One of the most interesting features of the New Xbox Experience is the Community Games aspect, wherein enterprising individuals are given a shot at creating a game for download on Xbox Live. We played through a bunch of games yesterday, and the vast majority of the titles were pretty poor, to be frank. That's not to say the community games won't get better, or that they can't get better, but the ratio of lackluster games to diamonds in the rough is always going to be lopsided in the bad games' favor. However, we did find a few games with some interesting gameplay mechanics, and one that was a fun re-imaganing of games from the past. Read on as we break down a number of the launch titles from the community games section on Xbox Live.

Duotrix

Our favorite puzzle game thus far has got to be Duotrix. While at first glance, we were put off by the seemingly unimaginative graphics, but in the spirit of "benefit of the doubt" we wanted to see the actual gameplay mechanic and test it out. We were in for a pleasant surprise, as the gameplay concept was actually interesting.

Duotrix works similarly to Bejeweled or any other number of puzzle games de jour as of late. Simply match up three like colored squares, and the group vanishes. Fortunately, the game is more than a simple reimagining of Bejeweled. Instead, colored blocks fall from the top and bottom of the screen to the center, where they're placed. The trick is, players are forced to move both falling blocks simultaneously to place them. The decision making process changes from an extremely mindless "colored block goes to like colored block" into having to decide when it's appropriate to sacrifice the colored blocks you've already started laying out to free the opposite side's colored blocks. Some blocks contain powerups that modify the game, which plays into the overall strategy of block placement.

The game needs some tweaking difficulty wise, as it seemed extremely simple to keep the number of blocks down, and there wasn't the feeling of intenseness or satisfaction found in other puzzle games like Tetris or Lumines. That's not to say, however, that the game is incapable of producing that extended level of intense fun. All in all, a good first effort for the Xbox Live Community Games section.

Weapon of Choice

Big. Freaking. Guns. Those three words summarily describe Weapon of Choice. The game feels like a 1990s era shoot-em-up game that scrolls from left to right. The game adds in some interesting elements, like a mysterious ability for each gun. The two I played with in the trial version were a fire gun, whose special ability allows the player to hover and float in the air, and a machine gun of sorts, which the player can decouple from the character's body and shoot remotely.

Gun gameplay mechanics aside, the game is rather run of the mill. It's a basic shoot-em-up game that adds in a "death sense," which lets the player know immediate action needs to be taken to avoid an untimely demise. Add in a quirky story, and a boss who's a WIlford Brimley doppleganger and Weapon of Choice seems like a fun enough game with a surprising amount of depth not found in other Community Games. Weapon of Choice is worth a try, however it's still not a game I'd spend 400 precious Xbox points (about $5) to buy.

Colosseum

Definitely remeniscent of my childhood spent in arcades playing beat-em-ups, Colosseum is a game where Rome-era gladiators face all comers in a brawl for superiority. The game's main highlight is its cell shaded graphics, which look surprisingly well done for an independent game. The game is a bit mindless, simply beat up as many enemies as possible and defeat the boss, but the ability to create custom gladiators is a nice addition. Play the demo; it might be worth a buy if you're into that sort of thing. Still, the game won't be the breakout hit we're hoping to find on the community games section.

Brain Party

Taking a stance that says any game that can be copied will be copied, Brain Party is an extended version of Nintendo's Brain Age, added to the Xbox. That's not to say it's a straight ripoff of Nintendo's portable brain workout game, but it's pretty obvious where the inspiration for the game came from.

Players are guided through a series of logic puzzles that aim to test a person's smarts. Instead of calculating smartness in terms of "Brain Age," Brain Party instead calculates a person's intellect in terms of "Brain Weight." The goal of the game is to have the heaviest brain possible. Again, interesting concepts that remix Brain Age, but not necessarily worth the price of admission.

Rift

Another "less unique" game is Rift. The game plays like an uninspired version of Geometry Wars, with a unique twist. The player controls a spaceship fighting randomly placed ships, and can aim and fire at ships using the right control stick. I was just about to give up on the game, when I hit the trigger and found the game's unique mechanic: Freezing time. While holding down the trigger, the player can fly freely, and queue up shots which will be fired once time unfreezes. A unique concept for sure, however not unique enough to warrant a purchase. Instead, buyers should pony up the cash for Geometry Wars 2, as it's superior in almost every way. That being said, kudos to the developer for thinking a bit outside the box.

Stinkers

Rather than explain each game we played that wasn't worthy of an in depth overview, we'll give you some quick hit descriptions for each game.

• Beat IT! - Plays like the children's game "Bop-it!" The game tells you commands that you need to follow. Here's a command for you: Skip it.
• Being - A 90s era platformer that should have stayed there.
• Blow - Unique puzzle game where the player uses fans to manipulate the direction of bubbles. Unique concept with good music, that unfortunately, Blows.
• Drift - Not a game, but rather an art creator. Not interesting either.
• Fuel Depot 360 - Space flight sim where the player protects fuel shipments. Not bad, but not great.
• In the pit - Audio only game. Good concept, but I couldn't figure out how to play.
• Poker Ball - Breakout meets Poker. However, the paddle doesn't respond like breakout, instead relying on the right stick to control spin and bounce. Odd, but interesting.
• SMASHELL - Quirky game where the user controls an atlasphere-esque robot with the ability to jump. Feels more tech demo than game.
• SpaceCombat - Super Maze Wars inspired space shooter. Focuses on multiplayer death match in space. Difficult to play, with little entertainment reward.

Have you found that diamond in the rough that we're searching for? Let us know in the comments.