We Got Your ‘Summer of Arcade’ Games Right Here

Every Summer, Microsoft gathers a killer lineup of great Xbox Live Arcade games and releases them once-per-week over a month or so. It’s happened for several years now, and many Xbox users have begun looking forward to this tradition because the games in the “Summer of Arcade” are usually top-notch. Here’s this year’s complete roster, along with screens from each game!

Bastion

Things kick off on July 20th with Bastion, from Supergiant Games and Warner Bros. Interactive. Bastion is a sprawling Action/RPG starring The Kid, a character who’s charged with building a new world from the broken remnants of the past. The big twist is the game’s “innovative reaction system” that includes stuff like a narrator who reacts and changes the story based on the choices you make and the things you do. Bastion is 1200 Microsoft Points, aka $15.

From Dust

From Dust follows on July 27th, from Ubisoft, and provides a distinct change of pace. This one-of-a-kind puzzle game from the creator of Another World stars nature itself, as you help decide the survival or destruction of a primitive tribe of people. From Dust will cost 12 MS Points/$15.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

On August 3rd, Fuelcell and Microsoft Studios present Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, a shooter with a wildly original visual style. It looks kind of like Limbo‘s more colorful, more alien cousin. This side-scrolling adventure will run you 1200 MS Points/$15.

Fruit Ninja Kinect

Super-popular iOS game Fruit Ninja comes to Xbox Live for a Kinect version of the game. Halfbrick’s crazy title will have you slicing and dicing those melons and berries via the magic of controller-free gaming on August 10th for 800 MS Points or $10.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War

RTS game Toy Soldiers was a big hit as part of last year’s Summer of Arcade, so this year Signal Studios presents the sequel, Toy Soldiers: Cold War, on August 17th. The setting this time is 1980s-style warfare. The price is 1200 MS Points/$15.

Crimson Alliance

Gamers who purchase all five of the above games will get a free copy of a sixth, Crimson Alliance, a cooperative action RPG from developer Certain Affinity. This dungeon-crawler is said to have distinctive feel and personality all its own, and early buzz on the game is extremely positive.

Which games from Summer of Arcade 2011 are on your must-have list?