Lumines Live!

Ever since this game was unveiled at E3 06, Lumines Live was one of the most anticipated Live Arcade games of the year, mainly due to its popularity on the PSP. This game might sound nearly perfect as an arcade title, but like everything, nothing's perfect. First of all, the game costs 1,200 Microsoft Points, which is $15. Second of all, after you buy the game, you only have access to challenge mode. Yes that's right, ONE mode. After you complete challenge mode, which is about 10 skins, that's it. Nothing else to do. Unlessss, you pay for the other modes. You see, the other modes (versus CPU mode, puzzle mode, and the brand-new mission mode) are only a trial in the game. You can play one level, and then your asked to pay for them. It's basically like paying $15 for an "advanced" trial game. Sure the additional modes are fun, but 500 points feels like a lot. Besides the extreme greediness, Lumines Live is a fun game. The concept is the same, and you get access to plenty of new skins which make you want to keep playing, although... some of the skins from the first game have been ported into LL, which gives you a feeling of deja-vu. Playing on a full-size TV screen also feels more natural than a 4-inch screen. There's also multi-player over Xbox Live, but can be really laggy, if you or your opponent has a bad connection. In the end, you have to decide if $15 is worth it, plus additional $5.50 downloads. Otherwise, LL is a great Arcade Game!