One Game that's Needed on the XBLA:
The Simpsons: The Arcade Game - One of the most popular arcade games from the early ‘90’s and of all-time, The Simpsons: Arcade Game hasn’t seen the light of day when it comes to porting to any of the digital distribution services. As the best Simpson’s video game to see release, The Simpsons: The Arcade Game would certainly be a smart financial decision by the powers that be since it would most likely break sales records for the Xbox Live service. As long as they kept the visuals from the original, any developer would be smart to join on board the porting of the classic arcade title to the XBLA. They could even go to extra lengths to adding in a few new mini-games for players to compete to get the highest score, unlockable content such as television show footage or audio clips, and outfits for each of the four characters to spice things up.
Regardless if there are any additions or not to the title, The Simpsons: The Arcade Game is a perfect candidate for the Xbox Live Arcade treatment – so long as they remain true to the original – and would skyrocket to the top of the charts for several months selling over a million units when it’s all said and done. Not many people know where the license stands since Acclaim was the last owner of the console-exclusive license and EA hasn’t touched the Simpsons license in quite some time, so it may be a long time till we ever see the beloved arcade title make an appearance on any service.
Top Xbox Live Arcade Titles:
1. Trials HD
2. Shadow Complex
3. Defense Grid: The Awakening
4. Battlefield 1943
5. NBA 2K10 Draft Combine
6. Castle Crashers
7. Marvel vs. Capcom 2
8. Turtles in Time Re-Shelled
9. Splosion Man
10. Hasbro Family Game Night
A few trends are evident over the last month. For one, Battlefield 1943 still remains among the Top 5 played Xbox Live Arcade games. With over one million units sold for the popular shooter, it’s bound to be on the Top 10 list for many months to come. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is still on the list, but received a dramatic drop from the top position. Castle Crashers is still hanging around the Top 10 and has done so since its debut last year. The rest of the Top 10 is either new titles that continue to debut above one another or the usual tenth spot in the form of the Hasbro Family Game Night package. It’ll be interesting to see if any of the upcoming XBLA releases will continue the trend and debut in the Top 10 list.
Top XNA Community Games:
1. I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1
2. Avatar Drop
3. Headshot
4. Track Architect
5. Avatar Golf
6. Who Did I Date Last Night
7. Miner Dig Deep
8. The Drinking Game
9. Physics Sandbox
10. ezmuze+ Hamst3r edition
If you are an aspiring XNA creator, XBLA developer and/or publisher, and would like to have your game covered within The Live Informant, please contact me at DG423@chartermi.net. I’d be more than happy to work in an interview, preview or review coverage, or anything your heart desires. Any feedback on the article itself can be left within our forums and we’ll be sure to spark up a conversation with anyone that is interested in discussing Xbox Live content.
