So here's the deal. You've just earned yourself a fat 6000 points and you're thinking "What do I do now?" The answer, my friends, is clear... get more points! But instead of having to leave your couch to head over to the retail store, rental place, or mailbox; you want to get as many points as you can without even getting up!
That's what Xbox Live Arcade is for!
Well, sort of. The funny thing about the games on Xbox Live Arcade is that their achievement points are actually about having to achieve something. It's pretty difficult in most cases to scam the points in these games, and after all your hard work, the most you're going to get is 200 points out of them. But if there were loopholes, I was intent on finding them.
Of course there are a few Xbox Live Arcade games with points that are so difficult to get that only the most devoted (and desperate) point-collectors will be able to achieve them. With this handy guide, you'll be able to maneuver through the Xbox Live Arcade menus, downloading only the games that offer you the most points possible. Because you don't want to play any game that doesn't have easy points, do you?
Crystal Quest:
Crystal Quest is the Xbox Live Arcade game that has the easiest points to get, and as an added bonus, the game is one of the cheapest on Xbox Live Arcade. The trick to getting the points out of Crystal Quest is to play the game several different ways on several different difficulty levels depending on what type of achievement you're going for. There is one achievement point that's pretty tough to get, and a few that require some patience, but if you apply yourself, you'll get them all.
Crystal Rookie - 5 Points:
You just need to score 10,000 points to get this easy 5.
You should do it in your first game, if you're awake.
Crystal Master - 10 Points:
Getting 1,000,000 points in one game is actually pretty easy on any difficulty, but a little harder at standard difficulty or less, which is what this achievement asks you to do. Put the difficulty at standard (level 5, which is right in the middle of the difficulty bar) and get as many bonus crystals as you can.
Smart-ass - 15 points:
Saving up 30 smarts is pretty easy, considering that you can play through most of the early levels without using them, and there's at least one smart bomb on each level. If you play through on normal difficulty then you should be able to collect these no problem.
Speed Freak - 20 Points:
The key to getting wave 1 finished in 5 seconds or less is the placement of the crystals on the first level. Keep restarting the game until they're all clumped close together and close to the exit and you'll be fine.
NinjaBee announced today they will be bringing a second title to Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Cloning Clyde is a 3D adventure and puzzle game that NinjaBee claims will bring new meaning to the word "schizophrenic".
Cloning Clyde makes full use of Xbox 360’s advanced processing, graphics, sound, and unique Xbox Live online game service features including achievements, leaderboards, online play, and more!
In addition to a single-player story and individual challenging scenarios, enjoy multiplayer split-screen or online play, both co-op and vs. modes, with friends from all over the world.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six makes its next-generation hardware debut in the most dramatic installment of the renowned first-person shooter franchise to date. Rainbow operatives take to the chaotic streets of Las Vegas as an escalating terrorist siege in “Sin City” threatens to take world terrorism to new, uncontrollable heights. The future of global security hangs in the balance as you battle to defend classic Vegas locations and environments like Fremont Street, the Strip and casinos.
Experience Las Vegas like never before – through revolutionary next generation technology as you work against the clock to protect one of the world’s most recognizable cities from utter devastation.
I've attached a link to a version of NESCafe that works through Media Center on the Xbox 360. This is currently setup to run at 480p (Widescreen). You can edit the nes.htm file if it does not fit correctly on your screen. I haven't found a way to add a menu for the roms list so you will have to edit the nes.htm and change to whatever Nes rom you want to play. I've included a Public Domain rom for testing but have verified Zelda1-2, Excitebike, and TecmoBowl and all worked.
INSTALL: You will need to extract the rar into C:Document and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuProgramsAccessoriesMedia CenterMedia Center Programs on your media center box. It took a bit for the icon to show up under More Programs but it finally will.
NOTES: Sound is not functioning, Media Center 2005 is required. If it locks up you will need to run something that warns you that it is a web page and check the box that says "Don't show this again". Once you do that it should run fine. I created an MCL that just went to Google and then checked that box. I've also attached an image with the mapping of the Xbox Controller to the corresponding keyboard keys.
2K Games and Bethesda Softworks announced today that the highly-anticipated role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in stores across North America and will be available at stores in Europe on March 24th.
The long-awaited Oblivion represents the quintessential role-playing experience for the next-generation of gaming, inviting gamers into the sprawling environments of Tamriel, the most vibrant game-world ever created. With a powerful combination of freeform gameplay and lush, unprecedented graphics, gamers can choose to unravel Oblivion's epic narrative or simply explore the vast landscape in search of their own unique challenges.
Microsoft Corp. today announced the broader availability of Xbox 360 consoles and provided details about the new games and entertainment experiences available to gamers this season.
Beginning this week, Microsoft will distribute two to three times the number of Xbox 360 consoles to the retail channel weekly. With component supplies in full production and third manufacturing partner Celestica Inc. now producing the next-generation console along with partners Wistron Corp. and Flextronics Corp., Microsoft is producing more Xbox 360 consoles than ever.
"Today we have turned a major corner," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With more consoles on their way to retail, 80 games available by June, and new content and experiences coming to Xbox Live® all the time, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360."
Blockbuster Games on the Way:
The Xbox 360 games portfolio expands this spring with new next-generation titles from leading developers and publishers that cater to every genre, age, skill level and budget. Gamers can choose from a range of truly next-generation games such as "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (Bethesda Softworks/2K Games), an Xbox 360 console exclusive with beautiful next-generation graphics and a huge world to explore; "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft Entertainment SA), the latest version of the successful Tom Clancy series that once again pushes the boundaries of multiplayer boundaries on Xbox Live; and "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend" (Eidos Interactive Ltd.), the next-generation debut of the very popular Lara Croft series.
In addition, new titles are coming to Xbox Live Arcade all the time, including "Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting," "Uno" and the free full version of "Texas Hold 'Em Poker" by Riverbelle. Great titles that gamers can expect this season include these:
HQ Network: 10,445 | 
Guests: 6391 |
Members: 0
