8.
TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled – 1.2 hours per player

This classic pretty much only takes 1 hour to beat with a good team. Just like the original – without the quarters.

7.
‘Splosion Man – 3.0 hours per player

Blow stuff up. Fun for everyone and apparently enough fun for 3 hours.

6.
The Secret of Monkey Island – 3.3 hours per player

3.3 hours per player. That could mean one of  two things – either you played the original and remembered where everything was, or you played it for 3 hours and then gave up.

5.
Trials HD – 3.6 hours per player

Racing! Lots of levels! User generated content! This game has only been out a few days and it makes the list – chances are it’ll get higher in the coming days.

4.
Worms 2: Armageddon – 4.1 hours per player

Another classic. Everyone likes to kill worms with weapons from dynamite to exploding super sheep. Fun and competitive multiplayer keeps this one on the list.

3.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 – 4.2 hours per player

This remake runs flawlessly and holds true to the original. Replay-ability comes with the multiplayer.

2.
Magic the Gathering: Duel of the Planeswalkers – 7.0 hours per player

Slightly surprising to see this game up here. I guess because the gameplay is simple and keeps true to the original. Also, players want to unlock all the cards in each deck.

1.
Battlefield 1943 – 8.8 hours per player

This one is not surprising. Battlefield on the 360 for cheap? That’s a winner right there.

That’s it for the list. Help contribute to the numbers by signing up for Raptr!

RT @Raptr Most Played XBLA Games of Q3 2009

A few things before I get started: The games are listed in reverse order by playtime. I chose games that have been out for more than 6 months because newer games obviously won’t have as many hours. I also added possible explanations to why the hours are the way they are for the ‘OMGWTFBBQ WHY DOES HALO 3 HAVE SO LITTLE HOURS’ comments. Important note: this data is taken from the past year – so these are the top games from now to about the same time last year.

11.

Grand Theft Auto 4 – 10.1 Hours per player

First on the list is Grand Theft Auto 4. So it looks like people only play GTA4 for about 10 hours – that’s understandable. GTA4, IMO, is one of those games everyone tries, then gets bored of it quickly. Sure, there’s a bunch of DLC and replay content, but the “try-it-and-sell-it” crowd drag the average hours down.

10.   

Street Fighter 4 – 11.4 Hours per player

I can see why this game is on the list. Other fighting games don’t reach this high, but if I had to guess the reason (I always am taking guesses), I’d say it’s because of the competition factor – Street Fighter 4 has some intense competitions. If you looked at other popular fighting games such as Soul Calibur 4, you’d see that a lot of people own it, but lack of competitive play hurt it.

9.     

Resident Evil 5 – 13.1 Hours per player

Resident Evil 5 is a strange one. It only has one story mode and zero multiplayer, yet it makes it relatively high on the list. I think it’s because anybody who plays Resident Evil 5, finishes it. Unlike those other games where you can play a few hours of multiplayer, Resident Evil 5 makes  you want to finish the game. Also, the Co-op feature is pretty fun and allows for at least one more play through with a different friend.

8.     

Left 4 Dead – 16.4 Hours per player

Who doesn’t like hordes of zombies? Left 4 Dead keeps players through two modes: Versus and co-op survival levels. 8th most played is good, but I think it’s not higher is because survival can get a bit repetitive and you either love or hate versus.

7. 

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – 17.3 Hours per player

Call of Duty 4 is one of those “lots-of-people-have-it-but-some-stop-playing-it-and-others-play-it-hardcore” games. Most people who play it enjoy it, but it takes a certain player to take it to the next level; some move onto the next game, some play the heck out of it.

6.     

Fable 2 – 18.0 Hours per player

This was unexpected to me. Fable 2 is a decent game, but not widely well reviewed like many of the others on the list. Despite that, I have a few theories. People leave Fable 2 on to farm gold – even I’ve done it. DLC also plays a big part as well as replay-ability to try the other side (evil vs. good).

5.     

Halo 3 – 22.0 Hours per player

OMGWTFBBQ WHY DOES HALO 3 HAVE SO LITTLE HOURS. Once again, it’s a “lots-of-people-have-it-but-some-stop-playing-it-and-others-play-it-hardcore” game. One of the reasons I think it does better than Call of Duty 4 is because of the competition factor – with MLG and other brakets, Halo 3 is played a lot.

4.     

Rock Band 2 – 26.6 Hours per player

Who doesn’t like party games? Rock Band 2 is great for parties and it shows. The best part about Rock Band 2 is that you can play it with a seemingly limitless combination of friends. Also, if you’re going to pay $200 for a game, you better play it a lot.

3.     

Gears of War 2 – 28.2 Hours per player

Gears of War 2 gets number 3. I think it’s because of the following reasons: Horde mode – nothing gets more hours than a group of 5 surviving waves and waves of baddies. Less universal than Halo 3 – people who buy Gears of War 2 most likely played Gears of War 1. In contrast, I know many people who got 360s just for Halo 3 even though they didn’t play the previous ones. Bundles – Gears of War 2 was never bundled while Halo 3 was bundled with special editions and elites. DLC – Gears of War 2 has had several DLCs which have kept the fans coming back for more.

2.     

Fallout 3 – 31.2 Hours per player

Fallout 3… the only pure single player game on the list. This one is easy (I think) to explain: DLC and replay-ability. Fallout 3 has had several content packs that have added substantial value to the game. Also, with the variety of how you can build your character, most players go back for a second play through.

1.     

Call of Duty: World at War – 37.7 Hours per player

What? Call of Duty: World at War at number 1? At first it was a shocker to me, but after thinking about it, it’s not. World at War has had many downloadable map packs that not only add more levels to the game, but also more play styles. Also, similar to Gears of War 2, the game has a more “pure” audience. It looks like most World at War players enjoyed it and kept playing.

Well, that’s the list. Feel free to add different explanations to why some numbers are the way they are. I’ve played all of these games in one form or another, but some of your hardcore players may have more information than I. If you haven’t already, sign up for Raptr to automatically track your gameplay!
RT @Raptr Top 11 Most Played Xbox 360 Games

So the game that brought about my sudden inner analyst was Battlefield 1943. I read all over the place about Battlefield 1943 shattering records and causing server crashes. I let a few weeks pass, and this is what I saw:

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Looks like some people are still playing it, but it is no where near it’s server crashing status. Looks like people have gotten a little bored of it. So I looked at other XBLA games. Next stop, Monkey Island:

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I seriously doubt all those people beat it within the first few days. Not surprised at these results – adventure games were never about their replayability. Maybe the issue is that Monkey Island is a single-player game, and most of the high performers are multi-player. I turn towards one of the most popular single-player games out right now: Fallout 3.

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Like all the others, it has had a spike and decline, but since then it’s stayed relatively steady. It looks like it was making a comeback the last few months. Around those small peaks were DLC releases – Mothership Zeta will probably produce a similar peak. So DLCs must change something about playtime. I look towards a game that recently has had a DLC – Gears of War 2:

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DLC does cause a big jump in gametime. Of course DLC would produce those results; in a way, it’s like a tiny expansion to the game. What about a game that doesn’t have any DLC? I look for a game that performs relatively well without any DLC – Street Fighter IV:

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No DLC here and it still performs relatively well. Despite that, there is still that peak and decline in gameplay. My search sends me to go look for a game with consistently high gameplay. After some searching, I came across my old friend Left 4 Dead:

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Looking at the chart, gameplay seems relatively consistent. Left 4 Dead had a good launch and plenty of updates – include user mods and the game does well.

So what have I decided? As I said before, I’m not a professional research analyst, so here’s my answer: I don’t really know. Create a fun game with continued support and user customization, and you will have something great.

Holy crap! This game came out not too long ago! I thought strategy guides were supposed to be like 20 bucks. Lame. I started poking around Ebay to see what strategy guides were worth something. First stop: Final Fantasy 7.

I know, right? That’s ridiculously expensive. It is “Buy It Now”, so that could mean that nobody will ever buy it, but I didn’t see any other similar items for a reasonable price. It’s the only 1st edition copy there too. I think I threw my Final Fantasy 7 strategy guide long ago…

I started searching for strategy guides I knew I still had from back in the day.

These are just a few of the guides on Ebay. After spending some time looking through my guides and price checking on ebay, I calculated that I could make about $300. Some of them weren’t worth anything, but several were worth a lot. Not bad for guides that I don’t use anymore.

So hold onto those strategy guides and keep them in good condition! You never know what they’re going to be worth later on.

Experiences that happen when you’re not connected to the ‘net are called “offline”, and let’s face it, a lot of activities aren’t as fun when you’re offline: you don’t have email, instant messaging, Wikipedia and of course, online gaming. Online, you can talk to your friends, access information and generally communicate and feel a part of a larger whole.

Equally, offgame refers to your experience when you’re not playing a game: discussing a game on forums, perusing news sites for new screenshots and trailers and maybe drooling over the next big achievement in your game du jour. Ongame, whether it’s with your friends in your living room, in an online poker table, raiding a dungeon with your guild, or playing Call of Duty 4 against worthy opponents, the experience is engaging, immersive and often social.

This social experience shouldn’t be limited to the confines of your games. What we aim to accomplish with Raptr is a way for players to continue that experience in the context of common interests. Through Raptr,  people can discuss games they already play and have in common with other players. Even more exciting for us is the prospect of players discovering new games and content through their friends and others on the network.

Raptr is like that friend that understands your musical tastes and recommends to you the next big unsigned bands. Except instead of music, we’re doing it for all games.