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IThe Xbox 360 digital store is the latest to go offline, following the closure of the Wii U and 3DS stores in March. It closed on Monday, taking with it about 220 games, according to an analysis by Chronicle of video games. Preservation activists at the Video Game History Foundation even I made a funeral cake.
Microsoft is arguably the best of the big companies when it comes to backwards compatibility and game preservation – despite those 220 lost games, a large percentage of the Xbox 360’s back catalogue is still legally playable on later consoles. And it’s remarkable that the Xbox 360 Marketplace has lasted for nearly 20 years (the console launched in late 2005). It wasn’t the first digital storefront on a console, but it was the first one I used, and I imagine the same was true for many British gamers – the Xbox 360 was the most popular console of its generation in this country. In retrospect, the Marketplace was astonishingly ahead of its time.
In the 2000s, brick-and-mortar video game stores still reigned supreme, and retailers had enormous influence over game pricing and distribution. At the time, offering digital-only games came with the risk of retaliation from companies like Electronics Boutique and Game. I remember reporting on conversations at the time suggesting that some stores were threatening to not stock the Xbox 360, because allowing gamers to download games digitally undermined the retailers’ business model. (To be fair, they were right: video game retailing has been in a protracted death spiral for years.)
The Xbox 360 marketplace wasn’t the only one to change the landscape. The transition to digital storefronts was gradual, with all the major players from Steam to Sony and Nintendo contributing over the years. “Initially, digital was an add-on to retail,” says Chris Dring, director of GamesIndustry.biz. “Over 90% of console games during that time were bought in boxes on the shelves of places like Game and Tesco, and it wasn’t until 2019 that the majority (51%) of AAA console games were downloaded rather than bought in a box. The Xbox Live marketplace was primarily where people bought downloadable content or the occasional indie gem that was only accessible through the digital storefront. But fundamentally, it started the shift to the digital future we now live in. Now everyone is emulating what Xbox has done with Xbox Live and the marketplace.”
But what the Xbox 360 Marketplace really changed for console gamers wasn’t… as we buy games, but which Games we could buy. It’s always been possible to download and play smaller, more experimental games on PC, but before the Xbox 360, that wasn’t possible on consoles. I think the Marketplace directly facilitated the indie renaissance starting in 2010, by giving smaller game developers and publishers a way to sell their games to millions of console players without the expense and logistical hassle of releasing a boxed copy.
Xbox Live Arcade, which started on the original Xbox but hit its stride during the 360 era, was revolutionary: every week there was a new, small, downloadable game for £10 or less, from developers big and small. I played hundreds of games this way, and they were some of the first games I owned that didn’t come in a box. They included Limbo, Fez, Geometry Wars, Super Meat Boy, and the best version of Uno ever (don’t @ me). There’s a strong case to be made that the Xbox 360 Marketplace introduced indie games to millions of console gamers.
The digital transition has its downsides, as Dring points out. “In 2005, Xbox (and PlayStation and Nintendo) was a platform. Now they are the platform, the distributor and the retailer. They control the entire chain. And increasingly, through their websites, YouTube channels and advertising videos, they are also becoming their own media outlet.”
We’ve grown so accustomed to downloading games digitally that it’s easy to forget how novel it was back in the day. As we say goodbye to the Xbox 360 Marketplace, we’re also definitively saying goodbye to an era of gaming where even DLC felt new and exciting. I miss those days. And all those extended late-night Xbox 360 One games.
What to play
The Extremely British Slapstick Comedy Game Thank God you’re here! It’s out today and the reviews (including ours) are very positive. It’s made by two Barnsleyans and is set in the fictional northern town of Barnsworth, which seems to have been built entirely around visual gags. It’s short and touching, but packed with excellent jokes and bizarre situational comedy that continues the tradition of Monty Python and The Mighty Boosh.
Available in: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, PC
Estimated playing time: 3 hours
What to read
The Guardian’s gaming correspondent Keith Stuart went to Los Angeles a few weeks ago to spend a couple of days with Star Wars OutlawsUbisoft’s attempt at an open-world Star Wars game starring a Han Solo-style renegade. It looks good enough to kill Star Wars fatigue.
Talking about game retail: UK store Game The company’s rewards program ends today, July 31. If you have points in your account, you must spend them before the end of the day.
How cute is this custom PS5! Astronomical robot Controller? Unlike most ultra-specialized, novelty gaming controllers, this one isn’t just a marketing exercise, You can actually buy itPre-orders open August 9th.
I wonder why there isn’t a… Olympics video game A tie-in, like the long-running Mario vs Sonic at the Olympic Games series? Eurogamer reports That’s because the Olympics decided to go all in on NFTs and esports. How disgusting.
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Block of questions
Reader Akhshay asks this week’s question:
“I recently finished Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon and felt completely apathetic in the days afterward. Playing that game for nearly 180 hours had kept me in such a good groove that it hit me hard when I had to say goodbye. What’s your best way to mitigate those post-match blue feelings?
Ah, I know that feeling! I remember finishing XCOM (above) in a weekend, saving the world and having no idea what to do next, sitting on my couch in my pajamas with no purpose. I played The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for so long that I remember leaving my apartment after the end credits rolled and wandering aimlessly around the city. I sometimes feel the same way about TV shows and books, when it’s time to say goodbye to characters and worlds I’ve lived with for a while. But we spend a lot more time with games, and they’re a lot more engaging. Sometimes it feels like a breakup when they’re over.
And, just like after a breakup, it’s not a good idea to start playing games right away, as it only invites negative comparisons. That’s why, in between big games, I like to spend time doing other things: being outside, reading a novel, maybe going for drinks with the friends I’ve been temporarily putting aside in favor of Breath of the Wild, until I actually get around to playing. feel That I’m ready for something new.
If you have any questions for Question Block, or anything else to say about the newsletter, Email us at pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.
