The slow retail game release this summer has me catching up on Xbox Live Arcade games. I’ve been playing them a lot and finally got around to putting some review up for them.  Here is a run down of my playing for the last month with links.

I know Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes has been out for a while but I finally was able to put some quality time into playing (like 20+ hours of time). The loads times can get a bit annoying but the game play is so fun that I can ignore the long load times.  Clash of Heroes is a strategy + RPG hybrid and I really like how the two pieces get put together. Sort of like how Puzzle Quest has merged two game styles, but Clash of Heroes has a completely new battle mechanic that I like much better than Puzzle Quest because it requires more strategy.  My full review is up here.

I never did buy Splosion Man. I never finished the demo because I suck at platformers.  So, no, I do not know why I thought I’d be good at Ms Splosion Man.  However, I am able to complete levels in Ms Splosion Man. Not anywhere near the par times but still at least they are getting completed without using the skip to checkpoint option. I can only play for a few levels before getting frustrated and quitting but that has more to do with my sucking than anything else.  My fill review is up here.

Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team is a lot of fun, but I really don’t know what is up with THQ recently.  The have a co-op game here with no support for playing over Xbox Live.  Solo the game is fun but co-op would make this great.  Too bad I’ll never get to experience that.  I’m not going to even get into how stupid they are to can the Red Faction series or the crap that is Homefront.  I’m hoping that Space Marine is as goods the trailers look because it has a lot of potential.  Anyway, back to Kill Team… lots of mindless Orc killing.  The game is only about 4 hours long but there is some replay value with multiple character classes and a survival mode. My fill review is up here.

Boulder Dash-XL caught me by surprise.  I knew it was coming out but I was not expecting very much.  Instead for $10 there are over 150 levels, 4 game modes, plus the original Boulder Dash is included.  I’m not a fan of some of the graphics but the gameplay is great fun for me and my kid. The difficulty level ramps up slowly while keeping things challenging.  I played tons of the original as a kid and this re-make is a great way to enjoy the game without digging out an emulator.   Full review is up here.