alt="A bloody mess." />

Happy Tree Friends: False Alarm

Developer: Stainless Games

Publisher: Sega

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Fry It

A word of warning to any parents out there: Despite its cartoony appearance and adorable title, Happy Tree Friends is definitely not for kids. These adorable but ultra-violent critters have been hacking, slashing, and disemboweling each other in a series of animated shorts for nearly 10 years now. Now, the friends are making their videogame debut.

Similar to the classic Lemmings, you don't actually control any of the popular characters. Instead, your job is to guide them through hazard-filled levels by activating features within the environment and issuing individual commands. The tools at your disposal include a generic "action" command (for pushing buttons and the like), fire, ice and explosive nitro. Unfortunately, some spotty artificial intelligence causes the characters to often react in ways they shouldn't. For instance, starting a fire along a path is supposed to cause the little guys to freak out and run from it. Occasionally, though, they'll immediately turn and run into the flames. Mistakes like this can often cause some premature deaths that simply aren't the player's fault.

Even if you overlook those bugs, the game can be finished in a couple hours and there is little replay value. Hardcore fans will appreciate the game-exclusive cartoon, but that's the best part of this title.

alt="Map of train routes and players." />

Ticket to Ride

Developer: Next Level Games

Publisher: Playful Entertainment

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

Hey, look! It's yet another German-style board game for Xbox Live Arcade! Ticket to Ride joins titles like Carcassonne, Catan and Lost Cities in what seems to be one of the fastest-growing genres on the service. In Ticket, up to four (offline) or five (online) players compete to build the most train routes between cities. Each route requires a specific number of like-colored cards to complete, so the bulk of the game is spent drawing cards from a pile in order to get the proper hand. Once you've connected your cities, you can draw more destination cards that provide you with new cities to link.

Meanwhile, your opponents are attempting to do the same thing, turning the game into a race to claim the most track. There's not a lot of heavy thinking required to play Ticket, so it's a decent game to play while chatting with friends (similar to UNO). Of course, UNO costs half as much as this game.

alt="Ivy and Astaroth battle." />

Soulcalibur

Developer: Namco Bandai Games

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: Dreamcast

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

Soulcalibur was one of the games that helped get a lot of Sega's Dreamcast into players' homes. This sequel to the not-nearly-as-well-remembered PlayStation game Soul Blade quickly gained a large fan base and resulted in multiple sequels. In anticipation of one of those sequels (Soulcalibur IV, which launches at the end of the month), Namco Bandai has re-released the original Soulcali.

As it turns out, the original holds up remarkably well, nearly a decade later. There may not be as many features as the more recent entries, and the polygon count may be lower, but the fighting engine is still extremely polished and easy to get into. There are a couple of downsides to this port, however. The Dreamcast's Mission Mode, which added a lot of single-player replay value, is missing, and the fact that all the bonus goodies are unlocked from the start gives you nothing to work towards. There isn't even any online play added to the game, which is a huge negative. Given that Namco couldn't even get Mr. Driller running properly online, however, this may be a blessing in disguise. Even with these problems, Soulcali is still Soulcali, and it's still awesome. If you're looking for fighting action on XBLA, this is your best choice.

alt="Fore!!" />

Golf: Tee It Up!

Developer: Housemarque

Publisher: Activision

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

There's no way to sugarcoat this, so we're not even gonna try -- Golf: Tee It Up! is Activision's answer to Sony's Hot Shots Golf. It's got the same casual feel, the same "three tap" swing mechanic, and the same customizable cutesy characters. Of course, Xbox Live Arcade could use a game like this, so it's hard to complain too much about getting a clone.

Tee It Up's single-player game is pretty barebones -- it's clear that the game was designed to be played with other people. Up to four players can compete online or off, but you might get tired of the two 18-hole courses after a while. Hopefully new courses will appear as DLC soon. The one feature that sets this game apart from the others is Focus. This special move gives you control over the ball after you've hit it. So if you see that you're headed for the rough or if you want to try to earn a chip in, you can tell the ball where you want it to go. The move is extremely limited, though, so you won't have people abusing it.

One thing that Tee lacks, however, is a personality, making the game feel extremely dry. Even so, it's a fairly enjoyable title.

alt="Schizoid" />

Schizoid

Developer: Torpex Games

Publisher: Microsoft

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

Judging by the screen shots, you may think that Schizoid is yet another in a long line of overhead shooters inspired by Geometry Wars (well, Robotron 2084, really). It's not, though. Despite the similar viewpoints, the action is quite different. No matter what mode you play, there are always two "good guy" ships on the screen -- one blue, one orange. The only control you have over the ships is to move them around. There's no shooting in this game.

Blue and orange enemies swarm each stage, and they can only be destroyed by ramming them with the same colored ship. If your ship hits a different colored enemy, you die. The single-player game allows you to play alongside an AI-controlled ship (prepare to get mad when it makes a boneheaded move) or the super-challenging "control one ship with each of the analog sticks" mode where you have to think and move in two directions at once.

Ideally, Schizoid is meant to be played with another player, and when you do, it's a blast. Constantly working together to wipe out "your" enemies while defending your friend builds great communication and teamwork. Unfortunately, the experience grows old rather quickly, leaving you wishing that there was more to do.

alt="Newspaper crossword" />

Coffeetime Crosswords

Developer: Penny Press

Publisher: Konami

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Fry It

Are you jealous of all your Nintendo DS-owning friends because they get all the hot, new crossword puzzle videogames? Well, be envious no more as Coffeetime Crosswords has come to Xbox Live Arcade! OK, maybe we're getting a little too excited about a game that's intended for the most casual of casual gamers, but XBLA needs games like this, too. If nothing else, it's a good companion to the sudoku game that was released a few weeks ago, right?

Coffetime Crosswords certainly delivers what the title claims (well, except coffee). There are over 150 crossword puzzles of varying difficulties to solve, and even an online mode that allows two players to work together to complete the grid. The 800 Microsoft Point price tag does seem a bit steep for just 150 puzzles, though. Hopefully the game will take a cue from Buku Sudoku and offer extra puzzles for free later on.

Even if there are extra puzzles later, they certainly won't fix the awful control scheme which has you cycling through two bumper-controlled letter wheels for every square you have to fill in. It's incredibly slow and unintuitive, resulting in plenty of misplaced letters and growing frustration. At this point, you're probably better off grabbing a pencil and a book of puzzles. It's cheaper and easier to control.

alt="Gorillas and Lizards face off." />

Double D Dodgeball

Developer: YUKE'S Co. Ltd.

Publisher: YUKE'S Company of America

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

Judging by the title alone, Double D Dodgeball sounds like an extremely interesting game. You're undoubtedly imaging the game to be some sort of sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme 2. Unfortunately, one glance at the screenshots will shatter those dreams. Instead DDD is a retro-ized take on the classic schoolyard sport that features plenty of pixelized athletes and not a single bouncing boob.

With online support for up to eight players (only four offline) and multiple variable options (match types, playing fields, character classes), DDD can be quite a bit of fun with a few friends. It's certainly not up to the standards of Technos' beloved Super Dodge Ball, but it'll do. The stylized graphics, which are intended to give the game an '80s arcade feel, simply make the game look bland. Get past that, though, and you'll find an enjoyable (if slightly overpriced) multiplayer title.