Castle Crashers is one of those games that is a perfect fit for Xbox Live in theory. It offers a simple gameplay style in a multi-player side-scrolling brawler, then adds plenty of unlockable content to keep you coming back. I’ve had a copy of it for a while now but simply never bothered playing it until last week due to a lack of friends that also had the game. That recently changed and I’m having tons of fun with Castle Crashers now, but some hold-outs told me they did so due to the game’s reputation for bad online play.

It turned out some of them were unaware of various solutions that may help them, so I couldn’t help but think that other people may also not know about some things that can make this fantastic game work better for you. I encourage you to check out the following.

Have you played since Dec. 24, 2008? If not, a patch was released that should help you. Load up Castle Crashers and you’ll get a disconnection and software update notice; tell it to accept the update, then see if Castle Crashers works any better for you.

Do you have network configuration issues, such as a firewall or restrictive router setups? If so, adjusting your router settings may help. Please note that I waive all liability if you choose to do so, as doing this impacts the security of the network you’re on. Some of the security tradeoffs are more theoretical than practical, others may have realistic concerns depending on their network. Consult with your network administrator (or whoever owns the internet connection in your home, if applicable) before doing anything in this guide to modifying your router settings. I have not personally had need for the info here, but what I understand of networking suggests this guide could help you.

This info will be old news to some people. But like many things, I found that a few people who had passed on Castle Crashers did so due to not having the full story. I have been enjoying the game a lot, so I hope this helps some of you get in on the fun. On the other hand, issues seem to persist for some people and I admit I have no idea why... your best bet may to be to take it up with The Behemoth, the game’s developer.

Old-school games need a proper controller: It’s no secret that the d-pad on the stock Xbox 360 controller is basically a crime against humanity, and analog sticks are a bad choice for playing most games of the 90s and earlier. I have a copy of Symphony of the Night here, but I’d sooner smash my head through a window than play it on that controller so I’ve put in perhaps an hour or two at most. Sure, my arcade sticks do an okay job, but it’s not exactly convenient given how huge they are. I have found a few third party designs that look promising though, and hope to review them soon.

In any event, it seems we have a lot to look forward to this week and in the near future.