Marathon:  Durandal

By Sandor Hugert

 

This is the new arcade game that came out on the XBOX 360 this week, and I was pretty disappointed.  I’ve never actually played this game before, but I’ve heard all types of good things about it plus the makers are Bungie, which is the company that makes Halo.  I heard that the game is exactly like Doom but possibly even better, and the only difference was that the Marathon games were only created for Macintosh computers.  Doom is one of my favorite games so I had my expectations pretty high for Marathon.  After I bought it for ten dollars, I start playing co-op with my friend, and we were both pretty amazed how weird the game is.  The game doesn’t even come close to how good Doom is, the weapons are dumb, the aliens you’re fighting are weird looking, and considering that everything looks the same in the game it’s almost impossible to find where to go.  The main problem I had with the game is that it gave me a huge headache, which I’ve heard, happens to many people from this game because of the weird colors and graphics in the game, and how you move and aim is also a little weird.  I definitely recommend for anyone to try out the free trial for this game before buying, just like I should have done.  The game probably would have been a lot better if I didn’t get those headaches, so if you’re one of those lucky people that don’t mind the weird colors and graphics than you might enjoy the game a lot, but I didn’t.

 

Score:  4 out of 10

Super Contra

By Sandor Hugert

This game is basically just as good as the first Contra.  It’s still a really fun 2D game, and even more enjoyable when you play with a friend in cooperative mode.  The weapons are really awesome in this game and way better than in the first one.  I guess the levels are better done, but it’s still not that different.  There are levels that are presented in a bird eye view, which doesn’t work that well in Super Contra.  The only bad thing about the game is just how difficult it is.  It’s almost impossible to beat the second level even with a friend, I guess it’s a plus that there are only five levels when you look at it from a difficulty perspective.  The game is still worth five dollars on the XBOX 360 Arcade, so just buy it or at least download a free trial of it because it’s still pretty fun.

Score:  7 out of 10

Best Arcade Games
Doom
By Sandor Hugert

This in my opinion has to be one of the best games ever made to date. It had just about everything that a person looks for in a game. It had great action, game play, and it was just a really cool looking game. Obviously the graphics weren’t all that great, but what do you expect from a game that came out like 10 years ago. The weird thing is that this game was so ahead of its time that even the graphics are still acceptable when you compare it to great new first person shooters such as Half Life. The levels were designed just about perfectly when you see how many little secret areas there are on each level. The little face that you see on the bottom of the screen is also really cool, and that little excited face that he makes when he picks up a weapon is priceless. The music in the game matches it perfectly; it’s basically all rock music that just fits the game really well. If you happen to see this game being sold for any console make sure you buy it, or probably the best version of the game is available on the XBOX 360 arcade shop. If you own an XBOX 360 that make sure to buy it because you won’t be disappointed, I guarantee you. This has to be one of my favorite games ever made.

Score: 9 out of 10

Best Arcade Games
Contra
By Sandor Hugert

This has to be one of the best arcade games ever made up there on the rankings with Doom. This game really just shines with its cooperative game play as you and your buddy battle soldiers and aliens right next to each other. It also has some pretty unique weapon upgrades and some cool jumping levels where you have to jump from one ledge to another. Playing this game alone really isn’t nearly as fun as having your buddy help you out. It’s an extremely fun game to play with your friend, it’s really too bad they didn’t have up to a 4 player cooperative game. It’s still a really fun game with just one of your friends helping you. This game is also available on the XBOX 360 arcade to purchase so make sure to buy this one if you own this console.

Score: 8 out of 10