XBLA Top 10 -- Week of 10/08/07 -- Puzzles Rule Edition
Joining this week's list is an old personal friend of mine but the top of the list is controlled by puzzle games. One, the most widely known puzzle video game of all time*, Tetris (In Splash form this time) and the second, the genre-bending puzzle/RPG hybrid that is Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords.
It's probably very easy for each of you to understand why such titles are leading the charge on XBLA. But just in case you need some guidance, I'll put my take after the break.
*Safe to assume, right? If not, please educate me.
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
| Rank | Last Week | Title | Release Date | WOC* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | Tetris Splash | 10/3/2007 | 1 |
| 2 | - | Puzzle Quest | 10/10/2007 | - |
| 3 | 1 | Sonic The Hedgehog 2 | 9/12/2007 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 | Bomberman Live | 7/18/2007 | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | UNO | 5/9/2006 | 75 |
| 6 | 6 | Streets of Rage 2 | 8/29/2007 | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | TMNT 1989 Arcade | 3/14/2007 | 30 |
| 8 | - | Geometry Wars Evolved | 11/22/2005 | 98 |
| 9 | 10 | Worms | 3/7/2007 | 31 |
| 10 | 7 | Puzzle Fighter HD | 8/29/2007 | 6 |
*WOC: Weeks on Charts (Only full weeks are tallied, thus first week is zero.)
Looking at all the games on the chart this week I see one basic thing in common; these are games that are simple to grasp and difficult to master. Games like Tetris, Puzzle Quest, Puzzle Fighter, and Bomberman have very simple rules and can easily draw you in until you see the sun rise over the horizon and you realize that you've turned into a vampire. That is why these games will likely have staying power.
As for my old friend Geo Wars, I imagine it was bolstered by the release of PGR4. Someone at Bizarre wanna tell me why they thought Waves wasn't worthy of XBLA? Oh, right. They have other plans...with Activision.
[via Major Nelson]
Comments
Plurre
Your analysis makes sense.
And I'm very glad to see Puzzle Quest in second place =) For a 1200-pointer, that's great. Also, I think it's a game that really could benefit from word of mouth. Actually, it might even place higher next week.
XBLAGOTY! (hey, you should have some sort of feature at the end of the year! You know, each of you could write down a list with your five favourites of the year and you could let the readers vote. Maybe even offer a little prize to guarantee that many people participate)
LunarDuality
CobaltFalconV
I'm still amazed that Worms is lasting as long as it is. Honestly, it was the one game that I thought would die somewhat quickly but is still chugging along somehow or another.
Hopefully Puzzle Quest has a long, happy life. And thankfully Yaris didn't make it onto the list at all. That atrocity should be removed from the marketplace altogether.