Game Room

Overview

Game Room is a free "virtual arcade" shell developed by Krome and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 (via Xbox Live Arcade) and PC (via Games for Windows - Live) on March 24, 2010. It was later removed in 2015 from all marketplaces, with no way to download it.

This platform offers Atari 2600 games, Intellivision games, and pre-1990 arcade games (by Atari and Konami). Playing the classic games themselves must be bought from the Game Room service (after downloading free "Game Packs"), with the exception of a quick 10-minute demo session. Players can also customize their four-story "virtual arcade" (filling rooms with arcade machines, themes, objects, and game mascots) or join another player's virtual arcade (including a "showcase" arcade filled with the latest releases). These virtual arcades are filled up by their friends' Xbox Live avatars. It also has 50 achievements (not specific to any game), some of which not requiring players to purchase anything.

The original release of Game Room included two Game Packs with 15 games each. Between May 5, 2010 and December 22, 2010, Microsoft released 11 additional Game Packs consisting of 12-15 games each. This adds up to a total of 189 games.

Game Modes

All games in Game Room can be played in Classic Mode. Most games, especially arcade games, also has a special Ranked Mode.

Classic Mode

Classic mode is direct emulation that lets players freely control how the game is played. These games can be played in single-player or local multi-player, depending on how many players are playable in the game. Arcade games can have customization DIP settings (allowing you to change various settings in the game) while Atari 2600 games gives you access to the Atari 2600 console interface. Players can save and load game states at any time and have the option to rewind time (similar to Braid) using the "Time Warp" interface.

Ranked Mode

Ranked mode lets players play one single-player session with the default game settings, sending their final score to the global leaderboards. The top player of the Friends List leaderboard for that game is always shown above the game's cabinet. Players cannot rewind time or let another player join (usually to prevent imminent death). Ranked Mode requires an Internet connection and is the only way to gain Point Buster and Survivalist medals.

Challenge Mode

A special variation of Ranked Mode, Challenge Mode allows players to send challenges to up to 7 of their friends (though they must buy the full version in order to accept the challenge). Challenges can either be highest score or longest time survived, and can have a time limit for both the session and the challenge itself. Challenge starters can also load up a ranked replay and pause the game at a particular place to start the challenge.

Medals

Each game includes up to three types of medals to unlock:

• Point Buster - For games with ranked mode. The final score in that session.
• Survivalist - For games with ranked mode. How long the player lasts in the session.
• Time Spender - A cumulative timer that shows how long the game has been played in total.

The medals are ranked Bronze, Silver, and Gold, each with requirements that must be fulfilled. (Either by reaching a certain score, lasting a given amount of time, and playing the game for a certain time) Gaining medals increase "medal points" (2 for bronze, 3 for silver, 5 for gold). For every 20 "medal points", the player's Game Room profile gains a level. Gaining levels gives the player access to more themes and decorations.

Pricing

When a new game becomes available, players have a one-play 10-minute demo of Classic Mode for that game. They may use 5 tokens granted to them (by other people playing games on their arcade) to start another one-play 10-minute demo session. Both sessions do not count for leaderboards or ranked medals.

Access to these machines past the 10-minute demo session requires actual payment:

• Single Game (40 msp, $0.50) - Allows the player to play one Ranked Mode game.
• Full Game (240 msp, $3.00) - Gives the player unlimited access to the game (both Classic and Ranked Modes) on either Xbox 360 or PC and allows them to place the game anywhere in the arcade. After the Play Anywhere option was discontinued, Full Game now gives them access on both the Xbox 360 and PC.
• Play Anywhere (400 msp, $5.00) - No longer used. Previously gave them unlimited access to the game on both Xbox 360 and PC.

If the player purchased an arcade game on the first day it was released, they would unlock a "mascot" for the specific game. "Mascots" are extruded sprites from the games themselves. Once they place the arcade machine in their arcade the "mascot" will be able to freely roam around. If they don't manage to buy the game on launch day, they can pay a small fee (40 msp) for the mascot of their choice. It should be noted that buying all of the games available, without the "Play Anywhere" option, will run the user $531 USD.

Games Available

Game Pack 001 (released on 3/24/2010)

1. Asteroids Deluxe (Arcade)
2. Battlantis (Arcade)
3. Crystal Castles (Arcade)
4. Finalizer (Arcade)
5. Lunar Lander (Arcade)
6. Red Baron (Arcade)
7. Scramble (Arcade)
8. Tutankham (Arcade)
9. Combat (Atari 2600)
10. Outlaw (Atari 2600)
11. Yars' Revenge (Atari 2600)
12. Armor Battle (Intellivision)
13. Astrosmash (Intellivision)
14. Sea Battle (Intellivision)
15. Space Armada (Intellivision)

Game Pack 002 (released on 3/24/2010)

1. Centipede (Arcade)
2. Gravitar (Arcade)
3. Jungler (Arcade)
4. Road Fighter (Arcade)
5. Shao-Lin’s Road (Arcade)
6. Super Cobra (Arcade)
7. Tempest (Arcade)
8. Adventure (Atari 2600)
9. Millipede (Atari 2600)
10. RealSports Tennis (Atari 2600)
11. Star Raiders (Atari 2600)
12. Football (Intellivision)
13. Mountain Madness Super Pro Skiing (Intellivision)
14. Space Hawk (Intellivision)
15. Sub Hunt (Intellivision)

Game Pack 003 (released on 5/5/2010)

1. Rack 'Em Up (Arcade)
2. Super Breakout (Arcade)
3. Megamania (Atari 2600)
4. Pitfall! (Atari 2600)
5. Realsports Volleyball (Atari 2600)
6. Basketball (Intellivision)
7. Night Stalker (Intellivision)
8. Battlezone (Arcade) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
9. Mega Zone (Arcade) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
10. Canyon Bomber (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
11. Keystone Kapers (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
12. Night Driver (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
13. Oink! (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)
14. NASL Soccer (Intellivision) (unlocked on 5/13/2010)

Game Pack 004 (released on 5/20/2010)

1. Asteroids (Arcade)
2. Space Duel (Arcade)
3. Time Pilot (Arcade)
4. Demons to Diamonds (Atari 2600)
5. Grand Prix (Atari 2600)
6. Stampede (Atari 2600)
7. Shark! Shark! (Intellivision)
8. Millipede (Arcade) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
9. Strategy X (Arcade) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
10. Boxing (Intellivision) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
11. Haunted House (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
12. River Raid (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
13. Spider Fighter (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)
14. Buzz Bombers (Intellivision) (unlocked on 5/26/2010)

Game Pack 005 (released on 6/02/2010)

1. Missile Command (Arcade)
2. Mr. Goemon (Arcade)
3. Skiing (Atari 2600)
4. Video Pinball (Atari 2600)
5. Frog Bog (Intellivision)
6. Video Hustler (Arcade) (unlocked on 6/09/2010)
7. Circus Atari (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/09/2010)
8. River Raid 2 (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/09/2010)
9. Sky Jinks (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/09/2010)
10. Baseball (Intellivision) (unlocked on 6/09/2010)
11. Konami's Ping Pong (Arcade) (unlocked on 6/16/2010)
12. Liberator (Arcade) (unlocked on 6/16/2010)
13. Air-Sea Battle (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/16/2010)
14. Chopper Command (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/16/2010)
15. Motocross (Intellivision) (unlocked on 6/16/2010)

Game Pack 006 (released on 6/23/2010)

1. Black Widow (Arcade)
2. Casino (Atari 2600)
3. H.E.R.O. (Atari 2600)
4. Laser Blast (Atari 2600)
5. Triple Action (Intellivision)
6. Juno First (Arcade) (unlocked on 6/30/2010)
7. Warlords (Arcade) (unlocked on 6/30/2010)
8. Crackpots (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/30/2010)
9. Kaboom! (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 6/30/2010)
10. Star Strike (Intellivision) (unlocked on 6/30/2010)
11. Major Havoc (Arcade) (unlocked on 7/7/2010)
12. Scooter Shooter (Arcade) (unlocked on 7/7/2010)
13. Sky Diver (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/7/2010)
14. Starmaster (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/7/2010)
15. Utopia (Intellivision) (unlocked on 7/7/2010)

Game Pack 007 (released on 7/14/2010)

1. Gyruss (Arcade)
2. Barnstorming (Atari 2600)
3. Fishing Derby (Atari 2600)
4. Quadrun (Atari 2600)
5. Hover Force (Intellivision)
6. Yie Ar Kung Fu (Arcade) (unlocked on 7/21/2010)
7. Enduro (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/21/2010)
8. Ice Hockey (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/21/2010)
9. Gravitar (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/21/2010)
10. Tower of Doom (Intellivision) (unlocked on 7/21/2010)
11. Jail Break (Arcade) (unlocked on 7/28/2010)
12. Asteroids (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/28/2010)
13. Decathlon (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/28/2010)
14. Frostbite (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 7/28/2010)
15. Auto Racing (Intellivision) (unlocked on 7/28/2010)

Game Pack 008 (released on 8/4/10)

1. 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe (Atari 2600)
2. Beamrider (Atari 2600)
3. Centipede (Atari 2600)
4. Cosmic Commuter (Atari 2600)
5. Thin Ice (Intellivision)
6. Dodge 'Em (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/11/2010)
7. Dolphin (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/11/2010)
8. Dragster (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/11/2010)
9. Hockey (Intellivision) (unlocked on 8/11/2010)
10. Super Pro Decathlon (Intellivision) (unlocked on 8/11/2010)
11. Freeway (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/18/2010)
12. Maze Craze (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/18/2010)
13. Seaquest (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 8/18/2010)
14. Chip Shot Golf (Intellivision) (unlocked on 8/18/2010)
15. Snafu (Intellivision) (unlocked on 8/18/2010)

Game Pack 009 (released on 8/25/10)

1. City Bomber (Arcade)
2. Checkers (Atari 2600)
3. Tennis (Atari 2600)
4. Pinball (Intellivision)
5. Super Basketball (Arcade) (unlocked on 9/1/2010)
6. A Game of Concentration (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/1/2010)
7. Boxing (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/1/2010)
8. Super Breakout (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/1/2010)
9. Bridge (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/8/2010)
10. Video Chess (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/8/2010)
11. Hard Hat (Intellivision) (unlocked on 9/8/2010)
12. Reversi (Intellivision) (unlocked on 9/8/2010)
13. Thunder Castle (Intellivision) (unlocked on 9/8/2010)
14. Flak Attack (Arcade) (unlocked on 9/15/2010)
15. Kitten Kaboodle (Arcade) (unlocked on 9/15/2010)

Game Pack 010 (released on 9/22/10)

1. Galactic Warriors (Arcade)
2. Bowling (Atari 2600)
3. Plaque Attack (Atari 2600)
4. Horse Racing (Intellivision)
5. Hyper Crash (Arcade) (unlocked on 9/29/2010)
6. Missile Command (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/29/2010)
7. Pressure Cooker (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 9/29/2010)
8. Deep Pockets: Super Pro Pool and Billiards (Intellivision) (unlocked on 9/29/2010)
9. Konami GT (Arcade) (unlocked on 10/6/2010)
10. Private Eye (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 10/6/2010)
11. Body Slam! Super Pro Wrestling (Intellivision) (unlocked on 10/6/2010)
12. Sharp Shot (Intellivision) (unlocked on 10/6/2010)
13. Radar Lock (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 10/13/2010)
14. Street Racer (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 10/13/2010)
15. Submarine Commander (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 10/13/2010)

Game Pack 011 (released on 10/27/2010)

1. Jackal (Arcade)
2. Breakout (Atari 2600)
3. Double Dunk (Atari 2600)
4. Kabobber (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/3/2010)
5. Space War (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/3/2010)
6. Sprint Master (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/3/2010)
7. Space Cadet (Intellivision) (unlocked on 11/3/2010)
8. Golf (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/10/2010)
9. Human Cannonball (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/10/2010)
10. Miniature Golf (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/10/2010)
11. Super Football (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 11/10/2010)
12. Skiing (Intellivision) (unlocked on 11/17/2010)
13. Slap Shot: Super Pro Hockey (Intellivision) (unlocked on 11/17/2010)
14. Space Battle (Intellivision) (unlocked on 11/17/2010)

Game Pack 012 (released on 11/24/2010)

1. Blades of Steel (Arcade)
2. Trick Trap (Arcade)
3. Pitfall II (Atari 2600)
4. Vectron (Intellivision)
5. Amidar (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/1/2010)
6. Twinbee (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/1/2010)
7. Off The Wall (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 12/1/2010)
8. Detana Twinbee (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/8/2010)
9. Pooyan (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/8/2010)
10. Thwocker (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 12/8/2010)
11. Food Fight (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/15/2010)
12. MIA: Missing In Action (Arcade) (unlocked on 12/15/2010)
13. Warlords (Atari 2600) (unlocked on 12/15/2010)
14. Volleyball (Intellivision) (unlocked on 12/15/2010)
15. Sunset Riders (Arcade) (never unlocked)

Game Pack 013 (released on 12/22/2010)

1. Devastators (Arcade)
2. Iron Horse (Arcade)
3. The Main Event (Arcade)
4. Codebreaker (Atari 2600)
5. Desert Falcon (Atari 2600)
6. Football (Atari 2600)
7. RealSports Baseball (Atari 2600)
8. Star Ship (Atari 2600)
9. Surround (Atari 2600)
10. Venetian Blinds (Atari 2600)
11. Slam Dunk Basketball (Intellivision)
12. Tennis (Intellivision)

The total space required on the Xbox 360 Hard Drive for Game Room (including the 12 game packs) is 1.4 GB