Ray Barnholt, 1UP wrote:

Purists will argue that Arkanoid shouldn't even be on XBLA at all, since there's no Xbox controller that replicates the jog dial of the original arcade machine (or the dial controllers for the NES and Japanese DS versions). While haivng a dial would be nice, I can say that as someone who played the NES Arkanoid for years with a regular controller, you get used to it, and the game's still good. The ball isn't always moving at a lightning clip, so it's easy to see where it's going and move the paddle (that is to say, the Vaus spacecraft) accordingly. Regardless, pressing LB or RB doubles the speed of the Vaus when needed.

Hilary Goldstein, IGN wrote:

Purists will argue that Arkanoid shouldn't be played without the knob controller available in the arcades (and on the Nintendo DS), but ignore those whiners. The Vaus controls just fine with the Left Thumbstick and you can increase the speed of its movement by holding down either a trigger or a bumper.