Microsoft's latest inexplicable picks for the Arcade Hits collection

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 22nd 2009 at 3:45PM }

You remember the Arcade Hits collection, don't you? It's the selection of discounted XBLA titles offered by Microsoft. Ostensibly, these are titles that were popular enough that they can now be offered at a reduced price. Now, we have a task for you: We want you to think of three games that you think should be given the honor of becoming an Arcade Hit. Nope, it's not that one. Not that one either. That one isn't even close.

Nope, the three titles that have now entered the hallowed halls of the Arcade hits are Brain Challenge, 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures and Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, all of which will be permanently knocked down to 400

($5) this Wednesday. That's right, a Brain Age clone, a game you forgot even existed and a game that has already been remastered and made better in every way.

Also on sale this Wednesday, for free, no less: Utter bewilderment.

Tags: 3d-ultra-minigolf, arcade-hits, brain-challenge, street-fighter, street-fighter-2, xbla

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Courtney @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:06PM

Arcade "how can we possibly make these games sell" hits!

AoE @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:58PM

haha, exactly. They're just squeezing the last drops of juice from the orange.

Paul @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:12PM

i gotta be honest, i expected more from microsoft for the first update to the arcade hits in year(s?). but i shouldn't have. i mean look at their "dea" of the week sometimes. it is downright insulting, almost like adding these games to arcade hits is.

Paul @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:13PM

wow, i guess i should learn to type/spell before i rant at microsoft.
"deal*"

mikazi @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:36PM

I'm sorry but isn't SFII:HF the best selling game on Xbla?
I think selling the amount of digital copies it has should qualify it as an "Arcade Hit", not so much the other two though...

tyrone hawk @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:49PM

12 games with price reduced from a total of 239 games?!? FAIL FAIL FAIL - join the #lowerDLC initiative on Twitter and show your "love" to Microsoft

AoE @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:58PM

Wow, i bet that twitter thing will REALLY hit home with Microsoft. Probably at least twice as hard as online petitions do; which will be shocking because online petitions are always super effective.

Seriously that is the internet equivalent of writing "Billy sucks" on the bathroom wall in high-school. Speaking of which, did you hear Microsoft is gonna take Suzie to prom? What's up with that, I totally thought she was going with you Tyrone?

tyrone hawk @ Sep 22nd 2009 5:20PM

I know that it won't make a difference as such, AoE, but I was with DeeJay Knight when the #AMPsucks thing hapenned, and at least he got an answer from Major Nelson.

Look, maybe it won't change their minds, and it could be only 10 people in Twitter are sending related messages, but that won't make me stop of telling everyone they should really make a better work. Those selections are totally lame, and they're doing HF just because the Super version really takes all the light the old one had.

And while all this happens, we still see some Watchmen crap with a $15 price tag....

AoE @ Sep 22nd 2009 6:02PM

Dude, he didn't get a response because of his twitter campaign, he got a response because he walked up to Major Nelson at PAX with a microphone in hand. Good luck with your twitter campaign though, I'm sure it'll be super effective.

And of course those selections are lame; as has been apparent since the Arcade Hits program started, it's designed to squeeze the last little bits of profit out of titles that are no longer selling, not about selling titles that do well for half-price as it's seemingly advertised to be.

As for shit like Watchmen and the high prices? I keep hoping maybe one day all of the complainers will realize, it's not MS who sets these prices, it's the publishers. The only way to get them to turn back from charging more is to not purchase the games. If they continue to release at higher and higher price-points, it's because the market supports them. Also, you'll note that with the pricing of past few weeks of releases... the market doesn't seem to support $15 as the defacto price.

sleepydumbdude @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:45PM

Hmmm I'll get 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures. I have SF2 HD so won't need that and bought Brain Challenge when it went on sale.

goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Sep 22nd 2009 5:05PM

Hyper Fighting is a classic, but the XBLA port is atrocious. Sensory Sweep put together one of the worst emulated XBLA games to date as far as I'm concerned, worse even than Midway's atrocities. Quarter match is the sole redeemable feature of this game. I can't even play it anymore after HD Remix's stunning presentation and net-code though.

Hopefully the next time Capcom puts one of their classics on XBLA they continue the trend of actually remaking the game. Maybe not to the extent of HD Remix, but their Puzzle Fighter and MvC2 "remakes" were pretty much up-resed ports of the original games, with identical in-game interfaces, only with modern features. Backbone has done a terrific job in that regard, I'd like to see them put their loving shell around some Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Vampire Savior, and SFA3 next.

Just don't waste your money on Hyper Fighting. Spend the extra $5 and go for MOTW, KOF '98, or through in another $5 for HD Remix. It's worth it if only to avoid the frustration of this shoddy piece of work.

/Rant

goboColossus (LIVE, PSN - gobopop) @ Sep 22nd 2009 5:07PM

throw*

JAgamer @ Sep 22nd 2009 5:13PM

I own all three, thank you very much Richard.

3D Ultra MiniGolf I'll admit wasn't the best purchase, but I enjoyed Brain Challenge and had a lot of fun times on SF2: HF" before stuff like SSF2THDR and SF4 came out.

sleepydumbdude @ Sep 23rd 2009 1:14PM

Brain Challenge is a hardly a hit. Need to get some kingdom for keflings but that still sells well so they won't do that.

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