Feature: The Download Roundup: March 2007 Subscribe to this RSS feed
Xbox Live Marketplace
Samantha Micelli as you've never seen her before.
The Xbox Live Marketplace was alive with activity in March, producing some of the best content the service has ever seen. On the arcade front, Microsoft managed four straight weeks of stellar games. The month started with Worms, which may not have been as feature-rich as some of the recent disc releases, but made up for it with fun and simple online gameplay. Up next was the 1989 coin-op version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At 400 points, TMNT is an absolute steal, and a must-play, especially if you can round up three friends to play alongside or with online. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night may betray the very notion of what an arcade is, what with its expansive storyline and deep, involving gameplay, but there's no denying that it's one of the flagship titles for the Castlevania franchise, and a great action RPG for a decent 800 point price. The final title released in March, Jetpac Refuelled, may not strike many gamers as a classic, but it is notable for being the first title ever developed by Rare. It may be a tad overpriced, but it's still an enjoyable shooter that fans of the genre should check out. In terms of other content on the Marketplace, the Elder Scrolls Oblivion Shivering Isles expansion may be the most expensive item on the download service at 2400 points, but it adds a whole lot of new content to one of the best 360 titles. Additionally, there were many worthwhile videos released this month too, including the still-free HD premiere of the classic South Park episode "Good Times with Weapons", the eagerly anticipated GTA IV trailer, and the classic erotic thriller Poison Ivy II, featuring a very nude Alyssa Milano.
March must-buys:
South Park "Good Times with Weapons" in HD (Free)
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night- 800 points ($10)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles- 400 points ($5)
March must-rent and hope that nobody checks your download history:
Poison Ivy II- 240 points ($3)
Total: $18
PlayStation Network
These two must realllly be tired of fighting each other by now.
March started off with a bang, with the PlayStation store's best download yet--and most expensive, natch--with the high-definition port of Namco's Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. While you may be able to pick up beefier versions for roughly the same price on the PSP and PS2, for those of you PS3 owners who are rocking an HDTV set (that should be all of you), the tradeoff is well worth it. At $20, it's stretching the definition of a reasonable download, but luckily there wasn't anything else you needed to purchase in March. Literally. There was no other download released last month that warranted a charge, but there was plenty of worthwhile free stuff. folding@Home not only serves an honorable purpose by putting your PS3's power into aiding disease research at Stanford, but it's a pretty cool app to boot. There are also a few great trailers from Sony's surprisingly successful GDC keynote, including Home and LittleBigPlanet.
March must-buys:
folding@Home (Free)
Tekken 5 ($20)
