Two games will hit Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow, both of which are classics, in a way. The first is Super Contra, something I’ve been waiting a long time for, since the original Contra release was the coin-op arcade version, as opposed to the superior NES one. But Super Contra was arguable the pinnacle of the series, and with online co-op and achievements, you better pick it up.

The other title is a bit of mixed bag. Wing Commander Arena is the rebirth of the classic Wing Commander franchise, which was phenomenal back in the day (and remains such in the hearts of many). Arena is going in a different direction, and despite what you might expect after seeing screenshots from the game, it’s in fact not 3D – you can’t move up or down; only horizontally. So even though you’re in space you’re confined to a single plane. Lame. On the plus-side, Arena is the first Arcade game to feature 16-player Xbox Live multiplayer, so that might justify an 800 Microsoft Point purchase.

Super Contra Game Features:

• Two gameplay modes: single player or two player co-op, either locally on the same Xbox 360 or over Xbox LIVE.
• Players can choose to play with either the original graphics or the enhanced graphics.
• Compete for the weekly and all time high scores on the Leaderboards.
• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore.

Wing Commander Arena Game Features:

• The first Xbox LIVE Arcade title featuring multiplayer gameplay for up to 16 players over Xbox LIVE.
• Four gameplay modes: Single Player, Multiplayer Team, Free for All, and Duel
• Players can choose from 18 different ships that can be customized with cloaking devices, mines, energy weapons, missiles and more!
• Skill-based matchmaking for ranked games.
• Earn up to 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore.