The cynical amongst you might be a little, well, cynical, about the recent physical media release of triple play.  It might seem a little odd that Microsoft would release three of the best selling XBox Live Arcade games onto physical media when they’re already available as downloads.  You may even be thinking something along the lines of “just milking the cash”.

But I’m probably the most cynical person I know, and I’m loving that Microsoft have done this.  I’ve wanted to play two of the titles for some time, but the combination of not wanting to pay for something I will never totally own, and having a small HD that fills up way too fast, has put me off downloading any Arcade titles for my XBox.

And now I don’t have to!

The first game, Trials HD is not an original title in the least.  I’ve played similar games on websites for free.  It’s essentially a side scrolling, physics based motorcycle racing game.  The big difference between Trails HD and the free website games is in the presentation, and in just how good it feels playing it with a controller that enables a heck of a lot more responsiveness.

It’s at once addictive as hell, but soon becomes maddeningly challenging.  It’s an absolute blast to play, and you’ll find it really hard to put down.

The second game is one of the most original and disturbing games I’ve seen for a while.  It’s also one of the simplest concepts you’ll likely see on a console.

Limbo is a gray scale side scrolling adventure/plaform/puzzler that has a eery atmospheric style that will seduce you and take your soul captive.  You play the role of a small child trying to escape a dreamlike world.  It’s essentially a trial by death game as you learn from your mistakes, killing the child over and over again.

Finally there’s Splosion Man, a traditional platformer with a difference – you play a character that explodes with a ferocity that will propel you through the many levels.  It’s an interesting twist on the genre and works really well, but for me is the lesser of the three titles.

If you, like me, have never tried the wonderful world of XBox Live Arcade, then this is the place you should start, you won’t regret it.

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The cynical amongst you might be a little, well, cynical, about the recent physical media release of triple play.  It might seem a little odd that Microsoft would release three of the best selling XBox Live Arcade games onto physical media when they’re already available as downloads.  You may even be thinking something along the lines of “just milking the cash”.

But I’m probably the most cynical person I know, and I’m loving that Microsoft have done this.  I’ve wanted to play two of the titles for some time, but the combination of not wanting to pay for something I will never totally own, and having a small HD that fills up way too fast, has put me off downloading any Arcade titles for my XBox.

And now I don’t have to!

The first game, Trials HD is not an original title in the least.  I’ve played similar games on websites for free.  It’s essentially a side scrolling, physics based motorcycle racing game.  The big difference between Trails HD and the free website games is in the presentation, and in just how good it feels playing it with a controller that enables a heck of a lot more responsiveness.

It’s at once addictive as hell, but soon becomes maddeningly challenging.  It’s an absolute blast to play, and you’ll find it really hard to put down.

The second game is one of the most original and disturbing games I’ve seen for a while.  It’s also one of the simplest concepts you’ll likely see on a console.

Limbo is a gray scale side scrolling adventure/plaform/puzzler that has a eery atmospheric style that will seduce you and take your soul captive.  You play the role of a small child trying to escape a dreamlike world.  It’s essentially a trial by death game as you learn from your mistakes, killing the child over and over again.

Finally there’s Splosion Man, a traditional platformer with a difference – you play a character that explodes with a ferocity that will propel you through the many levels.  It’s an interesting twist on the genre and works really well, but for me is the lesser of the three titles.

If you, like me, have never tried the wonderful world of XBox Live Arcade, then this is the place you should start, you won’t regret it.