It's that time of year again - the summer sun brings with it Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade, a selection of arcade games bundled into a promotion for... well, we haven't quite worked it out yet. Generally, it seems to be an excuse for a load of games with a 1200 point (£10) price tag to come together for maximum impact on your wallet, by releasing within a five week period of each other. There is an added incentive, though, as this year, buying all 5 games will net you a free game worth 1200 Microsoft Points, in the form of Crimson Alliance, a role-playing game where you can team up with up to three friends and battle the sinister Cult of the Soul Siren.
Sadly, however, there may be a minor flaw in the plan for some of you, as aside from the financial implications of spending £47.60 on downloadable games - one of the titles in the Summer of Arcade requires the Kinect Sensor - so if you don't own/can't run it, there'll be no free game for you. Of course, you could still buy it to get the free Crimson Alliance - but spending an extra 800 points for a game you can't play seems a bit pointless, even if it does save you 400 Microsoft Points in the long run. It's a tricky one...
Bastion
Release Date: 20th July
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
The Calamity shattered the world into pieces while you slept - and it's up to you to get to the bottom of what happened, collecting world-restoring crystals as you go. As you walk forward, paths form before your eyes, and beasts will attack you - which you'll need to fend off with your arsenal of upgradable weapons.
From Dust
Release Date: 27th July
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
Nature can be cruel - a tribe is struggling to survive in it's desert homeland, and it's up to you to help them uncover their ancestors' lost powers by manipulating the land - for example, lava cools to form solid rock; and moving water erodes the land. But you'll need to be creative - tsunamis and eruptions threaten to destroy the tribe, and you'll need to come up with a way save them.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Release Date: 3rd August
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet has you piloting your space ship towards the centre of the mysterious Shadow Planet, dodging enemies, battling bizarre creatures and solving complex puzzles as you go. You'll also be able to upgrade your ship with strange alien technology as you explore the planet.
Fruit Ninja Kinect
Release Date: 10th August
Price: 800 Microsoft Points (about £6.80)
You can get way more than your 5 a day in Fruit Ninja Kinect - fruit flies on the screen, and waving your arms will slash the fruit - but watch out for the bombs, because slicing one will cause it to explode, and then it's Game Over. Requiring the Kinect Sensor, Fruit Ninja Kinect also comes with a frantic 4-player competitive mode, where players compete to slice the most fruit.
Toy Soldiers: Cold War
Release Date: 17th August
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points (about £10.20)
Ever wondered what toys get up to when you're not there? Signal Studios seems to think they have huge, full-scale wars - where you need to set up your plastic-y defences to protect yourself from a barrage of missiles, planes and soldiers from the other team. You can also take over each unit and control them, going into the front lines and defeating the enemy yourself. With a cold war setting, it's a all a bit Rambo this time.
Approximate value of Microsoft points in pounds is based on buying the points direct from Microsoft through the Xbox dashboard - equivalent price in pounds will vary depending on where you bought your points.
