RunDLC Thoughts: Microsoft's Unstoppable March

So a couple of days ago, I wrote a piece for another website called Defending Digital Downloads, explaining why purchasing digital games and DLC wasn't the end of the world for the video game industry, but rather a new beginning that opened more doors than anyone could expect.  So I wouldn't leave RunDLC in the dark, I decided to write up a follow-up piece talking about one particular company's upcoming slate, and how these games alone could push a company to the forefront.  So enjoy these deep RunDLC Thoughts from yours truly, and if you want more, hey, there's plenty in my noggin...

So last week at Microsoft's X10 event, the company revealed its upcoming slate of Xbox Live Arcade games heading our way next month, as part of a "Block Party" line-up.  Included in this line-up are the previously announced Game Room, Rare's long-awaited port of Perfect Dark, Slick Entertainment's vehicular combat game Scrap Metal, and the real-time strategy game Toy Soldiers.  (Capcom also separately announced that Mega Man 10 would arrive on XBL at the end of the month, on March 31st.)

Now, Xbox Live hasn't been slacking as of late.  Last week, the service finally got a dedicated release in the Darwinia series (review coming this week), and this week brings 2K Play's long-awaited The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.  But this March slate certainly looks unbeatable.  Let's examine each entry and why they're so important to this service...

Toy Soldiers -- Now, we know that Xbox Live has no shortage of RTS games, between Darwinia + and the somewhat impressive Defense Grid.  However, approachability is a key factor for this genre.  After all, if there's no appeal to the characters you're playing as, then what's the point of fighting the war in the first place?  Toy Soldiers utilizes actual toy soldiers, tanks and so on.  Not only does this reach back to the psyche with the toys we played with growing up (well, SOME of us played with -- obviously the NES took up a lot of our time, heh), but it also identifies with characters previously introduced in the Toy Story films.  You know, that bucket of soldiers led by the captain voiced by R. Lee Ermey?  On top of that, Signal Studios is bringing out the finer aspects of how the game plays, making it approachable to newcomers while, at the same time, offering the same kind of addictive gameplay that draws in the most hardcore of RTS players.  As you can see from our preview, there's a lot to look forward to in this game, and we can't wait for it to kick off the Block Party come March 3rd.

Perfect Dark -- C'mon, it's frickin' Perfect Dark.  We've been talking about it for months, starting back in our preview and through various news stories.  I can recall playing it back on the Nintendo 64, installing my Expansion Pak for the first time (which was surprisingly easy for a hardware modification) and shooting it up with friends in four-player combat.  The Xbox LIve version will be even better, I believe, with its online support (various players through Xbox Live, as well as local split-screen multiplayer, like the good ol' days), its much-improved visuals, its rumored bonus missions and weapons (bring back the Klobb!), and so much more.  The sheer intensity of the original game should be intact as well, making each mission fun to play all over again.  And considering we'll never get Goldeneye on Xbox Live (at least, not in the foreseeable future), this is definitely a good alternative to have.  Best of all, we don't need to screw around with an Expansion Pak.  Bring on the Dark.

Scrap Metal -- Slick Entertainment may be one of the best "sleeper" development teams out there.  Almost two years ago, the company produced the stellar N+, a skillful platform game with immense challenges and hundreds of rooms to run through.  Granted, you died a thousand times or so, but that just came with the territory.  With Scrap Metal, the company now tackles a new idea, one that David Jaffe and his team at Incognito perfected with its Twisted Metal games.  Vehicular combat is the name of the game here, and you'll battle enemies either locally or through Xbox Live from an isometric perspective.  This is a novel approach to such a game, rather than sitting in a behind-the-car perspective where you can't see opponents sneaking up behind you.  The in-game visuals and sound are impressive thus far, and we have full confidence that the controls will be up to snuff as well.  This will be the game that really establishes Slick Entertainment, solidifying its place in digital development.  After this, we can't wait to see what's next.  N+ II, perhaps?  Or would that be N++?

Game Room -- You may consider this just another way to exploit arcade classics, but Game Room works much deeper than that.  Microsoft's latest project recreates the atmosphere of playing in arcades, something that's been missing for YEARS now.  For a matter of three bucks per game (or 50 cents for two plays, depending which option you take), you can relive the good ol' days that your parents (or you yourself, depending on your age) went through, playing such long-lost favorites as Super Cobra, Tutankhamen, Pitfall, Tempest...the list goes on.  Now, while it is sad we'll never see anything with a Teen or Mature rating entering the fold (I guess Mortal Kombat won't get any love here -- but we have Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, so no biggie), there are literally hundreds of games that can get their chance to shine again, including games people never picked up on in the first place.  How intrigued would a modern-day RPG player be checking out the Atari 2600 classic Adventure for the first time, discovering the roots in which his or her favorite genre came from?  That's a history lesson worth seeing right there.  Plus, being able to design your own arcade any way you see fit is unbelievable.  I remember when I was a kid, drawing up plans for hours on end as I created my dream arcade, putting the racing machines in front and the classics along a row on the top in back.  (Next to a bar, of course.)  Granted, I never had the funds to bring this arcade to fruition (and nowadays, the demand is very low for it unless the words Dave or Buster's is in the title), but now I can do it virtually and create my gaming place any way I see fit, complete with Intellivision man in the center of the room.  This alone adds great potential to not only the Game Room, but the Xbox Live service in general.  Invite your friends and challenge them to high score contests all night if you want.  Granted, it's not as addictive as, say, Modern Warfare 2 sessions, but it's nice to have anyway.  I think this service will go a long way for Microsoft, and I welcome the new additions it'll bring to it.  Game Room is going to bring classic gaming back in a whole new way.  And I fully encourage it.

Mega Man 10 -- Finally, there's Mega Man.  Now, while it is a bummer that XBLA subscribers will get the game last (it's slated to hit the Wii Shop Channel on March 1st and PlayStation Network March 11th), it'll still be worth the wait.  Capcom has tinkered the difficulty so it's not so heinously difficult this time around (although we appreciated that in Mega Man 9), and plenty of new boss enemies will make this game a blast to play through (bring it, Sheep Man!).  We're looking forward to this one on XBL, even though we'll review it shortly after it hits on March 1st, as a service to our RunDLC readers.  Xbox owners should stick it out, though.  There's plenty for you to play in the meantime.

Now, some key additions would make March even more unbeatable, like Quake Arena Arcade, After Burner Climax and Raystorm HD, but we won't be picky.  March is already looking like an amazing month for the service, and that's not even counting the Modern Warfare 2 DLC, the new Rock Band/Guitar Hero songs (did someone say Whitesnake?) and more.  Now it's just a matter of buying enough points to keep up with it all...