Microsoft is putting their giant, money-coated boot on the throats of arcade shooter fans around the world. They have decided to reject developer 5pb’s proposal to port a few classic Cave shooters - most notably DoDonPachi Dai Ou Jou Black Label X and Ketsui X - to the Xbox Live Arcade. Sure, hardcore fans of the genre are now eagerly constructing epitaphs of the men in charge at Microsoft, and5pb will have to explain to their collective family why they can only eat corned beef for the next year, but what does this mean for the average gamer?

Microsoft doesn’t seem like they have a plan with XBLA. The service is full of arcade and console ports from the last twenty years, a few welcome board game adaptations and the occasional original game tossed in for good measure. When laying the business smack down on 5pb, MS said they were trying to cut down on retro ports. Ok, if that’s your plan, I have no beef. But will this new strategy hold?

The original content on XBLA is slim at best. There are only a few noteworthy entires but none of them are exactly pushing the boundaries of game design. MS seems to play it safe with XBLA - marketing tried-and-true gameplay mechanics in an easy to digest format - but to what end? Will they ever focus on truly unique software like Sony has been doing with the PlayStation Network? Will we ever see an XBLA equivalent to flOw or Everyday Shooter?

What should be a beacon for creative, independent developers has turned into a desolate wasteland filled with over-priced casual games ( $10 for Astropop!?) and tired arcade hits. If MS is putting their foot down to promote original software, I’m all for it. But if they are just picking on 5pb because they’re the little guys, it could be a dark future in Arcadeland.

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