XBox 360 Rally

Paco and I make a good team. Why, you should have seen us last night at the club. Paco was over by the bar, mackin’ on some fine women while I was over by the door, distracting the security guard by repeatedly punching his fist with my face. We work well together. Either way, once we left that joint we were drivin’ around talkin’ about what games we’d like to see show up on the Xbox Live Arcade.

…what? We’re gamers at heart.

Either way, now that my swelling has gone down, both Paco and I are proud to present to you the games we want to see on Xbox Live Arcade.

Paco’s #1.) R.C. Pro-Am
One of my top 5 NES games ever, just so happened to be one of the first Rare games ever. However, It was published by Nintendo, so I think it would take some major negotiating to see this come on the 360, but hey, they were able to make a version that came out on Genesis and Megadrive, so maybe it is just possible.

(Note: Do not doubt my love for this game, I even made a custom 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventure hole modeled after the first level of Pro Am)

J.W.’s #1.) Zombies Ate My Neighbors
How more people don’t gush over this 2D run-and-gun classic is beyond me. Developed by Lucasarts, Zombies Ate My Neighbors ate up many hours of my childhood as I sat in front of the TV, trying to guide Zeke through all 48 levels.

I never could make it through all 48.

For a cartoonish game about a kid in 3D glasses running around his neighborhood saving his neighbors from the undead, this game was actually pretty clever in it’s weapon strategy. For example, you’d be much better off using the SILVERware against a werewolf than you would, say, your water gun.

Look, I don’t expect all of you to remember this game. Hell, it didn’t pop into my head until this morning (Sonic 2 w/ Knuckles was originally my #1). But this is one of the few games that, some fifteen years later, you can go back and still have the same level of fun with.

Sure, while Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia may be a sequel in spirit, nothing comes close to the magic that is the original Zombies Ate My Neighbors.

Paco’s #2.) Monopoly
An odd choice, but, when you think about it, not such a bad idea. There is no need to have a full disc version of this game (unless it was Tetris priced at $30), even if it was cheap though, the same amount of fun could be had on XBLA, with more users, and down to ten bucks. No need for full animations on every Chance/Community Chest card, just give me the ability to assign custom options (for those people who put the $500 for whoever lands on Free Parking), maybe Vision Cam support, and you got yourself a sold game.

J.W.’s #2.) Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
If you have never played this classic, then you are no true gamer. Released in 1998 on the Genesis, Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is STILL considered by many to be the hardest video game of all time. The horrible tragedy of this fact is that the game is so damn addictive and simple that you keep coming back…

…and back…

…and back…

…to get your ass handed to you over and over again within the first 30 seconds. While many consider the original Ghosts ‘n Goblins to be the harder game, Ghosts ‘N Ghouls features larger levels, more detailed 16-bit graphics, better sound and, oh, did I mention that it’s still hard as ten hells!?

Paco’s #3.) Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon
Here to keep the variety train a rolling, a game that was originally on the N64, however it was developed and published by Konami, whom I think is on pretty good terms with Microsoft (Contra, Castlevania, Silent Hill, hell, even DDR). This would help the XBLA in a place it hasn’t touched much on, the RPG-Action Adventure type game. This would instantly grab any Zelda fans. As long as they feature humorous advertising for the game, it could draw in new users to this really really great series.

I know that XBLA seems to either go with brand new IP’s, or really really old arcade games, so this game could also help touch on that middle ground. If you haven’t played a Goemon game ever, find a rom and download that thing, it will be one of the funnest and fun games you have ever played. With the XBLA file size limit upped to 250mb, they could easily add other features to the game since the original, as great as it is, was compressed down to an amazing 128mb, so they could ensure no N64 fogging here.

J.W.’s #3.) Ballz 3D
…just playin’.

J.W.’s REAL #3.) X-Men 2: Clone Wars
The X-Men are not known for having a bevvy of awesome video game outings. In fact, X-Men for the NES is arguably the worst video game ever made. However, X-Men 2: Clone Wars on the Sega Genesis was, in my opinion, the best damn 2D Side-Scrolling Fighter to ever grace the console.

If you never played Clone Wars, let me give you a quick rundown. To this day this is the only video game I know of that throws you into the game from the moment you turn the console on. As soon as you power up your console, you’re given a random character and thrust into the midst of the first level, Syberia. Upon completion of the opening stage, the open credits rolled and you were taken immediately to your character selection screen.

Six Characters were available from the onset (Beast, Gambit, Cyclops, Paylocke, Nightcrawler and Wolverine), and after completing the third stage you unlocked Magneto.

For it’s day it was a beautifully rendered game that kept true to the comic book feel of the material, and even today it still holds up as one solid fighter.

So there you have it, folks. These are but a few of the games we want to see rear their nostalgic head and make an appearance on the XBLA. Odds are you’ll disagree with us, or say we left some out. By all means, tell us where we went wrong.

Xbox Live Arcade, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, RC Pro-Am, Monopoly, Ghosts ‘n Ghouls, Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, X-Men 2: Clone Wars