Russ nailed something fundamental about modern game design back in June. He enjoyed playing “Red Faction: Guerilla," but only by playing it on the easiest difficulty setting. I had the same experience this summer. I had a blast playing through “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” on “Casual”, because busting ghosts was the point of the game, not the challenge. Do I really need to die a hundred times to feel like I’m getting the most of bustin’ when it’s the bustin’ that makes me feel good?

But switching to easy isn't always something that's encouraged by a game. In fact, there have been a few games that have blatantly chastised you for taking the simple path. Here's a few that spring to mind:

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Xbox.com's Major Nelson spread the word today on what games would be included as part of Microsoft's Summer of Arcade, as well as their prices and release dates. Without further ado:

July 22nd - "TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-shelled" (1200 MS Points/$15)
This seems a little steep, considering it's really just the old game with updated (albiet very swank-looking) graphics. If I recall, the original adventure took about 2 hours to complete and doesn't exactly have the level of depth as, say, "Bionic Commando Rearmed," which released at 800 MS points.

July 29 - "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" (1200 MS Points/$15)
"Street Fighter 2 HD Remix Extreme Ultra Megamix" had a lot of value and great netcode, so I feel like this is in-line with what we've come to expect for a $15 game. After all, there are dozens of characters and there's that terrible soundtrack to look forward to!

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