Game Room for Xbox 360: virtual arcade + avatars

[t0yrobo]

I messed with it for around 15 minutes. My conclusion, it sucks, and I would be surprised if they fixed it. The interface is absolute shit. As is the game selection. I've heard some games have significant input lag, but I haven't played enough to really notice. Unless it gets a pretty significant overhaul I can't see myself using it much at all.

[Octopod]

I have been messing with this quite a bit tonight. I have encountered no bugs at all, though the server is down so they must be doing some kind of fix or something. The server being down does not prevent you from playing your games however. I do not have input lag with anything but I just switched from wireless to wired yesterday and I have notice everything feels better even though I did not notice any lag before. I also started using a wired controller yesterday too.

The selection is sucky, yes. The plan from what I have read is to introduce 7 new games a week, they had to start with something. A few of the games are pretty good but most are not. Shao-Lin's Road is the best right now by far. I am used to the interface now and don't care if they change it or not.

Overall, I think the concept is pretty good though I'd rather it be more free-form sandbox style wandering around the arcade but really that is not important. I am not playing it to walk my toon around after all. I am digging it.

[ZenLogikos]

Interface: I agree that the interface is not initially inviting, but like many things, if you put a little time into it, it is acceptable. For those that don't know, you CAN navigate all games from menus, without having to enter either your or your friend's arcade, or the showcase arcade. I found the arcades overwhelming at first. It was too difficult to decide where to start and keep track of what I had played and how the machines were organized.

Glitches: I've noticed a couple graphical glitches(usually Intellivision I think) - nothing major that a reset didn't take care of. The point is moot for Intellivision games though, as they are POOP.

Lag?: I've noticed sometimes button presses don't register when navigating menus...e.g. downloading replays, visiting a friend's arcade, etc. I would sometimes have to press the button a second time. Seems like a downloading lag issue(not the game input lag as others have mentioned).

Avatars: Yes, it is disappointing that you have no direct control to wander as you see fit, but that's a minor complaint. That detail was made known months ago however, so it wasn't a surprise.

Game selection: Unacceptable. Quite possibly the worst "launch lineup" ever. Three decades of arcade and console games to choose from and this is their best offering? Unless some better, more well-known games come out quickly, this experiment will fail. I'm really not sure what MS and Krome think their target audience for this is...I'm 33, and I started gaming in the early 80s. Most of that crap ain't worth a wooden nickel. I might as well play around with an oscilloscope. If most people around my age feel that way(and I believe they do), younger gamers are even less likely to be interested.

A little more specifically, none of the Intellivision games are good. None of the 2600 games are good. About half of the arcade games are worth trying, and depending on tastes, only two or three are worth buying...OUT OF 30 GAMES! I'm disappointed just thinking that there are only approximately seven games coming out each week going forward. And I understand not wanting to cannibalize current game sales, but there's been zero indication about future releases. Games, systems, eras...we have no idea what to expect.

That's it for now. I'm tired and you're bored.

[Niode]

I have to agree with every single one of your points ZenLogikos. I had the same mixed feelings about the game selection. Nothing really stood out to me, I couldn't even be bothered to demo any of them. The only game that I would even consider buying would be Tempest and even them i'm not too fussed.

[RadarScope1]

Agree with everyone, pretty much. I kinda dig some of the Konami games but only because of a novelty factor. I could see spending three bucks on a few games, the best IMO are Shoalin's, Battlantis, Asteroids and I might buy Combat just because my wife likes it. I think the Intellivision and 2600 games should be a buck at most. Some other thoughts:

-As for the further lineup, Krome said on Twitter that they are not releasing the next batch of games until late April - A MONTH. Zen is right, they need to get some better stuff quickly. Even if just one or two of the games in a seven-game release batch is really good, they need those games right away. Elevator Action, some good brawlers, even the best of the same ol' Namco games would be better. However, I am open to the idea of finding some forgotten gems through this service. Give me something I didn't even know I wanted and I'll bite.

-Interface is fine. Use the menu to choose games quicker if you like. I think the arcade is a pretty decent compromise between a real 3D space and just a menu. MS has continued to add stuff to the avatar section, so it seems reasonable to think they will keep adding little trinkets to this. I won't pay for them, but unlocking them or getting them when you buy a game is OK.

-Achievements seem decent. It's more tied to the arcade itself (high scores, challenges) than individual games. At least they are giving a nod to the original arcade atmosphere with that.

-Wish there was a universal graphics option. I like being able to change the option on each game, but I wish I could set my own default. (I'm mostly using bi-lateral filtering, what are you guys using?)

-Played a couple games with a SF4 TE stick and it felt pretty good. Too bad I can't config the buttons any way I want. I hope they change that. If nothing else, let us map the game-specific buttons (just the action buttons minus the rewind, insert credit, & game start buttons.) I haven't really noticed any lag while playing games, but I have on the menus.

-Rewind is pretty cool, if nothing else for the demos. I can backup a mistake and keep playing within the 10 min limit with less interuption.

-I like being able to see the top videos on the leaderboards. It lets you see more of the game than you would get to in a demo. I wish the leaderboards weren't limited to just the top 20 though. Not sure why they would limit this when SO many games of all types track worldwide leaderboards in total, and have done so for years.

[TheyCallMeTheSwede]

Two word review:

Shit Room

[DaGamingMonkey]

I'm sure the games will get better.
I thought the original Asteroids was being released on day one and I was actually pretty excited about that. Found out it was deluxe =/ Deluxe is ok but I grew up with a Original in my garage. Hyper space or bust!

[ZenLogikos]

-As for the further lineup, Krome said on Twitter that they are not releasing the next batch of games until late April - A MONTH.

My friend informed me of this several hours ago and my jaw dropped. I am dumbfounded. This is either the most incompetent product launch, or MS really doesn't want my money. Maybe both. We are now beta-testing this, you see...but I'm not being paid...

However, I am open to the idea of finding some forgotten gems through this service. Give me something I didn't even know I wanted and I'll bite.

Being a shmup fan, the only game I'm finding appealing is Finalizer. I had never heard of it, and I find it neat that the first level flies right over my city!

-I like being able to see the top videos on the leaderboards. It lets you see more of the game than you would get to in a demo. I wish the leaderboards weren't limited to just the top 20 though. Not sure why they would limit this when SO many games of all types track worldwide leaderboards in total, and have done so for years.

That's IF you don't become disconnected from the server in the midst of your high-score run, thereby eliminating the chance to upload. Oh, and that's IF you could connect to the servers in the first place to download the game. This gets back to the aforementioned beta-testing...

I really want to like this, but they're losing me.

On the plus side, I love the arcade background noise! (seriously though, I do)

[Octopod]

I keep being disconnected during my plays too. They seem to be having server issues or something. I am a huge arcade fan so I am probably going to be pretty forgiving on this. I only have two games so far but I have well over an hour on each so for me the $3 dollar price tag does not matter too much even though that was my main concern. An hour + of entertainment for $3 is pretty good. Hopefully they get some better games. I like the early classics but it seems a lot of people want some 90's games and do not really dig the 70's and early 80's stuff.

[Hobie-wan]

On the plus side, I love the arcade background noise! (seriously though, I do)

The Williams Pinball collections have pretty good arcade atmosphere and background noise on them as well as being excellent pinball.