My Wallet Is Divided On The 2010 Xbox Live Summer of Arcade

It’s been a while since I bought an Xbox Live Arcade game, mostly because I’m too lazy to punch in my credit card number into the Xbox, much less get up, go to the store, and get a points card. (Ugh, playing games is hard!) Regardless of my apathy, I’ll probably be buying at least five Xbox Live Arcade games this summer, thanks to Microsoft’s XBL Summer of Arcade event. And my wallet is pissed.

This year, the Summer of Arcade starts July 21st, with a new game being released every week for four weeks after the first. The first game being released is Limbo, the indie shadow platformer that everyone raved about at PAX East earlier this year- and they raved with just cause, because Limbo looks great. July 21st, I am going to be out $15, and I’ll be fine with that.

The next week, Hydro Thunder Hurricane drops on Xbox Live. You probably recognize the Hydro Thunder name- it was a wave-racer that came to the Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and Playstation in around 2000. You’ve probably played the arcade version in some form, however- I know I have. As a matter of fact, the arcade version being so fun is the reason that I’m probably going to be out of $15 more come July 28th.

But ho! Then Castlevania: Harmony of Despair drops the very next week, bringing together the best of the DS Castlevania games and adding some more craziness to them. I’ve already made my frustrations with Castlevania apparent, but I’m still probably going to plunk down $15 for this game because I have a sick addiction that cannot be satiated. Luckily, at this point I’m eligible to receive 400 points back from Microsoft, as when you buy three of the five games, you get $5 in MS Points. Hooray!…?

Fast forward to a week later, when Monday Night Combat comes out. Now, Monday Night Combat is a game I have literally never heard of before this point, but the trailer makes it look like a ton of fun, and I think that if a lot of people got into it, it could become one of those games that becomes a recurring theme of Friday night game nights. $15 out of my wallet on August 11th, then.

The last game releases the next week, and it’s the hotly-anticipated Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. It’s the first ever multiplayer & co-op Lara Croft game, and the classic top down style look really separates it from the rest of the Tomb Raider pack. I’ve been excited about this one for a while now, so I’m losing yet another $15 on August 18th. However, Microsoft is offering $15 in MS Points to everybody that purchases all five Summer of Arcade games, so going big or going home seems to be the best option here.

Me? I think I might as well go big. Spending $60 (Well, $75 + one – three “free” games) for a set of great looking Arcade titles is not at all a waste in my eyes, though my wallet will probably be feeling the hurt at the end of the month. What are you planning to do when the Summer of Arcade begins?