X-Box 360 Console Review | X-Box Overview

 X-Box 360 Console Review

User Interface (latest update)
For the most part, the GUI for the 360 is easy to use. After booting the system and selecting your user profile, you'll be taken to the dashboard. From the dashboard you have 7 different sections: home, social, games, movies & tv, music, apps and settings. Under home you'll see if a game is loaded in the disc tray, pins and your recent history. Recent will show the last 12 games or apps you've used in order to get back into it quickly. Pins allow you to view whatever you've selected to pin to the front page. The pins are a nice idea but in execution they're pretty useless. It takes forever in order to add something to the pins (at least on my consoles) therefore I just don't bother with them anymore.

The social area allows you to view your friends and visit the avatar store. Under games you'll be able to view your game library and visit the store to purchase games (assuming you have an online connection). Under my games you're able to select between viewing everything, full games, demos, kinect, arcade, indie or game videos. You also have an option to sort by title or most recently used. The games library is basic but gets the job done. Under movies & tv you'll be able to view any videos you've downloaded and access the store. This is an area I hardly ever used on my console as I bought it strictly for gaming, though I imagine there are many people who get some good use out of this section.

Next is the apps tab, where you can access your apps and download new apps. Under my apps you'll be able to access the system music player which allows you play music you've ripped to your hard drive. If you choose to play music while playing a game, the system will mute the in-game music so you'll be able to hear whatever you've selected. The apps are likely the second most commonly used section after games, largely due to apps like Netflix and YouTube. Last but not least we have the settings, which allows you to adjust various console/Kinect/network settings and access your storage device. 

I've always found the storage on the 360 a bit cumbersome to use. This is where you manage all of your files and game-saves. Seeing that this is from the same company that makes Windows, you'd think they'd have an easy way to select multiple files to copy but instead you're forced to either copy all files within the folder or one at a time. This has caused just merely transferring saves to become a drawn-out chore at times. This is something that could have easily been added in any of their numerous patches they've released over the years.

Another area where the 360 struggles is with offline play and at times the profile usage. I've encountered several titles that I had purchased digitally that appear as only the trial version while playing offline. Unfortunately, in some instances the only way I was able to play the games was to connect online, sometimes even when the game has no online functionality. I've run into issues with the profiles where other users on the same system can't play digitally purchased titles, even though they're playing it on the same console I bought the game on! Overall, Microsoft's strict DRM can create some issues for the user, though I suppose it does help cut back a bit on software piracy.

Last but not least I would have appreciated the option to select the dashboard layout style. I know I'm not alone in wanting to use the old "blade" dashboard from the early days of the system but there is no such option to do so other than to mod your system. Overall the user interface on the 360 is rather basic but it is easy to use and find what you're looking for.

Console Varieties
Throughout the lifespan of the Xbox 360, Microsoft would release three different versions of the console. There were of course numerous variants of each console type for special edition bundles and such, but here we are just focused on the three different varieties of the systems.

The Original "Fat" Xbox 360

Originally launched worldwide in 2005-2006, the original Xbox 360 system was sold in several different packages. The biggest difference between the console packages is typically the hard drive space. These are risky to buy these days due to the infamous red-ring of death these commonly suffered from. If you can find one of the later models you should be okay, so make sure to do some research in order to help you identify these before purchasing. This version did not have wireless functionality built in, so if you can't hook it up via cable you'll have to purchase a wi-fi adapter separately (unless of course you intend to just play offline). These older 360's are quite loud, but if you tend to play your games loud like I do it won't be much of an issue.

My first Xbox 360 that I ever owned was the "fat" model, but I was not an early adopter and didn't purchase mine until 2010 so it was well after Microsoft had begun creating more reliable consoles. If I recall correctly it was the Elite model (120 GB hard drive) and was bundled with Resident Evil 5. I was a bit letdown there wasn't any Resident Evil artwork on the console or controller, though they were both at least colored red. This console is still running after all these years, though it has had its share of issues and seems to run a bit slower than the later models. Any video game system that uses a loading tray for the discs is something that is prone to malfunction at some point. These consoles are also prone to overheating issues, so make sure you have it set somewhere it can breathe. These systems can generate enough heat to almost double as a space heater!

Xbox 360 S

The revision of the 360 console, dubbed the "S" or slim model, was released in 2010. These consoles would feature a re-designed motherboard in addition to having wi-fi capabilities built into the system. The console is quite a bit smaller and due to the more efficient innards it operates much more quiet than the original model. There are also a few additional USB slots on the back in addition to the Kinect sensor input. Changing out your hard drive isn't quite as simple as the old systems, but using one of the USB ports you can easily hook up an external drive for extra storage space.

Xbox 360 E

In 2013 Microsoft would release the final revision of the 360 with the "E" model of the system. This is a revision of the "S" model and ditched the angular design for a more rectangular shape. There are a few differences, this model features one less USB port than the S, no YPbPr component or S-video connections and no S/PDIF audio output. The internals are similar to the S, so performance-wise it's going to be mostly the same as that model.

Final Verdict: The Xbox 360 has an incredible library of games and is definitely still worth spending some time with. If you're in the market for the console, I'd recommend the S model first, but if you're unable to find one of those the E model works great too. Buy the old fat models at your own risk, and if you have to go with one of them try to make sure the system at least turns on first!

Related Links:
List of Xbox 360 Retail Configurations - Wikipedia

Explosionade (XBLIG, 2010)

Explosionade
Developed by Mommy's Best Games
Released for Xbox Live Indie Games (10/2010)
Also on PC

Explosionade is the third release from Mommy's Best Games (MBG) for XBLIG. After Weapon of Choice and Shoot 1Up, it was clear that these guys were putting out some of the best games on the service, and Explosionade doesn't disappoint. The game is a 2D run 'n gun with some platforming, where you'll play as a dude in a mech suit blasting everything while working your way to the exit. The game features the same art style as MBG's other efforts and looks far better than your average offering on XBLIG.

In Explosionade players take control of a mech suit while blasting your way through 40 short but action packed levels. The presentation is nice overall with detailed graphics and a zoom feature to help you see more of the playfield when needed. There's some written dialogue before stages every now and then, containing the kind of silliness we've come to expect from the developer. The title allows for a second player to join in on the action for some nice couch co-op. With this being an XBLIG release, there are no options for online co-op.

Explosionade features three difficulty modes: chilled, normal and serious. Different difficulties will have their own enemy arrangements, making for some decent replay value. After choosing a difficulty you also have the option to pick the game speed, ranging from 25% to 200%. Most levels are quite small and can be completed within a few minutes, though there are some secrets tucked away for those who like to explore. There are a total of 40 levels with the option to resume from whatever level you left off on when coming back. There are also 4 boss encounters throughout the game. The game isn't terribly challenging but is still a fun play, and they do have some nice options provided to help boost the difficulty if you so wish. Explosionade is easy to pick up and play due to the fact you're allowed to continue from the last stage you left off at via the main menu.

In addition to your regular firearm, which is conveniently mapped to the right analog stick for easy aiming, you also have a grenade launcher. You're allowed to fire up to three at a time, at which point you'll have to reload. In Explosionade you'll find gold bars scattered about and for every ten collected you'll earn temporary infinite grenades for some real explosive action. The grenades can blow up destructible walls, which will often open a new path in the stage. The game also has the Mommy's Best Games pies scattered about (sometimes hidden) on some of the levels, serving as the games collectibles.

The main menu offers a high score table which keeps track of the top 10 scores. There is also an awards menu, serving as the in-game achievements, but since this is an indie title you won't earn gamerscore for completing these objectives, but it is still a nice feature. The options mode allows you to customize your controls as well as a few various hud and brightness settings. In 2015, five years after the game's initial release on the 360, Explosionade would see a release on Steam, preventing this one from getting completely lost in time. The Steam version also has achievement support, so if you're into 2D mech-shooters you may want to give this one a look.

Final Verdict: Explosionade is a fun 2D mech-shooter/platformer offering up 40 levels of blasting action. Mommy's Best Games were easily some of the best devs putting out games for XBLIG!

Related Links:
Buy Explosionade - Steam
Explosionade - Official Mommy's Best Games Site
Explosionade Dev Delaying Release - Engadget.com
Explosionade - GameFAQs

Battlefield 4 (Xbox 360/One, 2013)

Battlefield 4
Developed by DICE
Published by Electronic Arts
Released for Xbox 360 (10/2013) & Xbox One (11/2013)
Also on PC/PS3/PS4

It's no understatement to say that Battlefield 4 had one of the worst video game launches in recent years. Early on, there were issues even getting into a match and there were numerous bugs. Many people passed up this title completely due to this, which is a shame because as years went by DICE did a great job repairing the game and crafting another excellent shooter. We'll start off talking about the Xbox One version of the game, but the 360 version will also be addressed at the end of this review.

The look and feel of Battlefield 4 is very similar to the third installment, though if you've been playing these games on consoles up to this point then this game is going to be a major upgrade. The player count on conquest has been expanded to 32v32 rather than the 12v12 you'd find on the old consoles. The frame-rate is much smoother when compared to the 360 Battlefield games but the One still struggles to hold a steady 60 fps. Overall the game is much closer to its PC counterpart this time around, at least on the PS4 and the One.

While Battlefield 4 does feature a single-player campaign, it's basically the same old stuff you usually find in military shooter campaigns, following the same routine of shooting waves of enemies before moving to the next checkpoint and doing more of the same. It's not bad, but it doesn't really do much to stand out. I encountered some issues with the game losing my progress in this mode, but I played it back when the game came out and these issues have likely been patched by now. DICE did not include the co-op missions that were featured in Battlefield 3, which is a bummer as I would have liked to see those expanded on. Don't let the so-so single player deter you from trying the game, as the multiplayer is always the main attraction in any Battlefield title.

For some reason DICE feels the need to slightly change up the control scheme with every Battlefield game with quite minimal configuration options, which can make going back and forth between games a bit more of a pain than it should be. The sprint, knife, spot and crouch have all been re-mapped and to players of Battlefield 3 it will take some getting used to. They also felt the need to change up the progression system a bit with the introduction of "battlepacks" to the series. As you level up you'll earn battlepacks which will contain random accessories for your guns and XP boosts. Using a particular weapon will also unlock battlepacks for that specific gun. When an XP boost is used, they only grant the bonus experience to the individual player that activated rather than your entire squad. There is also the option to pay real world money to unlock battlepacks, but don't fall for it as you'll unlock plenty of these through regular play and they mostly just give you the worthless XP boosts anyways..

The squad perk system has changed up quite a bit in this entry as well. In Battlefield 3, you could equip your chosen spec and receive the perks the whole time you play. In Battlefield 4 you now have a meter that is filled by completing "squad actions" such as healing, spotting, reviving, etc. The spec meter has four tiers and each time you fill the bar to a tier you'll receive one of the perks. When all squad members are dead simultaneously the bar will deplete. I never cared for this system since I often play with random people who love running straight into death.

Despite all the numerous issues with Battlefield 4 (especially in the game's first year), there are several aspects of the game that were improved from the previous versions. You are now allowed up to five members per squad where the previous titles would allow only four. Commander mode has made it's return to the series, which has been missing in action since Battlefield 2142 from 2006. The commander is able to issue squad orders and when certain objectives are held they are able to assist the team with supply drops, vehicle drops, UAV scans, radar jams and even drop a missile down.

Soldier classes feature some interesting new gadgets to mess around with. This time around there are some excellent vehicle additions, including the powerful heavy boats and mobile artillery launchers. The LAV and tanks don't seem quite as effective as in the previous game but are still a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately the tanks can no longer seat three players like in Battlefield 3, now allowing only a driver and gunner (the third seat allowed a player to spot and laser paint targets). The helicopters and jets are still extremely deadly in capable hands. There's a great variety of vehicles to use and it really helps keep the game fresh so you're not always doing the same thing. There's a new feature that allows you to counter-attack while being knifed and is one of my biggest gripes about this game. It's not very reliable and it really sucks to sneak up behind a guy and have him dead to rights yet you end up getting knifed thanks to this stupid counter-attack.

Battlefield 4 included ten maps in the base game and in many respects these maps were more of a return to form for the series, featuring sprawling maps as opposed to the somewhat cluttered maps of Battlefield 3. Zavod 311 is a tank graveyard of sorts, with a warehouse in the center of the maps for some intense firefights. Lancang Dam is one of the less enjoyable maps with a rather boring layout featuring a dam, an island and a few buildings. The scout choppers and boats do help salvage the map a little bit though. Flood Zone is an interesting map that takes place in a shantytown where a dam can be blown open to flood the map. Golmud Railway is a large map with one of the capture points on a moving train. Paracel Storm is an excellent naval focused map featuring boats and scout helicopters (in my opinion one of the best maps in the game). Operation Locker is the "meat-grinder" map of the bunch with infantry only and tons of choke points for lots of kills. Hainan Resort takes place on the shores of Hainan and features a large hotel in the center for teams to battle over control of. Seige of Shanghai takes place in downtown Shanghai and contains a large skyscraper in the center. Rogue Transmission has a very large radio telescope in the center and has some excellent tank/helicopter/jet warfare. Dawnbreaker is set in downtown Hong Kong right in the middle of a sprawling city. Dawnbreaker is definitely one of my least favorite maps, due a large part to a lack of destructible environments. None of the buildings can be taken down and you can barely even damage the walls on a majority of them. Overall this is a solid map lineup in the core game.

In addition to the the standard conquest mode, Battlefield 4 features several other modes of play, but these days the only ones besides conquest that you're likely to find a game on are rush and team deathmatch. Rush is still a fun objective-based mode, with one team attacking while the other defends. The firefights are bit more confined than conquest and it can get pretty intense at times (player count is reduced to 32). Team deathmatch can a good time if you don't feel like having to mind any objectives and want to just shoot at people. Personally, I don't play much other than conquest but I know there are players out there that enjoy these three particular modes.

Battlefield 4 uses DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, and one of the big new features here is the "levolution" events that can be triggered within the maps. When key events are triggered (usually blowing up a certain support spot) there will be some sort of event that drastically change up areas of the map. For instance, on the Siege of Shanghai map typically the skyscraper has a capture point on the rooftops. If you blow out the support columns at the base of the building it will topple over and the capture point will now be in the rubble. These are all admittedly pretty cool the first couple of times you experience them. The main problem with "levolution" is that these are all predetermined, so if you've seen that skyscraper topple over once it'll be exactly the same every time after. Hopefully in future Frostbite engine updates the games will have more dynamic destruction physics. DICE did a good job adding in some interactivity in the maps, featuring elevators that can be used, doors that can be open/closed and bollards that can be activated to block vehicle entry.

I must say, the Battlefield games in general (and many online competitive games for that matter) can be either incredibly rewarding or frustrating, and much of that depends on your squadmates. If you can function as a unit it can be a grand ol' time, but if everybody wanders off just trying to do their own thing the game can become a miserable experience at times. I give DICE credit for stabilizing everything after the game's rocky launch, providing multiple updates to the title pretty much up until Battlefield 1 launched. They were even kind enough to offer a few new maps outside of the DLC so all players would have access regardless of whether they've purchased the season pass.

The Xbox 360 Port
Battlefield 4 came out for the Xbox 360 a month before it would come out for the One, but it never felt very optimized to run on the aging hardware. The game was plagued with some pretty bad issues for the initial months after release and while some were fixed in patches there were many that stayed with the game. The Operation Dawnbreaker and Hainan Resort maps were a guaranteed system-freeze every time making the maps virtually unplayable, fortunately these were fixed in later patches and are now playable. Sometimes the game struggles to load the assets in at the start of rounds, not only with the graphics but also with the audio. Spawning in a tank at the beginning of the round will often be presented in low-res blocky polygons, taking around a minute before the proper graphics load in. While in low-res mode the tank also bobbles around for no apparent reason other than poor optimization. Another glitch happens upon spawning in there is a strange delay before your character pulls up their weapon. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've died spawning in and unable to defend myself because my gun hadn't loaded in yet!

The game's overall performance definitely feels like a step down from Battlefield 3 and even the Bad Company games. The frame-rate definitely doesn't keep up as well and your soldier at times has major issues jumping over objects in your path. It's another one of those cases where the company was more concerned with the newer consoles as far as development goes and the old console ports were more of an afterthought. The game is by all means still playable it's just not optimized as well as the Xbox One version of the game. I also want to mention that the game will take up a massive amount of hardware space compared to your typical 360 game. Once you've downloaded all of the patches and updates, the game will take around 22 GB without installing the disc, so make sure you have the required drive space if you intend on getting this game!

Final Verdict: Battlefield 4 is a solid squad-based online FPS on the One, but if you're still gaming on the 360 I'd suggest going with one of the older Battlefield titles for a better experience.

Battlefield 4 Premium Pass/DLC

Just like Battlefield 3 (and likely every entry after), Battlefield 4 featured a Premium Pass you could purchase to gain access to all DLC released for the game. These can be purchased individually but are priced so you get the best value just getting the pass. If you're looking to purchase a physical copy of the game there are Premium versions with the pass included. There were five different map packs released for Battlefield 4 and I'll go into each of them briefly.

Second Assualt gives you four maps that were all featured in Battlefield 3. These were all excellent additions and it was great seeing some of the Frostbite engine's new features implemented into them. The China Rising map pack features four more maps, several of which were quite large and allowed for some nice vehicular warfare. Naval Strike was the third map pack, featuring four naval-themed maps to set itself apart from the other packs. Next came Dragon's Teeth, featuring four China maps each with urban settings. The last map pack would be Final Stand, which had four large maps set in Russia with lots of snowy landscapes. These maps showcase some of the futuristic tech that was seen in Battlefield 2142. Overall DICE did an excellent job with the map packs, providing a nice variety to the map design and with only a few stinkers among the bunch (personally I didn't care for Final Stand but enjoyed all the others). Unfortunately it can be quite rare to find anybody playing the DLC maps so it's hard to really recommend the Premium Pass.

Late in the game's life span, DICE was nice enough to give players a few free maps. First was Zavod: Graveyard Shift. It's the same map as Zavod 311, but at night-time, giving you a good chance to finally use those thermal optics on your tank. The final map released for Battlefield 4 was Operation Outbreak. This map was developed by letting the community vote on the map layout, and the end result was a fun jungle map. The problem with these last two maps is that they were always placed in server rotations by themselves, and players quickly grew tired of playing the same map over and over.

Final Verdict: While the maps included in the Premium Pass are good fun for the most part, finding active servers for these is pretty rare these days. Worth it only if you can find it cheap.

Purchase Links:
Buy Battlefield 4 (Xbox One - Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Battlefield 4 (Xbox 360 - Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Search Battlefield 4 (Xbox One - Disc) - eBay
Search Battlefield 4 (Xbox 360 - Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
General Battlefield Tips & Tactics - X-Box Overview 
Battlefield 4 - Official Site 
Buy Battlefield 4 on Xbox One - Microsoft Store 
Buy Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360 - Xbox Marketplace 

Zombie Estate II (XBLIG, 2013)

Zombie Estate II
Developed by JeremyVerchick48
Released for XBLIG (4/2013)
Also on PC

Zombie Estate II plays and looks much like the original title (review here), but this time around you have four different environments to choose from for some needed variety. Levels include the estate, high school, shopping mall and skyscraper rooftops. There are tons of unlockables this time around, including characters and hats that will grant you bonus stats. These will be unlocked by spending points earned from playing well. There are also over eighty guns to mess around with. The game takes what was good about the original and piles on quite a bit more content. There is still support for up to four-players local and a much better variety of enemy types this time around, in addition to much more detailed environments to do your zombie blasting in. The pixelated gore is pretty nasty as zombies satisfyingly get reduced to bloody chunks as you mow them down. The game offers three difficulties (casual, hard and insane) that go for fifteen waves and there is also an endless mode. Zombies will drop ammo and money as you kill them, which can be spent between rounds to purchase new weapons. The game is simple yet fun and offers up a decent challenge at the same time. The Zombie Estate series is, in my opinion, one of the better zombie shooters available on XBLIG. The game would later see a release on Steam with some additional content.

Final Verdict: Zombie Estate II is an excellent sequel and delivers quite a bit more content than the original. The four-player mode is a blast with some buddies!

Related Links:
Zombie Estate I & II - Official Site
Zombie Estate II - Steam
Zombie Estate II Official Trailer - YouTube
Zombie Estate - Xbox Overview
Zombie Estate II - GameFAQs
Zombie Estate II - Steam

The Little Acre (Xbox One, 2016)

The Little Acre
Developed by Pewter Games
Published by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (12/2016)
Also on iOS/Linux/Mac/PC/PS4

The Little Acre is a point & click style adventure game with some very nice looking HD artwork. It looks very much like an old-school cartoon from before the CGI takeover. The game packs a ton of charm and offers some fun puzzles though it is very short in length.

As already stated, the graphics in the Little Acre look like an old-school cartoon featuring a style I'd compare to something from Disney or Don Bluth back in the day, but presented in HD glory. The voice acting and music are both very well executed and compliment the visuals nicely. As for the game's puzzles, some of the solutions here are a bit odd but there's nothing you can't figure out with a little messing around. The controls are simple and responsive, making it easy to interact with stuff and your inventory. The game switches up between characters quite a bit, but their fates are intertwined and it will come together by the end of the game. The story is a bit strange and involves teleporting to another dimension, but I'll leave the details out of this review as I don't want to spoil the game for those who might go on to play it.

The biggest issue I can see most having with the Little Acre is that it ends too fast. The game has an achievement for completing the game in less than an hour so this should be a clear indicator of just how short this title is. If you go about playing the game on your own with no guide you can expect anywhere between 2-5 hours of gameplay. Personally I didn't find short length of the game to be an issue as I got it dirt cheap but I can see those who paid full price perhaps feeling a bit burned. While more would have been nice what is here plays well and I enjoyed my time with the game. I did run into one part of the game where the sprites had some minor clipping issues, but other than that the game ran smooth. If you're a big point 'n click adventure game fan I recommend giving the Little Acre a look. I hope we see more from Pewter Games in the future, I'd really like to see some more games done with this style of animation.

Final Verdict: The Little Acre is a short but sweet point 'n click adventure game. The graphics are pretty, the characters are likable and game oozes with charm. Recommended for fans of the genre, but you may want to wait for a sale price due to the game's short length..

Related Links:
The Little Acre - Microsoft Store
The Little Acre - GameFAQs
Pewter Games Studios - Official Website

Solitaire HD (Xbox One, 2017)

Solitaire HD
Developed by Bernardo Zamora
Published by Iron Apps
Released for Xbox One (7/2017)
Also on PC/Mobile

 

The Creators Program (formerly known as the Creator's Collection) storefront on the Xbox One hasn't really made much noise (most Xbox users probably don't even know it exists), and with just a quick browse through the titles available it's easy to see why. For the most part, the games look like low-end mobile games with very simple game-play. So among the many uninteresting titles on the service, somehow Solitaire HD stands out a bit. I've always enjoyed a good game of solitaire every now and then, so let's take a look and see how this version plays.

Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (XBLA, 2011)

Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection
Developed by Midway/Other Ocean Interactive
Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Released for Xbox Live Arcade (8/2011)
Also on PC/PS3

Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (why not Arkade) was released in 2011 and boasted to have the original arcade versions of the first three entries in the series. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was previously released on XBLA but had since been de-listed, so it was nice to see that game make a return in some form. The games all featured support for both local and online versus battles. Let's start off with a brief look at each game:

The original Mortal Kombat game came out way back in 1992. I remember thinking this game looked pretty sweet all those years ago, but looking at it in modern times the first entry in the series really hasn't aged all that well. While the game does seem pretty accurate to the arcade version, the move-sets are quite limited and the characters all play alike except for a few special moves. There's only seven fighters to choose from, and while they are a colorful crew it just feels a bit lacking. Thanks to nostalgia, I'll personally always be able to play and enjoy the original Mortal Kombat but its simplicity will probably bore most of those who didn't grow up with it.

Mortal Kombat II hit arcades in 1993, just one year after the first title. Midway went all-out on this sequel and added in a bunch of new characters, fatalities and secrets. The new characters were all welcome additions and everything about the gameplay just felt better the second time around. There were more moves, better graphics and nastier gore. In my opinion, the second game was always the best in the series when it came to the original arcade Mortal Kombat games and the version included here is a solid port of the arcade.

Mortal Kombat 3 (for some reason they didn't use roman numerals this time) would release in 1995 and would receive an update that same year, titled Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. The Ultimate version of the game added in some fan-favorites and is considered by many to be the best version of MK3. The version included in the XBLA trilogy doesn't feel like it was ported from the original arcade code, feeling more like one of the console ports of the time. The character sprites look low-resolution and the colors feel a bit washed out. The game looks quite a bit worse than the previous two and I'm sure that wasn't the case with the arcade version of this game. Personally I was never a big fan of the third game but if it was your favorite beware this is no perfect port. It's still totally playable if you're willing to use the goofy run button and memorize lengthy combo chains.

The games all feature support for both local and online versus competition. While it can be tough to find a random lobby, if you have a friend with the game on Xbox Live and are able to play it the netcode is above average. You'll want to play against a friend for maximum enjoyment as the computer AI in all three games can be downright brutal and cheap. The options and settings are bare minimum but it does at least have a graphics filters and screen-size options. While definitely not a perfect compilation, Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection is still a nice blast of nostalgia for those '90's folks that remember these games. I would have liked to have seen the inclusion of Mortal Kombat 4, which was the last MK title to release as a proper arcade, but for some reason they never bother (likely due to emulating the 3D hardware of the time). The standard Xbox controller isn't the best for these types of games, which are definitely best experienced with an arcade joystick.

Final Verdict: If you're a fan of the original trilogy of Mortal Kombat games, you will enjoy Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection. Nostalgia member-berries galore with this one.

Related Links:
Buy Mortal Kombat Arcade - Xbox Marketplace
Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment - Official Site 
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection - Metacritic
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection - GameFAQs
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection - True Achievements

Pill Mania HD (Xbox One, 2018)

Pill Mania HD
Developed by Sprakelsoft
Released for Xbox One (3/2018)
Also on iOS

Pill Mania HD is a port of a mobile game released way back in 2013, and to be quite frank that's exactly what it feels like. The game comes from Sprakelsoft, the same folks who brought us the underwhelming Croc's World. The game is a blatant Dr. Mario rip-off, to the point Nintendo might be able to take legal action should they choose to do so. Just being a rip-off alone doesn't make a game bad, but unfortunately Pill Mania HD just doesn't measure up to the game it mimics.

L.A. Noire (Xbox 360, 2011)

L.A. Noire
Developed by Team Bondi
Published by Rockstar Games
Released for Xbox 360 (5/17/2011) | Xbox One (11/14/2017)
Also on PS3/PS4/Switch

L.A. Noire puts you in the shoes of police officer Cole Phelps as you investigate the seedy underbelly of 1947 Los Angeles. The game had a rocky 7 year development cycle and it became known after release that the business practices at Team Bondi weren't exactly ethical. Despite all the issues plaguing the game during its creation, the final product turned out quite well. The title feels right at home under the Rockstar Games label and in 2017 would see an updated port to newer systems. However this review was written while playing through the Xbox 360 version.

L.A. Noire features a nice sized chunk of Los Angeles for you to explore. The environment is well detailed as you'd expect from an open-world Rockstar published title. According to the developers, 1947 Los Angeles has been 90% recreated in accurate detail. The characters in the game feature some of the most realistic facial features that had been seen in a game at the time of the release. The voice acting is superb and the sound/music design fits the action perfectly. Radio stations play music proper to the '40's, and fans of the Fallout games will recognize a few of these tracks. Overall, the visual and sound design is rock solid.

While L.A. Noire is an open-world game, it tends to be more linear than most others in this genre. The cases generally have a set path you're going to follow, sometimes with a few options as to where to go next. You do have the option to answer your radio during a case to take on street crimes which serve as side missions, but these are completely optional. As you work your way through each case, you'll usually begin by investigating the crime scene. Here you'll search around and examine clues, which will usually give you a lead as to where to go next. You'll also frequently be able to interrogate witnesses and suspects and will have to decide whether you believe what they're saying. You have the option of truth, doubt or lie during the interrogation sequences. If you accuse somebody of a lie you'll be able to select from a list of all the evidence from the case to back it up. The game has distinct musical cues to let you know if you made the proper assumption.

Cases in L.A. Noire will also feature action segments and you'll engage if fist fights, shootouts, tailing missions and chases. These are all well done and are diverse enough so that it doesn't feel like you're constantly doing the same thing. If you fail an action sequence a couple times, the game will give you the option to skip ahead so the game should be accessible to anybody. My only gripe with the action segments would be a few of the tailing missions aren't that fun, but I don't really enjoy these types of missions in general so it's just my opinion. As you complete cases you'll move up in rank, staring as a patrol officer and moving up to traffic, homicide, vice, etc. Each time you're assigned a new desk you'll also receive a new partner who will follow you around and provide assistance. For an NPC they do a good job of staying out of the way and I never once had any issues with them walking in front of my gunfire or anything like that.

Scattered around the city are a few types of collectibles in the form of golden film reels, hidden vehicles and landmarks. The hidden vehicles will be revealed on the map as you level up, however the landmarks and golden film reels you'll have to seek out on your own (or with a guide of course). In order to obtain a full 100%, you'll also have to operate each type of vehicle in the game, of which there are 95. This will no doubt prove to be a bit lame as many vehicles look the same, making them hard to distinguish from one another, not to mention it feels a bit out of place with a detective hi-jacking civilian vehicles all over the place. Also required for completion is to obtain a 5-star rank in every case, which means you'll need to find all clues and correctly branch most questions during interrogations. Those expecting to run around in free roam causing chaos like the Grand Theft Auto games will likely be a bit letdown as there's not really a whole lot to do in the world except look for cars and collectibles. You can cause some damage and injure civilians, but these will affect your case ranking and are therefore discouraged.

L.A. Noire is a fresh, fantastic experience in the realm of open-world games, but no game is without its flaws so I'll take this section to point out the issues I had with the game. The framerate is constantly dipping under the 30 FPS mark, especially easy to notice when driving around. While it is annoying and does detract a bit from the overall presentation, the game is still very playable as is and I never really had any issues lining up shots or anything like that. Still, it does feel like the game could have been optimized a bit better, but I suppose that's what the re-release on the newer systems is for. There is a bit of graphic pop-up in the distance while driving around but after playing for a while you'll hardly notice. While the facial animations on the characters are very impressive, a few of them are a bit over-exaggerated and look a bit silly. Whenever a character is out of focus they look quite pixelated, likely a sign of the hardware limitations. Many textures look low-res, even when close up, and clash with the surrounding environment. Civilian cars occasionally disappear into thin air, though this was not a frequent occurrence. The dithering effect used for shading is quite tacky and stands out, though this is a common effect developers used during this console generation. These issues are for the most part minor in the grand scheme of things, and none of them diminished my enjoyment of the game but I did want to at least point out the issues I had with the game.

L.A. Noire is definitely one of the more unique open-world titles I've played and does a commendable job in creating a world with believable characters and interesting scenarios. The 1947 time period is wonderfully represented and there's an air of realism to the whole ordeal. The rank progression system works well in delivering some variety with the cases. If you somehow skipped over this one like I did and you enjoy open-world/detective/cop games, do yourself a favor and give this one a go!

Final Verdict: L.A. Noire is a fantastic open-world cop/detective game where you take on the criminal element in 1947 Los Angeles. Don't miss out on this one!

Rockstar Season Pass

L.A. Noire would receive downloadable content in the form of four additional cases. If you purchased the Rockstar Season Pass then you are granted access to each of them or they can be purchased individually. The cases fit right into the main story to the point where it feels like they were just chopped out at some point to make a few extra bucks. The cases themselves are all fun however so at least the content is worth playing. While it does bother me a bit these weren't just included in the game, in this generation of video games DLC is pretty much standard for big-budget releases like this. If you see the Season Pass on sale for cheap I'd definitely recommend giving these a go!

Final Verdict: The Rockstar Season Pass provides four additional cases that fit right in with the original material. If you like the core game you'll enjoy these too!

Purchase Links:
Buy L.A. Noire (Xbox One Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy L.A. Noire (Xbox One Disc) - eBay
Buy L.A. Noire (Xbox 360 Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Buy L.A. Noire (Xbox 360 Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Open-World Games - Xbox Overview
Rockstar Games - Xbox Overview
Rockstar Games - Official Site
Whistleblowing at Team Bondi - Games Industry
L.A. Noire - Metacritic
L.A. Noire - GameFAQs
L.A. Noire Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Handy Vehicle Loactions Thread - Playstation Trophies