Now that the 360 has been on the market for a few years now, we’re starting to see some big name titles come down to single-digit prices.  And as long as you willing to go digging around in the used-game market, you can starting building an impressive game library for much less than the console cost you.

Now, I haven’t played all of these, but I’m going mostly on critic’s reviews and word-of-mouth from gamers with similar tastes.  I figured the $10 price point would the sweet spot for quality-versus-price, so I’ll list the top picks under that mark (Prices listed are an average eBay price and lowest Amazon.com prices for US games, including shipping.)

Since retail Xbox 360 games aren’t the only thing you can play on your console, I’m also including some of the most critically acclaimed XBLA titles so far and my picks for the best cheap games from the original XBox that are backwards compatible on the XBox 360.
Check out the other Cheapest Games Worth Your Time articles

Best Retail Games $10 or Under

	Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance Combo: $7 Once bundled with the console, this combo is now dirt cheap and both games are worthy of the price tag on their own (You can also buy them both separately for about the same price or a bit lower).  Forza is Microsoft’s answer to the Gran Turismo fand eatures stunning visuals, plenty of customization and deep adriving physics.   Marvel Ultimate Alliance is an excellent action RPG featuring tons of comic book favorites.Shop for Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance on eBay Shop for Forza Motorsport 2 / Marvel Ultimate Alliance on Amazon.com
	Crackdown: $9 Part Grand Theft Auto, part City of Heroes, Crackdown is a free-form action game is set in a futuristic, crime-ridden metropolis in which you can use initiate superhuman feats such as throwing cars and leaping across rooftops.  It plays brilliantly and is astonishingly easy to get into. For outrageousness and pure entertainment value, you can’t go wrong with Crackdown.Shop for Crackdown on eBay Shop for Crackdown on Amazon.com
	XBox Live Arcade Unplugged: $4 If you don’t mind having these games on a disc instead of the hard drive, this is a phenomenal deal and worth the price of admission simply for Geometry Wars.  However, this disc actually includes six full Xbox Live Arcade games (Geometry Wars Retro Evolved, Wik: Fable of Souls, Outpost Kaloki X, Bejeweled 2 Deluxe, Hardwood Backgammon, and Texas Hold ‘em) along with a 1 month account to Xbox Live Gold. Shop for XBox Live Arcade Unplugged on eBay Shop for XBox Live Arcade Unplugged on Amazon.com
	Lost Planet: Extreme Condition: $10 This blockbuster sci-fi shooter is just recently taking a dive in resale value, leaving bargain shoppers with a wonderful value.  Everything from its well-designed single player campaign to the never-ending online battles makes this adventure well worth the price of admission. Shop for Lost Planet on eBay Shop for Lost Planet on Amazon.com
	Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter: $8 As in earlier Ghost Recon games, Advanced Warfighter is filled with a variety of tactical mission types, including recon, escort, and full-on assault. The fantastic single player campaign will draw you in and the extensive online multiplayer options will keep you coming back for more.   This finely-polished title from Free Radical (of TimeSplitters fame) is a must-own for fans of tactical warfare. Shop for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on eBay Shop for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter on Amazon.com
	Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas: $10 Rainbow Six: Vegas was one of the hottest 360 games when it came out two years ago.  If you prefer a first-person perspective to your tactical shooters, this is a great game to pick up for your 360 library.  And as you can expect from the best Tom Clancy games, the single player campaigns are solid and the highly customizable multiplayer keep it going strong.  Of course, if you want the latest and greatest, you can pay twice as much for the sequel, but if you’re on a budget, stick with the original. Shop for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas on eBay Shop for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas on Amazon.com
	Project Gotham Racing 3: $4 I’ve been a fan of this series since it transitioned from Metropolis Street Racer on the Dreamcast.  Personally, I’m not a fan of ultra-customizable and overly realistic racers (super-real graphics are ok) like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport.  So the Project Gotham Racing 3 is just right for me when I want something a bit more arcade-like without spending much. Shop for Project Gotham Racing 3 on eBay Shop for Project Gotham Racing 3 on Amazon.com
	War Tech: Senko No Ronde: $7 If you are an old-school arcade fan that enjoys 2D shooting and fighting games, you seriously need to consider picking up Senko No Ronde.  It is essentially a modern crossover of the two retro genres and, despite its rather subpar reviews, its actually a pretty good game if you know what you’re getting into. Shop for War Tech: Senko No Ronde on eBay Shop for War Tech: Senko No Ronde on Amazon.com
	Top Spin 2: $7 Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Sega’s Virtua Tennis series, but Top Spin is its best competition when it comes to a tennis game that is easy to pick up and difficult to master.  These games always make for a surprisingly good party game and you can’t go wrong with it at this price. Shop for Top Spin 2 on eBay Shop for Top Spin 2 on Amazon.com
	LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy: $10 Whatever you do, do not write this game off as a kids game.  Lego Star Wars is an absolute blast – especially with two-player co-op.  My wife wouldn’t stop bugging me to play “just one more level”.  Just like the movies, “The Original Trilogy” is best of the bunch, but for a few more dollars, you can get the Complete Saga on the 360 instead. Shop for LEGO Star Wars II on eBay Shop for LEGO Star Wars II on Amazon.com

Cheap Backwards-Compatible XBox Must-Haves For Your 360

If you’re a 360 owner, you really shouldn’t overlook the quality titles that are in the original XBox’s library.  There are so many solid games that are still worth playing years later.  However, many of them have been out for a while, so you can scoup them up for next to nothing.  I’ve limited this section quite a bit, but if you want a more detailed guide, check out the Cheapest XBox Games Worth Your Time.

	Halo & Halo 2: $9 There is no doubt that Halo is still one of the most popular console FPSs out there and is the cornerstone of the XBox library. If you want to see the beginning of this landmark series, you can do so on the cheap while waiting for Halo 3 to come down in value. Shop for Halo on eBay Shop for Halo on Amazon.com
	Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo: $4 The original Jet Grind Radio from the Dreamcast is still one of my all-time favorites, and its sequel on the XBox simplifies the gameplay a bit in some areas, bring the story forward a number of years, and puts some XBox polish on the already slick graphical style. JSRF is an incredibly unique and entertaining game that should not be overlooked. What’s better is JSRF was combined with Sega GT for an XBox pack-in disk. You should be able to find the combo disc just about anywhere for next to nothing. Shop for Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo on eBay Shop for Jet Set Radio Future / Sega GT Combo on Amazon.com
	Panzer Dragoon Orta: $9 Even though your typical XBox owner probably isn’t even familiar with the Panzer Dragoon series, that shouldn’t stop you from spending a little cash on checking this gem out. The Panzer Dragoon series is a collection of cult-classics on the ill-fated Sega Saturn, but the on-rails shooter made a stunning return on the XBox. This under-appreciated title is one of Sega’s last great masterpieces. Shop for Panzer Dragoon Orta on eBay Shop for Panzer Dragoon Orta on Amazon.com
	Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge: $4 If you enjoy flight action games, you couldn’t ask for much more from Crimson Skies. In additional to it’s killer dog-fighting gameplay, it has outstanding graphics, an awesome soundtrack, easy controls, top-notch production values, a fun online mode that has a huge following, and professional voice acting that adds a blend of drama, noir, and comedy. Shop for Crimson Skies on eBay Shop for Crimson Skies on Amazon.com

The Best XBLA Games Under $10

There really are so many excellent games on XBox Live Arcade — and most of them are under $10.  This could be a rather lengthty list (maybe a topic for another time), so I’ll just list my highest recommendations.

• Ikaruga: $10
• Rez HD: $10
• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2: $8
• Alien Hominid HD: $10
• Bionic Commando Rearmed: $10
• Bomberman Live: $10
• Every Extend Extra Extreme: $10
• Mega Man 9: $10
• Pac-Man Championship Edition : $10
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2: $10
• Puzzle Quest: $10
• N+ : $10
• Soul Calibur: $10
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: $10
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix: $10
• Lumines Live!: $10
• Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting: $10
• Metal Slug 3: $10
• Prince of Persia Classic: $10

360 Games Near The $10 Mark

Here’s a few more 360 games that you may be able to snag for $10  if you’re really lucky, but average out to be a bit more.  But if you’re patient, these should drop under $10 before you know it.

• The Orange Box: $15 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Viva Piñata: $15  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Virtua Fighter 5: $17  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Dead Rising: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com
• Project Gotham Racing 4: $13  - eBay / Amazon.com

Other Cheap XBox 360 Favorites

• The Darkness: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Call of Duty 2: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Quake 4: $9 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Need for Speed Most Wanted: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Moto GP 07: $10 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Perfect Dark Zero: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Tony Hawk’s Project 8: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Kameo Elements of Power: $5 – eBay / Amazon.com
• NBA 2K8: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Madden NFL 08: $7 – eBay / Amazon.com

Other Cheap Backwards-Compatible XBox Favorites

• Burnout 3: Takedown: $6  - eBay / Amazon.com
• OutRun 2: $6 – eBay / Amazon.com
• Indigo Prophecy: $8 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee: $6 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Metal Arms: Glitch in the System: $5 - eBay / Amazon.com
• Shenmue II: $8 – eBay / Amazon.com

There is no denying that there is a great deal of buzz going around about the upcoming release of Street Fighter IV. Even though some of us long-term fans would have liked the game the feature hand-drawn animations in pure 2D, SF4 looks to maintain much of its heritage in terms of overall style and gameplay.

We have learned a great deal since the games official announcement back in October. Even though I can’t quite keep up the pace of updates that some sites offer, I wanted to post an overview of what we have seen so far via a collection of videos, screenshots, and links.

The Newest Trailer

To get the quickest feel for the game and most of the announced players, take a look at the new AOU 2008 Amusement Expo Trailer (high-def version here):

As you can see, all of the original eight characters from Street Fighter 2 are featured in addition to two new characters, Crimson Viper and Abel. While there hasn’t been an official “announcement” that I have seen so far, both Sagat and Balrog (the Boxer) have also been spotted in the arcade test units and, subsequently, various videos online.

Real Gameplay Video

Considering the use of 3D graphics, I was surprised to see how similar the character animation has been to previous Street Fighter games — primarily Street Fighter 2 and Street Fighter Alpha 3. The trailers show too much zooming in and special angles, but if you look at normal gameplay videos captured by those who have tried the game out, it will look much more familiar to you. Take a look at the video links below to see your favorite characters in action.

• Blanka: Vs Guile, Vs Abel, Vs Dhalsim,
• Chun-Li: Vs. Abel, Vs Ken, Vs Guile
• Dhalsim: Vs Guile, Vs Abel, Vs C Viper
• E. Honda: Vs Guile, Vs Ryu, Vs Zangief
• Guile: Vs Zangief, Vs Blanka, Vs Abel
• Ken: Vs Ryu, Vs C. Viper, Vs Chun-Li
• Ryu: Vs C. Viper, Vs Ken, Vs. Abel
• Zangief: Vs E Honda, Vs Guile, Vs Sagat and Balrog
• Crimson Viper: Vs Ryu, Vs. Blanka, Vs. Ken
• Abel: Vs Guile, Vs Blanka, Vs. Chun Li
• Sagat: Vs. Zangeif
• Balrog: Vs Zangeif

High-Def Screenshots

If you want to see more detail of the graphics, you can take a look at this collection of 720p screenshots of various characters courtesy of GGL Wire on Flickr. (You can also see them in Slideshow Mode)

The Gameplay Engine

We’ve heard a bit about the gameplay engine a bit as well and it will most closely resemble Street Fighter II, but will have Super and Ultra Moves in addition to the new system known as “Saving” or “Revenge”.

As the Wikipedia entry for the game states, “The system features a four-segment “Revenge” gauge that builds up as the character takes damage. A player can use one segment of the gauge in combat by simultaneously pressing both strong punch and strong kick to unleash a special attack that will deal instant damage and render the opponent immobile for a short time. The buttons can also be held down and charged to unleash a devastating unblockable attack at the cost of 3/4s of the full “Revenge” gauge. The gauge can also be used to fuel EX Specials — stronger versions of regular special moves — at the cost of one stock of the gauge. Both the Saving move and EX Specials can be “canceled” by dashing towards the opponent (the move will still be performed and will still do damage however), this dash can again be “canceled” by performing another EX Special or Saving move, this however will require pinpoint timing so that only skilled players may execute this kind of combo.Ono has stated that this system was incorporated in order to shift the emphasis away from combos and toward a more realistic system he has compared to boxing, in which “the skill is in reading your opponent’s move before he starts moving … We haven’t forgotten about combos and linked moves, but saving makes it so that you have to read your opponent.” The system aims to make ground attacks as viable a way of approaching opponents as jumping was in previous games.”

My Impressions So Far

I was rather worried about this game initially due to the original images and videos or Ken and Ryu, but now that I see actual gameplay video without all the zooming and effects, I am much less concerned. The gameplay does seem solid, but I’m still a little disappointed that parries and such are missing, but it will be interesting to see how the Revenge system makes up for it. I like the fact that the overall style and character animation seems like a blend of Street Fighter II and the Alpha series.

What Do You Think?

I’m thinking I will enjoy Senko no Ronde.

Senko no Ronde is a hybrid 2D shmup fighting game from G.Rev (of Border Down and Under Defeat fame) that originated on the NAOMI arcade hardware, but for some incredibly strange reason, never received a Dreamcast port (I’m still terribly bitter). Instead it was brought to the Japanese XBox 360 (go figure).

Videos of the game’s unique gameplay have been circulating the gaming interweb for a short while, but for some reason, it hasn’t made it over to the US. The only solid review of the game is from the Japanese arcade expert, Alex, at Insomnia.ac. He writes…

“In G.rev’s third arcade game players control robots called “Rounders” and square off against each other using a variety of offensive and defensive techniques. Rounders dance around the screen spewing out bullet patterns borrowed from manic shooters, or transform into bosses in order to unleash even more overwhelming attacks. Though 3D graphics are used throughout, battles are viewed from a top-down perspective and are constrained to a single plane, so the feel of the game is very much 2D….

Now Virtual On fans will get this game right away, so there’s little I have to say to them: Senko no Ronde is in effect a 2D version of Virtual On, and it’s damn good. Go play it.”
Read Full Review

Throughout the rest of the review Alex goes into more detail about the control scheme and the overall feel of the game. The bottom line is that traditional shmup fans will have to get used to the controls as they are a bit more complex and react differently than they might expect. Instead, the control scheme seems to be geared more towards fighting or mech/Virtual On fans. Shmup-heads can eventually grow to love the game, but it will take time.

Anyway, back to bringing the games to the US. The localization was rumored a couple of months when the game showed up on Amazon.com. But now the good ‘ol ESRB has the game listed on its website under the name: Battle Storm Senko no Ronde. The ESRB has been the source of many reliable game leaks such as upcoming Virtual Console releases and is a quite reliable source.

While I haven’t personally played Senko no Ronde yet, I have a feeling that once it makes its way out of Japan, we will see it become a modern cult classic among the old-school gaming community.

If you want to see the game in further detail, XBoxyde has a collection of screenshots in addition to the first 10 minutes of Senko no Ronde gameplay

Since one of the great advantages the XBox Live Arcade has over the Wii’s Virtual Console (so far) is that developers usually throw some enhancements into the game to give it some of the benefits of modern gaming. The TMNT Arcade game received some of these bells and whistles like high-definition output and online co-op, but misses some small things like being able to have online AND offline friends being able to play with you at the same time. It’s either all online or all offline. Anyway, for $5, I guess you can’t complain too much.

Anyway, here’s what the critics are saying…
“Overall TMNT is quite short, maybe one of the reasons for the low price tag; the other being the upcoming release of the CG movie by the same name. There is only one mode and it can be beaten fairly quickly, especially with the help of some friends over Xbox Live. The game is basically the exact same thing that was released over 15 years ago but with “stretched” out graphics and online multiplayer….

If the developers did any sort of upgrading it is not noticeable with the naked eye. One nice feature is being able to stretch out the screen so it fits nicely on any size widescreen television. This feature alone made me happy but it would have been nice to see some HD capabilities or character model / background graphical upgrades to this version.”
PlanetXBox

“As tended to be the case with arcade beat-’em-ups of this genre, the difficulty level is pretty over the top, as the maker of the game wanted to get you pumping quarters in as frequently as possible. That’s not so much a necessity here, and when playing offline, you get unlimited continues, so a good chunk of that difficulty is negated.

However, when playing online co-op, your crew is only afforded 20 continues, meaning it’s possible to lose the game altogether. That’s a smart decision, as it’s not hard to envision the co-op getting a bit boring after a while if you can just beat it over and over again with no challenge to speak of. The co-op play itself is set up pretty well. You can either jump into a quick game or create a public or private match yourself. The co-op seems to work just fine, though there was some lag in a number of matches. Only in a few instances did it hinder the game, however.”
GameSpot

“The game doesn’t even have the good grace to offer up a well thought out array of Achievements for your trouble. Most require near-superhuman feats such as navigating a stage without losing health or defeating a boss without being hit by their weapon, and a game designed solely to kill the player as frequently as possible just isn’t suited for such tasks. On the other hand, there are completely pointless Achievements, such as the one that gives you zero gamerpoints for falling into a manhole five times. Is it a joke? Or an admission that in a game so lacking in depth or variety there simply weren’t enough things to do to make up the required twelve Achievement Awards?”
EuroGamer

After a stint in the 3D world, the Worms franchise is back to 2D Land and is almost as good as ever. It is still a solid effort from Team17 with some enhanced two-dimensional graphics, but reportedly, some of the weapons that Worms aficionados would come to expect (Holy Hand Grenade) are missing for some reason. This XBox Live release is probably good enough to warrant the reasonable price, but unfortunately, it’s not enough to make my wife want to buy an XBox 360.

Here’s what the critics have to say…

“Xbox Live Arcade has proven to be an ideal venue for games that can’t quite justify a retail box on a store shelf in today’s cutthroat game business, and it’s genuinely heartening to see Worms return to its 2D roots. Worms is a sharp-looking game, and though they’re small, the worms themselves are surprisingly emotive. The core gameplay of antagonistic annelids still holds up nicely, too. The biggest problem with Worms on XBLA is that it lacks the back catalog of weapons, background themes, and voice packs that the series built up in its original 2D heyday.”
GameSpot

“Multiplayer was always going to be the most important part of the series and thankfully it’s pretty easy to setup an online or local game. Playing an offline local game with the team’s sat around a single Xbox just involves a hot seat affair with players taking turns to move their individual worm and if they desire, use a single special ability or fire a weapon. You can have a maximum of four teams with four worms so in theory matches involving 16 players sitting around a single Xbox are possible and in this rare instance highly recommended. Taking the time to rename the teams and individual worms is a must to garner the most fun from this title. Xbox Live games are even better suited as teams and players can be situated anywhere around the world. Private matches allow you to set up the equivalent of an offline local game with teams and players that you personally invite. The create, custom and quick matches are standard Xbox live fodder and allow you to fine tune your game exactly how you want.

The online and offline statistics also make a welcome return and can be the most interesting part of any hard fought out round. If you take your time to name your individual worms then knowing that ‘Kieran’ was worm of the match, ‘Catalina’ had the best shot and was the most accurate worm and ‘Sarah’ survived the longest then these details actually become quite interesting.”
ic-games

“Graphics are crisp and look great in HD, and the sounds are your typical silliness, with the voices making you laugh. But with Microsoft lifting the limit on XBLA games just too late for Worms, the game suffers. There are only three backgrounds available which is a huge shame, and after around ten games you’ll feel the landscape is very similar too. It just doesn’t feel different enough.

Similarly with the voice bank. There are six different voices, two of which are French and French 2. Not being French, I hear little difference. Again it’s disappointing, but you have to again look at the limit and wonder why it was ever in place. Not many games have suffered from it before, but Worms certainly has.

The weapons are perhaps the biggest thing to suffer. The development team have said that they wanted to make the balance of play more even for newcomers, but seasoned veterans of the series will be disappointed at the lack of the Holy Hand Grenade, or the Baseball Bat, or the Old Woman and other such classic weapons. Yes they were stupidly powerful, but that’s what made the game so fun in the first place. also, when barrels explode on the map, you no longer have the napalm that used to be emitted, it is just a simple bang. One other issue is that the splash damage from a weapon doesn’t seem as good as it used to be. Quite often you may use an Airstrike, and they will hit all around one Worm but he won’t take any damage.”
Xboxic

I didn’t have many doubts about the game after seeing early versions in action, but I was still anxious to see how the game progressed after further development.

Joystiq was at the GDC ‘07 Conference and was kind enough to post their impressions of the latest build of the upcoming Behemoth brawler….

“The amount of personality and panache exuded by Castle Crashers seems to lend it more depth than it actually has, as does the jump-in-anytime multiplayer gameplay. In fact, playing the game on your own would likely be an ill-advised activity entirely, which is just as well since there are usually more than enough enemies and bosses to keep a party of four well occupied. The game is paced exceptionally well, with enemy types changing just as an inkling of repetition becomes apparent. The lumbering and amusing bosses in particular require a more evasive approach in-between bouts of unrestrained sword slashing (likely the most useful strategy in the game).”
Read Complete Preview

Joystiq also shared a good video clip showing off some level design that we hadn’t seen in previous clips. You can see it and other older clips on the Castle Crashers video page.

I can happily say I’m still impressed and attempting to wait patiently to play it.