XBox Casual Top 10
Top 10 games on XBox 360 Live Arcade (Microsoft’s downloadable, sorta casual, on-line game service for XBox 360)
1. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
2. Gauntlet
3. Smash TV
4. Bejeweled II
5. Zuma
6. Bankshot Billiards
7. Outpost Kaloki
8. Mutant Storm Reloaded
9. Joust
10. Wik: Fable of Souls
Thanks to PJay for passing on the link.
January 21st, 2006 at 6:07 pm
It seems to me that Xbox Live Arcade would be perfect for niche hardcore games rather than casual games, at least the present. The people who have a Xbox 360 right now are hardcore gamers — casual gamers didn’t line up all night long just so they could play Bejeweled on their TV — so it would make sense to create games games that please them.
The top 3 games seem to vindicate this: Geometry Wars, Gauntlet and Smash TV aren’t typical casual games at all. Geometry Wars in particular is quite hard and action-centered, while typical casual games are much slower paced.
January 21st, 2006 at 11:34 pm
For now, that’s true. But that’s with 600K consoles sold to the hard core. 2 years from now, when the volume is big and there are 15-20 million XBox 360s out there, it’ll be different. Even with the early adopter demographic, Bejewelled, Zuma, and Billiards make it in.
January 23rd, 2006 at 4:30 pm
I agree with Phil’s comment. Even though the hardcore gamers are most of the owners right now, non-hardcore players also have exposure via the hardcore gamers.
Let me give you a concrete real life example: My wife (casual gamer) actually plays more xbox360 than I do (more of a hardcore gamer). She’s mastered Hexic (completed nearly all achievements), Billiards, and is working her way through Bejewelled achievements right now.
It’s frustrating to not be able to play sometimes, but we often end up playing together too.
Just because they aren’t at the top of the popularity list right now doesn’t mean that they aren’t financially viable. Sure, in the retail world only the top 10 games make a profit, but I’m willing to bet even the guys at the bottom of the list do OK. The costs are just so much lower.
August 17th, 2006 at 7:22 am
Hi all, I am not a gamer but am now putting my feet into the water into pc games. My maxonline contract is expiring soon and now pondering on taking up the Xbox 360 core promo fm Starhub. But from what I’ve read in the net, lots of people are saying “stay off the core bundle cos its gonna cost you more money buying the accessories..”
One question here..is this Starhub xbox 360 promo designed to squeeze more money out of their customers by offering something less worth the taking?
Second question.. any diff between Xbox and pc games ? Fm what I’ve seen, pc game is more economic than xbox… can anyone comment??
August 18th, 2006 at 11:15 am
Don’t know anything about the promo you mention. Most folks are advising premium because it includes the hard drive, which you’d probably need to add to core anyways. But I don’t yet have an X-Box 360, so I don’t have any personal basis for an opinion