notice is that the games of, er, dubious merit are all 400 point games. In fact, the only 800 point games on the chart are Hexic 2 (new release), Bomberman and Worms (multiplayer stalwarts). I think it goes to show how price-elastic the XBLA marketplace is, people are happy to pay 400 points for a curiousity, but they need more serious convincing before buying an 800 point game. As for 1200 point games, I think Lumines was on the chart for a bit (can't really remember), but did Roboblitz even crack the chart on its release week?
I still think that a lot of games would have sold more than twice the amount if they were half the price (Pac-Man CE, for example, would have been a no-brainer for everyone at 400 points), which would mean more revenue seeing as there's no cost to manufacture.
Reason why T&F is there IS
Reason why T&F is there IS because its classic arcade fun for more than one person, the demo leaves you wanting to play more unlike some other games i believe they give you TOO much of a demo, Assault Heroes being one...
Space Giraffe just didnt work for me, i loved Tempest2000 but this is just oales in comparison and isnt anywhere near as fun.
And NO i dont feel sorry for the developers of Street Trace! Sure it seems a fairly polished product and maybe a year or more ago when it was due out it probably would have done better, but it certainly didnt last my 10 minute 'attention' period!
TeamXbox also trashed Space
TeamXbox also trashed Space Giraffe, giving it a 4.3, but I'm quite pleased it got so high up on the list.
Track & Field is unbelievable. Isn't this its 3rd week or so on the top? I'm sure SPFIITHDR will knock it down a few pegs though.