Microsoft Touts XBLA 'Momentum', Braid Success

Ahead of the holidays, Microsoft is touting some highlights from the year in Xbox Live Arcade, claiming its userbase has aggregated more than 1.25 billion Gamerscore points and unlocked close to 100 million Achievements in Live Arcade titles to date. According to Microsoft, Xbox Live produced some of the year's highest-rated titles, with over 60 titles earning Metacritic scores above 75. In particular, the company noted the critical success of Braid, Time Magazine's number two game of the year, television channel G4's "Best Independent Game," and the Associated Press' number five. Overall, the title Metacritics at 93, the highest for a downloadable game -- and Microsoft adds that Number None's time-bending downloadable is XBLA's top-rated game of all time. Microsoft also touted the high ratings of titles including Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (90), Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (89), and Portal: Still Alive (89). "Last month, Bizarre Creations announced that there are now more than one million combined leader board entries for Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 1 & 2 – that’s a lot of people!" Effused the company in a statement. Microsoft also notes 110 million trial game downloads to date. "Momentum for Xbox Live Arcade has been incredible this year," says the company's director of digitally distributed games. "Xbox Live Arcade has really become the top destination for premium downloadable games. And we’ve got a long list of games coming out in 2009 that we think will be just as incredible as what we already have on the service." Microsoft also noted some of the titles it expects to be hits in 2009: Lode Runner, The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, South Park, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and R-Type Dimensions.