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Finally: The Xbox Live Community Game Index
File this one under "Absolutely Fantastic Idea." An enterprising netizen by the name of Nick Gravelyn has created the Xbox Live Community Game Index (or XBLCG if you prefer). Seemingly answering our prayers, the site organizes Xbox Live Community Games, details important information for each one and, more importantly, allows users to rate each game. That's right, it took a community developer to implement functionality that Microsoft should have had on day one.Want to find out which games are worth a look? Easy, just filter your results by games that are rated 70% or better. If you'd like to rate games yourself, all you need to do is sign in with your Windows Live ID -- we take personal pride having lowered Rocket Fart from 15% to 14%. You can also filter results by release date, features and even price. Welcome to the internet, XBLCG, we're sure this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.[Via Binary Tweed]
A poor man's Braid: Clover on Xbox Live
Click for more watercolors! We know, you can't always judge a book by its cover -- a game by its screens. But "Braid clone" was the first thing that came to mind when we saw Clover, a forthcoming Xbox Live Arcade, no, "Community Games" title. And let's face it, the Community Games channel is still the playpen for the bastard children of Xbox Live. It's like a pet shop window: you glance at it, feel an inkling of "Should I?" and then proceed on down the street to the Arcade.But a closer look at that doggie in the window, Clover, reveals a game worth considering. Developed by indie outlet Binary Tweed Ltd., Clover is, in the words of its British maker, "a plot-driven platformer in the style of classic titles such as Fantastic Dizzy that sees the player solve logical puzzles by collecting items, talking to a diverse cast of characters and exploring artistically realised environments." It follows Binary Tweed's motto -- "New games that are a bit like old games, but better" -- by injecting modern trends like autosave and the dissolution of lives and health into the game's traditional framework. Still, Clover promises to be very much about death, as the orphaned player must deal with the sudden demise of the in-game mother and the larger political themes at play. A heady romp for a mere 400 ($5) when Clover releases in Q1 2009 (that's soon!). %Gallery-42065%
