Have You Discovered Xbox 360 Community Games Yet?

You might have noticed something in your Xbox 360 interface called Xbox Community Games and, as I did, not paid it much attention. But there's a surprising amount of innovative gameplay to be had in this overlooked corner of the Xbox Live Experience! Here's some help getting started in the world of Community Games.

What are community games?

Community games are games created independantly by much smaller companies, or often individuals. They're indie games that are made and reviewed by the Xbox Live community. You can download trial versions of each game via Xbox Live. If you want to buy the game, they're paid for with Xbox live points. They range from 100 points, up to the same level pricing as Xbox Arcade games.

Aren't the games CRAP?

I thought that after trying a few of them. But you'll be AMAZED at the quality of some of these games. Seriously. There are a lot of games on Community, with some real stinkers, but some of the games far surpass what's available on Xbox Live Arcade - and indeed many full-price titles. There's innovation, ideas and FRESH thinking that you won't find anywhere else. Some of the best games cost next to nothing for the full version.

How do you find the best games?

Fortunatelty, there's at least two REALLY good places where you can find out about the best Xbox Community games. The first being XNPlay - http://www.xnplay.co.uk/ This site ranks the best games on there, and it's easy to build up a little list of which ones you're interested in. This is where I started out.

The other essential bookmark is Nick The Dude's youtube reviews of the best games. Especially helpful is his top 21 Community Games.

That should be enough to get you started downloading some of these FANTASTIC, low price games. I guarantee you're in for a great time with these games, whatever kind of game floats your boat.