Xbox Live Arcade on Life Support

Xbox Live Arcade is in a slump at the moment. Since the release of Carcassone in late June, it's been a parade of mundane retro revivals and a distinctly appalling reimagining of a classic PC franchise. In case you don't know what I mean, Wing Commander Arena was release last week as proof that you could take a tried-and-true formula (piloting and blasting space ships) and throw it straight into the toilet.

This atrocity was paired, in typical XBLA fashion with a weak retro release, Super Contra. These two-fer releases on XBLA aren't a bad idea at all if they can put out quality product instead of the same uninspired shovelware.

As for this week's games, I really wanted to like Marathon: Durandal. I'm aware of all the rose-tinted love for the original game released on the Mac way back in the DOOM era. Playing the trial, I got the sense that it does stand toe-to-toe with -- and in some way even exceeds -- the classic id Software shooter. The game features dual-wielding weapons (a first in shooters) and full camera look along X and Y axis, features that were done much later in games like Rise of the Triad and Quake.

Unfortunately, playing the trial for Marathon made me realize just how poorly FPSs age. More so than in other genres, shooters rely on compelling, high quality graphics to up the immersion factor. The cutout, faux 3D graphics of Marathon didn't draw me in at all. Sadly, the game really just serves more as a history lesson, providing a perspective on just how far graphics technology as come as well as giving us a peek at Bungie's earlier projects before the grand behemoth that has become the Halo series.

I have yet to try out the Spyglass Board Games trial, but all accounts point towards it being pretty lame. I am hoping the quality of Arcade game picks up over the next few weeks. Unless they are given the proper attention due to them, I could care less if no more retro titles ever see the light of day on XBLA. Give us some innovative games developed by independents. Give us more addictive puzzle games. Give us more addictive board game translations.

Please, just make some of these games worth their value in overpriced Microsoft Points!