xmiyux

Yes it is - came out last week. I got my copy from Gamefly this evening, played about 20 minutes of it and logged into Gamefly and paid the "Keep it now" price. I think it will be my new obsession for a while and all the achievements are single-player so no having to deal with crappy ranked games (like in Catan and TtR).

Liver&Onions

I like playing the ranked games in those two you cry about mention.

xmiyux

I had heard stories about people just dropping in Catan making it obnoxious. I also played one game of Catan with 3 other friends and the thing took like 2 hours - it was absurd. After that i have refused to play Catan on Live with humans again.

I imagine TtR though isn't too bad since it is a pretty quick game.

Lost Cities is probably the same way. Did you play that one Liver?

Liver&Onions

I tried the demo of LC about a dozen times and it just didn't do it for me.

I exclusively play Catan on Live, and while yes - people sometimes drop, but at this stage of the game's life cycle it's usually people who just want to play. Due to the nature of the game it usually takes ~45 minutes to play, but can be quicker if the rolls lean in a particular direction (I've both won and lost games of margins like 10 - 2,3,and4) quick ones.

And so far TtR is fairly quick(like Carcassonne), depending on how many players you have because a ranked match can have anywhere from 2 - 5. I usually host games and cap it at 3 or 4 people, to help with the pace. Those games are between 20 - 40 minutes.

xmiyux

Good to know. I will have to pop in TtR ranked soon. If for nothing else to try to get my name up there with yours on my Friends leaderboard.

Lost Cities is a simple game but it plays quick and has some neat strategy without having huge long turns because someone is paralyzed with indecision. I actually mainly bought the game to learn how to play it and decide if i wanted to pick up a copy of the tabletop game. Interestingly enough my wife really dug playing Lost Cities against the computer.

tonyc3742

I like Lost Cities but not enough to pay for it. I love Ticket to Ride, I got Carcassone when it was free, and I initially liked Catan but I've grown away from it.
I wish they'd put more "mainstream" board games on; the ones they've chosen have been good, but probably have a limited audience. Then again, many people (such as myself) who won't drop 40 bucks on a hard copy of a blind buy table top game, but 8-12 for an electronic version that I don't need to clean up after or to hunt three people down to play, is very attractive.
Hmm....Illuminati....?....
I'm interested in Civ, I need to try the demo again.

neocheddar02

I love Marble Blast, I'll definitely check out the demo of Switchball this weekend. I had no idea they were even remotely similar-ish

xmiyux

What mainstream games are you thinking? If you say Monopoly you deserve a smack.

I know MS has the rights to Alhambra, Puerto Rico, and Talisman. The guys who do Cosmic Encounter online for the PC told me they were looking at also doing an Xbox Live version. So there are definitely more board games in the pipeline.

The thing is the games they are doing so far have been pretty highly ranked on the board game sites... in particular the Board Game Geek. Puerto Rico is the number one ranked game on the site (with something ridiculous like 10k ratings).

pinata242

Said it before, and I'll say it again: Where the hell is Axis & Allies?

tonyc3742

What's wrong with Monopoly ? although it has been on every console known to man, sometimes multiple times. If it did come out, it better not be 800 points.
Yeah, Axis and Allies is one--although I know it's not really "mainstream", it's more widely known than lots of the Avalon Hill type names. I'm not really sure what I mean by "mainstream". Something at a level between Monopoly and Catan/Carcassone/TIcket to Ride. It just seems like a lot of what they're putting on XBLA are sort of "cult hits", not that there's anything wrong with that, and not that I want yet another iteration of the same game we've seen dozens of times before, or that popularity equals quality. Then again, reviewing the top 50 at BGG, I've heard of maybe 8 of them and played maybe 3 of them. Oh well. Whatever they put out on XBLA (as a trial), I'll download and try, and maybe I'll find some new favorites.
I am looking forward to Talisman. I have honestly never heard of Puerto Rico or Alhambra.
Having browsed some of the lists at BGG, I do see some that look fun and that I could actually play (I don't have a "gaming group" I can rely on, so I'm also looking for games that could be played by a family or extended family). One thing that has always slightly bothered me about the "nonmainstream board game" market is the massive amounts of expansions and add-ons that are available. In one way that's good, but in another it is daunting--do I really need this one, am I missing something important/fun by not getting this kit, what if I accidentally buy an expansion instead of a standalone, if I had waited three months I could have gotten the ultramegaset with everything, etc. Many of them are suited for 4 or more players, and I very rarely have four humans who are willing and interested in committed 2-4 hours to play a game, so cheaper DD versions of some of these games, that include bots or online play, are very attractive to me.

xmiyux

Well the Geek also skews heavily towards Eurogames and kind of spurns what they call "Ameritrash" (yes, there are board game fanboys and flamewars as well).

I also lack a gaming group now and that is why i flip out over them being added to Live. Even if i don't want to deal with people i can play some Catan against the computer and it will give me a run for my money. Same thing with Carcassonne. I really enjoy them taking these top tier board games and converting them because the actual gameplay has been balanced through years of people playing them tabletop.

Also, without a gaming group then expansions to tabletop games aren't a huge deal. Play with your significant other and don't worry about what you might be missing.

Now if i could only follow my own advice and take the plunge and pick up the base game of Arkham Horror. It looks like it has hundreds of chits which kind of scares me off.

Liver&Onions

Hey - let's play something. RIGHT NOW DAMMIT. Start up a game of something (Cat, TtR, Carc, whatever) and invite me.

tonyc3742

Arkham Horror is actually the one I was looking at as well Although I don't know if I have a table big enough. I like that it's cooperative and it seems to be a tension-filled game (in a good way).
Yeah, I love the concept of board games of all kinds on XBLA. Some of them aren't quite worth the price to me, but I've been impressed more often than not.
I've always loved turn based strategy games on consoles, and ultimately that's what most board games are, I guess.

xmiyux

Man, Liver handed my my first losses on TtR last night - two games in a row! The first game i played like an idiot and he just crushed me. The second game was pretty close and i actually thought i had him till the score counted up.

Thanks for the games Liver!

As for Arkham Horror, i really wanted to try it at Origins this year and just never got into a game. The setup looks insane and that is why i think it might be sweet on Live. I know setting up and breaking down Settlers of Catan takes a little while versus hitting the Start button on Catan on Live.

Has anyone played Talisman much tabletop to let us know what we will expect when it hits XBLA?

Liver&Onions

Now if only I could perform like that during ranked matches

argh923

Picking up TtR and Happy Tree Friends tonight (along with Puzzle Quest & the Crossword game on Wednesday). What should I expect from the first two? It will likely be this weekend before I get to play either.

RichC2

They're like the demos, but longer.

discostu1337

lol

argh923

Wow, so insightful.

UncleGramps

Ticket to Ride is pretty straightforward. It's a fun board game.

Happy Tree Friends is kind of a lame Lemmings clone.

Just my two cents, of course.

RichC2

Demos are there for a reason.

argh923

Good point. Heaven forbid I ask about a game when I can just go play the demo, even though I've specifically stated already that I won't have TIME to play until this weekend, and am looking for information in the interim.

This is one of those "if you don't have an answer to the question, don't respond" scenarios.

pinata242

Galaga: Legions (by the Pac-Man CE team) and Portal: Still Alive are due out this year on XBLA.

Raul3

It's that a sequel for the Portal game that was in the Orange Box?

pinata242

Unfortunately, I don't know yet.

http://kotaku.com/5024946/portal-sti...ox-live-arcade

Sounds like the original one in Orange Box + a new mode.