XBOX LIVE ARCADE:

Xbox Live Arcade has arguably the greatest variety of the three services, with classic games intermingling with modern offerings. Microsoft’s no slouch in the developer support department, putting up a noble fight with support from Konami, Capcom, Sega, and Midway. Add to the equation Microsoft’s recent XNA initiative to foster and nurture independent developers, and Live Arcade has the capacity to create some of the next big talents in game development. Let’s take a look at the highlights from the Live Arcade stable, shall we?

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

A psychedelic shooter in the tradition of Robotron, Geometry Wars is quite possibly Live Arcade’s killer app. Simple vertex graphics and stunning particle effects combine with addictive and challenging gameplay to create a shooter that begs to be played in high def – the game is a sight to behold, drawing anyone within eyeshot to the TV to stare in wonder at the visual commotion. Online leaderboards make the addiction complete, putting you in instantaneous, constant competition with our Xbox Live friends and players from around the world.

Pac-Man: Championship Edition

A re-imagined vision of the original Pac-Man by its creator, Toru Iwatani, turns Pac-Man into a competitive game eclipsing its predecessors. Fixed time limits and a variety of game modes make this a perfect pick up and play game – you could spend hours passing around the controller in Championship Mode. While the omission of a nonstop mode is kind of a bummer, the timed game types provide enough variety to keep Pac-Man fans satisfied. Again, the integrated leaderboards of Xbox Live keep the smack talk between friends lively.

Every Extend Extra Extreme

This rhythm based chain-explosion game comes from Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s Q Entertainment, based off of a freeware game by a Japanese doujin soft creator. Fly your ship into a group of enemy craft and blow it up, trying to chain as many enemy ships as possible in the ensuing blast, picking up powerups to extend your run and keep the enemies coming faster and faster. Point values often rack into the trillions, and games can linger for over an hour of psychedelic explosions. Your own music can be imported into the game to explode to your own beats.

VIRTUAL CONSOLE:

The Wii’s Virtual Console is a retro gamer’s paradise. A selection of Nintendo’s greatest games in one place? Score. Nintendo’s back catalog of triple-A titles isn’t alone, however; add selections from Hudson and Sega’s first party lineup to the mix, and you have an almost unbeatable stable of developers. And with WiiWare on the way, Nintendo is promising original downloadable games to take advantage of the ingenuity of the indy developers out there. Here are some of our picks from the VC:

Super Mario 64:

The granddaddy of 3D platform games, Super Mario 64 holds up surprisingly well today, although a Wii Classic Controller or Gamecube controller is required to play it. It’s worth buying just to hear the trademark “It’s a-me, Maaaarioooo!” without having to drag your Nintendo 64 out of storage.

Gunstar Heroes:

Treasure’s Genesis shooter is a classic, and pretty tough to find in its original form. Platform shooting at its absolute frenetic best.

Bomberman ’93:

Bomberman! If that sentence alone doesn’t cause you to rush to your Wii and buy 600 points, you must not know your classic multiplayer. Up to five players (using a combination of Gamecube and Wii controllers) can face off in epic multiplayer bomb-offs.

Sin and Punishment:

A rare Nintendo 64 rail shooter from Treasure finally reaches American shores via the Virtual Console, with extra English localization to boot.

PLAYSTATION NETWORK:

PSN is the new kid on the block in the world of DLC, but its aspirations are high; full PSX games, PSP connectivity, and unique original titles give it a lot of promise. The early batch of first party titles are impressive, and being able to download Jumping Flash on the (hopefully) cavernous hard drive of your PS Triple and transfer it to your PSP is an exciting prospect. Here are our choices for making your PS3 even more automatically awesomer.

Everyday Shooter

Everyday Shooter is an incredible experiment in the typical dual analog shooter – instead of typical stages, game levels are split into different songs, each with their own unique gameplay style. Each shot you fire generates a different auditory and visual reaction (similar to Rez), resulting in a gaming experience that really jumps off the screen. This game is a testament to the one man design team, and has to be played to be believed.

Super Stardust HD

Another installment in the ever-popular dual analog shooter genre, this entry is a take on Asteroids – giant rocks fall from the heavens, and blasting them creates smaller and smaller shards to shoot. The action is broken up by the occasional boss fight, and knowing when to switch between the three different weapon types (each with their own degree of effectiveness against different asteroid types) keeps the game challenging.

We hope that this has been a good primer to the wonderful world of DLC on the major consoles – we’ll keep you updated on the wonderful world of DLC as the weeks progress, giving you a heads up on the latest and greatest in downloadable goodness. Keep DLin’ the C!