Xbox Live Hits Collection

by Dominic Sacco |

Carrie-Ann Cooper takes a look at Microsoft’s retail compilation of critically acclaimed digital hits

Three of the hottest Xbox Live Arcade Games are coming to retail next month in one boxed release.

The first game in the Xbox Live Hits Collection is acclaimed platformer Limbo. The game is developed by Playdead and puts gamers in control of a young boy who must enter limbo to search for his missing sister.

Critically lauded on its release last year, the game was the third highest selling game on the Xbox Live service in 2010 and has a Metacritic rating of 90.

Trials HD, the second game in the pack is developed by RedLynx, and puts players in charge of a physics-based motorcycle, challenging them with a variety of courses and obstacles, from beginner to extreme. The game was downloaded 300,000 times in its first month on sale, and received a Metacritic rating of 86.

The game to complete the compilation is Splosion Man, a platformer developed by Twisted Pixel. 360 owners play an escaped scientific experiment who can explode at will, tackling a range of obstacles and puzzles as you try to escape from the lab that created you. The game received a Metacritic score of 84 and has been downloaded over 390,000 times.

Microsoft product marketing manager Laura Disney says: “Despite an amazing 30 million people now using the Xbox Live service worldwide, there are still some Xbox owners who are not connected and we’re thrilled to be able to make these three classic Xbox Live Arcade titles available to them in this way.”

On top of the three games, the package also includes 48-hour free trial subscription to Xbox Live Gold and 160 Microsoft points, making the Xbox Live Hits Collection the perfect starter pack for anyone that is new to Microsoft’s online service.

What the critics say

Eurogamer – Trials HD

"It's wonderfully designed, justifies the price, and may end up being the best thing on Xbox Live Arcade all year. If you're in any doubt, there's even a trial version."

IGN – Limbo

"Limbo is an incredible achievement. Very few games are as original, atmospheric, and consistently brilliant as Limbo."

Official Xbox Magazine - Splosion Man

"There's a vast supply of goodies for determined 'sploders, making this a sparkling, silly treat."

Release Date	May 13th 2011
Format	Xbox 360
Publisher	Microsoft
Developer	Plaudead Studios (Limbo), RedLynx (Trials HD), Twisted Pixel Games (Splosion Man)
Distributor	Gem
Price	£19.99
Contact	01279 822800

Sphere: Related Content