Hey, long time no see. Yeah, I know, I'm falling behind on updating. I've been pretty busy lately, but hopefully I'll pick it back up sooner or later.
One of the things that I've been busy on is making a walkthrough for Exit 2. You can check it out on GameFAQs. I'll be updating it periodically, as of this writing I only have the first two stages done (and I've only got the game beat up to half of the fourth stage). I'm also considering making a Heavy Weapon guide, but I should probably wait until I finish this one first.
Anyway, make sure you check the guide out here. Thanks!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Behemoth Game #3
Let's get this out of the way now: I am a huge Castle Crashers fan. I also liked Alien Hominid, (the little of it that I played) so when I hear that the Behemoth has released a trailer, you can imagine the fangirlish screams that were...screamed. I'll shut up now; you go watch.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Classic Review - Geometry Wars
I hate to say it, but the first Geometry Wars just wasn't my favorite XBLA game. It's good, just not incredibly awesome. This was the first review I ever wrote, so it's not quite as in-depth as my other ones have been.
Pros:
-Addictive
-Great graphics
-Variety of enemies
Cons:
-Nearly impossible achievements
-Becomes too hard too fast
The first Geometry Wars game appeared as a mini-game in the game Project Gotham Racing 2 in 2003. Since then, Bizzare Creation's game has spawned several sequels on different consoles, from the DS to the Wii to the Xbox. Having never played any of the previous titles, I bought this game not knowing what to expect, but hoping that it would serve as a fun, bite-sized distraction.
Xbox Live Arcade introduces the game's first sequel, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Several features have been added; the most notable of these is the graphics. The play area has been expanded, and the camera has been zoomed in. Sparks fly when you hit a wall, and the background becomes distorted around the area where you shoot. It all looks and feels very nice.
New enemies have also been added. Joining the roster of blue diamonds, green boxes, and red circles are pinwheels, which move around randomly, snakes that can only be killed by hitting a certain point, red claw-like enemies that follow you at high speeds, and small triangles, which are easily killed but come in such huge quantites that you are likely to be overwhelmed.
In fact, 'overwhelmed' will be a very common feeling while playing this game. The game initially starts out slow. You are first presented with some pinwheels that are hardly a threat, and even when the diamonds appear, they do not present much of a challenge. However, this soon changes, and it won't be long before you are completely surrounded by enemies out for your head. The game takes an extremely large amount of patience and practice, perhaps too much. You will likely only get scores in the 5-digit area on your first go around, and it is then when you realize how difficult it will truly be to get those achievements.
The achievements are another area that the game does not particularly excel in. They vary from unlikely to nearly impossible. The game has the standard 12 achievements for 200 gamerpoints. Out of those 200, I have gained 20. I have played this game a lot, too. The game awards you for gaining certain amounts of points. However, they also award you for getting those same amount of points without dying, which seems rather uncreative. Getting one million points seems unlikely, but one million points without losing a life makes you wonder what exactly the developers were thinking.
However, the game is not as terrible as I am making it sound. It is still fun to play and will have its hooks in you, if only for a day or so. The controls are so delightfully simple, a caveman could do it. Left analog stick to move, right analog stick to fire. The bumper buttons will release a bomb that will purge the screen of all enemies, providing you with a two or three second break. Believe me, you will be wanting as many breaks as you can.
Overall, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved provides you with a fun experience, with stunning graphics, simple controls, and just pure fun. It is not without its flaws, however, which gives this game a solid 3 out of 5.
Image Credits: Bizarre Creations
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
3/5
3/5
Pros:
-Addictive
-Great graphics
-Variety of enemies
Cons:
-Nearly impossible achievements
-Becomes too hard too fast
The first Geometry Wars game appeared as a mini-game in the game Project Gotham Racing 2 in 2003. Since then, Bizzare Creation's game has spawned several sequels on different consoles, from the DS to the Wii to the Xbox. Having never played any of the previous titles, I bought this game not knowing what to expect, but hoping that it would serve as a fun, bite-sized distraction.
Xbox Live Arcade introduces the game's first sequel, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Several features have been added; the most notable of these is the graphics. The play area has been expanded, and the camera has been zoomed in. Sparks fly when you hit a wall, and the background becomes distorted around the area where you shoot. It all looks and feels very nice.
New enemies have also been added. Joining the roster of blue diamonds, green boxes, and red circles are pinwheels, which move around randomly, snakes that can only be killed by hitting a certain point, red claw-like enemies that follow you at high speeds, and small triangles, which are easily killed but come in such huge quantites that you are likely to be overwhelmed.
In fact, 'overwhelmed' will be a very common feeling while playing this game. The game initially starts out slow. You are first presented with some pinwheels that are hardly a threat, and even when the diamonds appear, they do not present much of a challenge. However, this soon changes, and it won't be long before you are completely surrounded by enemies out for your head. The game takes an extremely large amount of patience and practice, perhaps too much. You will likely only get scores in the 5-digit area on your first go around, and it is then when you realize how difficult it will truly be to get those achievements.
The achievements are another area that the game does not particularly excel in. They vary from unlikely to nearly impossible. The game has the standard 12 achievements for 200 gamerpoints. Out of those 200, I have gained 20. I have played this game a lot, too. The game awards you for gaining certain amounts of points. However, they also award you for getting those same amount of points without dying, which seems rather uncreative. Getting one million points seems unlikely, but one million points without losing a life makes you wonder what exactly the developers were thinking.
However, the game is not as terrible as I am making it sound. It is still fun to play and will have its hooks in you, if only for a day or so. The controls are so delightfully simple, a caveman could do it. Left analog stick to move, right analog stick to fire. The bumper buttons will release a bomb that will purge the screen of all enemies, providing you with a two or three second break. Believe me, you will be wanting as many breaks as you can.
Overall, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved provides you with a fun experience, with stunning graphics, simple controls, and just pure fun. It is not without its flaws, however, which gives this game a solid 3 out of 5.
Image Credits: Bizarre Creations
Monday, March 9, 2009
Classic Review - Feeding Frenzy
This Monday's review is a little on the short side, but it gets the message across. I didn't care much for this game, but make sure you download the demo to form your own opinions.
Feeding Frenzy
2/5
Pros:
-Interesting gameplay
Cons:
-Frustrating
-Gets old fast
Every so often a game comes along that should be good, but isn't. It has all of the right qualities of a "good" game, but there's just something about it that can just ruin the entire experience. Feeding Frenzy by Sprout Games (published by PopCap) feels like one of those games.
The objective of Feeding Frenzy is simple enough. You start as a small fish trying to eat your way up the food chain. At first you have to consume the tiny fish to increase your growth bar, but once you eat a certain amount, you level up. This makes you bigger, and therefore allows you to eat larger fish. However, it is not quite that easy, as larger fish are trying to eat you. You are constantly dodging the bigger fish to get to the smaller fish, and it all just turns into, well, a feeding frenzy.
This is further complicated by the addition of different obstacles. There are oysters, which will eat you if they close on you, but sometimes contain pearls that you can snatch if you are quick enough. There are sharks, whose entrance are announced by an exclamation point and tend to follow you around. There are jellyfish, which will stun you and any other fish that touches it. And there are mines, which kill you instantly, and finally there are poisonous fish, which will reverse your controls for a bit if you eat them.
And of course, what good would a game be without power-ups. Available power-ups include a starfish that increases your score, a 1-Up that gives you an extra life, a shield that protects against one attack, a speed boost that makes you swim faster, and a stun, that makes every fish on the screen stop in its place.
Now all this sounds good, but unfortunately, the game has many flaws. Let's start with the camera. The entire level cannot be shown all at once, and the camera scrolls along with you. But the camera doesn't scroll until you reach around the edge of the screen. This means that there can be a shark waiting just at the edge of the screen to eat you, and you won't know about it until you've already been gobbled up. And trust me, this happens a lot. It's enough to make you want to cry after playing the first few rounds. This flaw could have been easily avoided by having the camera follow you without waiting for you to reach the edge of the screen, or by not having the camera scroll at all.
While the camera will bear most of your frustrations, you will also come across some little things that will just push your buttons. For example, sometimes you appear to be "sucked in" by larger fish and get eaten, even though you weren't near its mouth. The fact that larger fish can eat other smaller fish will also prove to be frustrating. Other little things like this just make Feeding Frenzy an unpleasant experience.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone but your kids. They will probably find much more enjoyment of it than you ever will. Feeding Frenzy is a game with potential that is bogged down with little things that make it a frustrating ride. You will tire of it very quickly. I give it a 2 out of 5.
Picture source: Teamxbox.com
2/5
Pros:
-Interesting gameplay
Cons:
-Frustrating
-Gets old fast
Every so often a game comes along that should be good, but isn't. It has all of the right qualities of a "good" game, but there's just something about it that can just ruin the entire experience. Feeding Frenzy by Sprout Games (published by PopCap) feels like one of those games.
The objective of Feeding Frenzy is simple enough. You start as a small fish trying to eat your way up the food chain. At first you have to consume the tiny fish to increase your growth bar, but once you eat a certain amount, you level up. This makes you bigger, and therefore allows you to eat larger fish. However, it is not quite that easy, as larger fish are trying to eat you. You are constantly dodging the bigger fish to get to the smaller fish, and it all just turns into, well, a feeding frenzy.
This is further complicated by the addition of different obstacles. There are oysters, which will eat you if they close on you, but sometimes contain pearls that you can snatch if you are quick enough. There are sharks, whose entrance are announced by an exclamation point and tend to follow you around. There are jellyfish, which will stun you and any other fish that touches it. And there are mines, which kill you instantly, and finally there are poisonous fish, which will reverse your controls for a bit if you eat them.
And of course, what good would a game be without power-ups. Available power-ups include a starfish that increases your score, a 1-Up that gives you an extra life, a shield that protects against one attack, a speed boost that makes you swim faster, and a stun, that makes every fish on the screen stop in its place.
Now all this sounds good, but unfortunately, the game has many flaws. Let's start with the camera. The entire level cannot be shown all at once, and the camera scrolls along with you. But the camera doesn't scroll until you reach around the edge of the screen. This means that there can be a shark waiting just at the edge of the screen to eat you, and you won't know about it until you've already been gobbled up. And trust me, this happens a lot. It's enough to make you want to cry after playing the first few rounds. This flaw could have been easily avoided by having the camera follow you without waiting for you to reach the edge of the screen, or by not having the camera scroll at all.
While the camera will bear most of your frustrations, you will also come across some little things that will just push your buttons. For example, sometimes you appear to be "sucked in" by larger fish and get eaten, even though you weren't near its mouth. The fact that larger fish can eat other smaller fish will also prove to be frustrating. Other little things like this just make Feeding Frenzy an unpleasant experience.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone but your kids. They will probably find much more enjoyment of it than you ever will. Feeding Frenzy is a game with potential that is bogged down with little things that make it a frustrating ride. You will tire of it very quickly. I give it a 2 out of 5.
Picture source: Teamxbox.com
Coming Wednesday - Peggle, Crystal Defenders, and Maw DLC
The insanely addictive casual game Peggle is coming to XBLA this Wednesday. Along with 55 levels and 75 challenges, you'll get both competitive and co-operative multiplayer game modes over XBox Live! Shock awe and amazement! Pick it up for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Also coming Wednesday is Crystal Defenders, a title published by Square Enix that features characters from Final Fantasy Tactics A2. Play through "over 300 stages of action...with three different game versions." It will also be available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Last but not least, a game from earlier this year, the Maw, will be receiving its first downloadable content, in the form of River Redirect. You can grab it for the small price of 160 Microsoft points.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Days of Arcade
Remember the Summer of Arcade from last year, the five weeks where they released great games like Castle Crashers and Braid? Well, they're at it again, with Days of Arcade. You can expect seven new games in the coming six weeks starting on March 18th. (Yes, that's right, they're releasing two games on one day) The games are:
Source: Majornelson.com
- The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai - The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai is an intense 2-D action platforming game with a unique highly stylized look and fast and fluid action. The game's hero is a lowly dishwasher (the occupation, not the appliance) who has lost everything, including his heart, at the hands of the deceptive and evil cyborg movement and is seeking revenge against a mechanized soulless army. (Source: Xbox.com)
- Flock - Herd sheep using UFOs.
- Hasbro Family Game Night - Battleship, Yahtzee, Scrabble, and Connect Four
- Lode Runner - Remake of a classic Amiga platformer
- Outrun Online Arcade - Racing game remake
- Puzzle Quest: Galactrix - Needs no introduction...
- UNO Rush - An upgraded game by the people who brought you the original UNO.
Source: Majornelson.com
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Leaked videos, Worms screens
I'm sick this week, so news posts are going to be short. ='(
Space Invaders Extreme and Yosumin Live!
Head on over to Joystiq to watch some gameplay footage of Space Invaders Extreme and Yosumin Live. Curiously enough, SIE seems to have the Bomberman LIVE achievements... Click here for the videos.
Worms: Armaggedon Screens
Also found on Joystiq, Team 17's profile page has just been updated with a couple Worms: Armaggedon screens for XBLA, showing off Avatar support and the nice visuals. Click here for the photos.
Source: Joystiq
Space Invaders Extreme and Yosumin Live!
Head on over to Joystiq to watch some gameplay footage of Space Invaders Extreme and Yosumin Live. Curiously enough, SIE seems to have the Bomberman LIVE achievements... Click here for the videos.
Worms: Armaggedon Screens
Also found on Joystiq, Team 17's profile page has just been updated with a couple Worms: Armaggedon screens for XBLA, showing off Avatar support and the nice visuals. Click here for the photos.
Source: Joystiq
Monday, March 2, 2009
Classic Review - Bomberman LIVE
BOMBERMAN LIVE
4/5
4/5
Pros:
-Memorable characters and graphics
-Addictive gameplay
-Online play is a blast (Get it?)
-Bomberman is customizable
Cons:
-Online play suffers from lag
When I was a kid, I remember one of my favorite games was Bomberman. It was so easy to play, and yet so hard to master. It does shame me slightly to say that Bomberman 64 was among my favorite Nintendo 64 games, but maybe i didn't have good taste back then. Whatever the case, all I can say is this: I love Bomberman.
I was as shocked as anybody when I saw Hudson's new-looking Bomberman years ago, and it's very negative reviews didn't surprise me. That's why I am extremely relieved that their newest offering, Bomberman LIVE, returns to the classic Bomberman look and feel. The cartoony, cute graphics can make anybody love these characters.
The game uses the same formula that makes Bomberman so great. Two to eight players run around a stage, trying to trap each other using bombs. In order to reach your opponents, however, you have to first blast away groups of boxes. These boxes may contain power-ups that upgrade you or your bombs. Power-ups are a key part of the game, and often you will find that the player with the best power-ups wins.
That's it, really. The concept is so easy, a six year old can pick it up and play. In fact, this game is great to play with your kids. The game allows four people to play locally, with up to four slots for computer players. The game is also fun to play by yourself, however, allowing you to play with up to seven bots. Your opponents AI is somewhat lacking towards the easier levels. Occasionally they will drop a bomb, then instantly get distracted by something shiny and blow themselves up. However, you can change the difficulty of the bots, and although I've never been brave enough to play on Hard, it seems like something that would clear up on harder difficulties.
Another fine point of Bomberman LIVE is the customizability of your Bomberman. The base game has 60 "costumes" to unlock; 20 headgear, 20 hair styles, and 20 clothes. You can buy even more for 200 MSP (along with new maps to play on) from the XBox Marketplace. Costumes are unlocked in the form of "Costume Balls". These balls (actually more of a diamond) appear in single player games after one minute. You will usually find yourself making a mad dash for each ball as soon as it appears, as computer players can pick them up too. Changing Bomberman's appearance is great fun, especially when you find the combination that is just right.
But the main attraction to this game is the online multiplayer, and Hudson has made it a blast. Bad puns aside, you can play with up to seven other people in a multi-round game match, with all the features available in the single player. Friends can also join in the fun locally, and you can have four people on one console playing online.
Unfortunately, the online multiplayer suffers from a lot of lag. Sometimes bombs will appear out of nowhere, or people will teleport from one place to another. The game becomes unplayable if this happens. However, this is the game's only strong letdown. It makes the game less than perfect, but it's still fun.
It is also worth mentioning some other random points. There are four different game modes: Normal, Bombing Run, Paint, and Zombie, all of which are available online. Bombing Run makes everyone run faster. In Paint mode, the object is to "paint" the ground by bombing it, and the player with the most tiles painted wins. Zombie mode is identical to Paint mode, except you can't die, and instead you lose all your tiles when you are hit. You also have the choice to play with "Revenge carts", where you ride around the edge of the map when you die and attempt to bomb the people who are still alive. There are also different maps that each have a different gimmick, but you will usually find yourself playing on the default Classic map.
Overall, Bomberman LIVE is a great game that is nearly perfect. But it's the imperfections that set the game back, so I give this game a 4 out of 5. Simply put, Bomberman LIVE is the bomb. Yes, I'm going to burn for that.
Picture Source: Hudson Entertainment
-Memorable characters and graphics
-Addictive gameplay
-Online play is a blast (Get it?)
-Bomberman is customizable
Cons:
-Online play suffers from lag
When I was a kid, I remember one of my favorite games was Bomberman. It was so easy to play, and yet so hard to master. It does shame me slightly to say that Bomberman 64 was among my favorite Nintendo 64 games, but maybe i didn't have good taste back then. Whatever the case, all I can say is this: I love Bomberman.
I was as shocked as anybody when I saw Hudson's new-looking Bomberman years ago, and it's very negative reviews didn't surprise me. That's why I am extremely relieved that their newest offering, Bomberman LIVE, returns to the classic Bomberman look and feel. The cartoony, cute graphics can make anybody love these characters.
The game uses the same formula that makes Bomberman so great. Two to eight players run around a stage, trying to trap each other using bombs. In order to reach your opponents, however, you have to first blast away groups of boxes. These boxes may contain power-ups that upgrade you or your bombs. Power-ups are a key part of the game, and often you will find that the player with the best power-ups wins.
That's it, really. The concept is so easy, a six year old can pick it up and play. In fact, this game is great to play with your kids. The game allows four people to play locally, with up to four slots for computer players. The game is also fun to play by yourself, however, allowing you to play with up to seven bots. Your opponents AI is somewhat lacking towards the easier levels. Occasionally they will drop a bomb, then instantly get distracted by something shiny and blow themselves up. However, you can change the difficulty of the bots, and although I've never been brave enough to play on Hard, it seems like something that would clear up on harder difficulties.
Another fine point of Bomberman LIVE is the customizability of your Bomberman. The base game has 60 "costumes" to unlock; 20 headgear, 20 hair styles, and 20 clothes. You can buy even more for 200 MSP (along with new maps to play on) from the XBox Marketplace. Costumes are unlocked in the form of "Costume Balls". These balls (actually more of a diamond) appear in single player games after one minute. You will usually find yourself making a mad dash for each ball as soon as it appears, as computer players can pick them up too. Changing Bomberman's appearance is great fun, especially when you find the combination that is just right.
But the main attraction to this game is the online multiplayer, and Hudson has made it a blast. Bad puns aside, you can play with up to seven other people in a multi-round game match, with all the features available in the single player. Friends can also join in the fun locally, and you can have four people on one console playing online.
Unfortunately, the online multiplayer suffers from a lot of lag. Sometimes bombs will appear out of nowhere, or people will teleport from one place to another. The game becomes unplayable if this happens. However, this is the game's only strong letdown. It makes the game less than perfect, but it's still fun.
It is also worth mentioning some other random points. There are four different game modes: Normal, Bombing Run, Paint, and Zombie, all of which are available online. Bombing Run makes everyone run faster. In Paint mode, the object is to "paint" the ground by bombing it, and the player with the most tiles painted wins. Zombie mode is identical to Paint mode, except you can't die, and instead you lose all your tiles when you are hit. You also have the choice to play with "Revenge carts", where you ride around the edge of the map when you die and attempt to bomb the people who are still alive. There are also different maps that each have a different gimmick, but you will usually find yourself playing on the default Classic map.
Overall, Bomberman LIVE is a great game that is nearly perfect. But it's the imperfections that set the game back, so I give this game a 4 out of 5. Simply put, Bomberman LIVE is the bomb. Yes, I'm going to burn for that.
Picture Source: Hudson Entertainment
Coming Wednesday - Watchmen
Watchmen: The End is Nigh is rolling into town this Wednesday at the low*, low** price of 1600 Microsoft Points ($20).
Not sure if it's worth the dent in your wallet? You can read Joystiq's impressions of the game here.
Source: Majornelson.com
*By low, I mean expensive.
**By expensive, I mean what-on-earth-were-they-thinking-ly expensive.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Watchmen Pricing Details Released
Looking forward to the Watchmen video game coming for XBLA? Well, it's going to put a mighty big hole in your wallet. It was revealed today that the game will cost no less than 1600 Microsoft points ($20), making it one of the most expensive titles to date on the XBLA. Keep your eyes peeled for it on March 4.
Source: 1up
Picture Source: Joystiq
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sam & Max, XBLA Awards
Sam & Max Seasons One and Two coming to XBLA!
Your favorite crime-solving duo is finally making its way to the Xbox 360! For those who are out of the loop, Sam & Max is a popular episodic game series about a dog and his rabbit friend as they go about solving crimes and such. They're pretty funny and are great to play, so it's good to see them getting some love in the form of XBLA. No release dates have been announced.
And if you're hungry for more Sam & Max action, you can download episode 104 for free from the Telltale website.
Source: Joystiq
Picture Source: IGN
Second Annual Xbox Live Arcade Awards
It's that time again! Time to decide on which XBLA game from last year is most deserving of an award. "...you get to cast your votes directly on your Xbox 360 within NXE." said Major Nelson on his blog. Head over there to see the full list of categories and nominees.
Source: Major Nelson
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
PopCap acquires Gastronaut, Flock dated
PopCap + Gastronaut = LurveFeels like I just got finished writing about them. PopCap Games, a company that needs no introduction, announced today that they have teamed up with Gastronaut Studios, a name you probably recognize as the developers of Small Arms and the upcoming Gel. "The Gastronaut Studios acquisition signals PopCap's continued commitment to ... [making] top quality games for a range of platforms," says PopCap CEO David Roberts. Let's hope good comes out of this.
Source: PR News Wire
Flock Gets a Date
Don't lie to me. You know you like to herd sheep in your spare time, and in your spare spare time, you enjoy playing games about herding sheep. Yeah, I could see it in your eyes. Capcom's upcoming game Flock is making its way to XBLA this April. April 8th, to be exact. So warm up your UFOs, you only got a little bit more than a month to wait!
Source: IGN
Arcade Wednesday - Exit 2
Exit 2 is officially out! I've been waiting for some reviews to pop up today. I've seen a 7.5 and two 9s, along with a 2.0 out of 10 that was averaged from 16 reader reviews on IGN. Kinda makes you think, though, they couldn't have played this game for longer than 5 hours...
Anyway, it's out, go get it if you want it, or play it safe like me and wait for more trustworthy reviews to come out.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Braid Discount, and Gel!
Deal of the Week returns!
You might remember Deal of the Week from last December, where several games ran for a discounted price. "...we're bringing it back on a regular basis," says Major Nelson in his blog Sunday. The program kicks off this week with a discount on the award-winning time-travelling game Braid. Previously sold for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), Braid will now be available for 800 points ($10) this week to XBox Live Gold subscribers. If you haven't picked it up already, make sure you get this great game now!
Source: Majornelson.com
Gel: Set & Match AnnouncedGastronaut Studios, the developers behind Small Arms, have announced Gel: Set & Match, a match-four game exclusive to the XBox 360. "With goopy grace and colorful characters, 'Gel' delivers a novel experience that mingles brain-bending puzzles with intense side-scrolling action," reads Gastronaut's blog. Keep reading for screenshots!
Source: GastronautStudios.com (Found on Joystiq)
Coming Wednesday - Exit 2
Looks like we can look forward to Exit 2 coming onto XBLA this Wednesday (2/23/09). Play as Mr. ESC in over 240 stages (with 30 more downloadable from XBox Live) as you solve puzzles to escape the house. It will be available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).
Source: Xbox.com
Forums are now up!
Woohoo! I've set up a forum over at xblar.proboards.com. So check em out, register, and have a good time! =)
Classic Review - Heavy Weapon
We'll kick off this review train with my all-time favorite XBLA game: Heavy Weapon. Enjoy the review.4/5
Pros:
-Simply brilliant
-Good graphics and sound
-Good upgrade system
-Memorable enemies and bosses
-Difficulty ramps up gradually,
and is rarely impossible
Cons:
-Repeats too many levels
-Sometimes unfair
PopCap Games is known for its high quality casual games, and rarely fails to deliver pure fun. Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank, is definitely no exception. Nearly a month after I purchased the game, I still find myself with the urge to play a round or two.
The premise is simple; the Red Star army is invading your country, and society's only hope is the Atomic Tank. Armed with lasers, turrets, missiles, and a flak cannon, you must fight off hordes of enemies to save the world from Communism.
The controls are easy enough. Left analog stick to move your tank (the tank can only move horizontally), right analog stick to fire. Everything about this game, from the controls to the story, is so beautifully simple that almost anyone can pick it up and instantly start playing.
In between rounds, you can upgrade your tank. There are nineteen levels and eighteen upgrades, so you will have one of everything by the end of the game. The upgrades include missiles (both homing and non-homing), flak cannons, a powerful laser, lightning bolts that hop between enemies, and shield balls that rotate around your tank. There are no switching weapons; once you get something, it is used automatically. You can imagine the amount of destruction you wreak when your weapons are fully upgraded.
The upgrade system works remarkably well. Each weapon can be upgraded three times, though you can choose to remove upgrades in between rounds. There will be many instances when you will find that the enemies in one certain level are giving you trouble, so you take a couple points off of a weapon and put it into your shields. Sometimes the key to beating a level is modifying what you spend your upgrade points on.
We cannot forget your starting weapon, the humble turret gun, however. You don't spend upgrade points to power up the gun. Instead, several times a level, a white helicopter will fly past and drop a minor upgrade. While it can take a beating, excessively firing at this copter will take points away for friendly fire. The minor upgrades you can receive include the following: the gun upgrade, which powers up your gun; the spread shot, which adds an extra gun; the speed upgrade, which slightly increases your speed; and the nukes, which clear the screen of enemies.
At the end of each level, you are faced with a boss. These bosses are very imaginative, excellently animated, and memorable, without a doubt. However, this is where we will give Heavy Weapon its first criticism. After completing the first nine levels, you are basically taken back to square one. All the bosses that you previously defeated have come back to life, and you must kill all of them a second time to reach the final boss. This just comes across as pure laziness on the developer's part, and unfortunately puts a hamper on the overall experience.
While we are talking about the game's bad side, I will go ahead and point this out, too. Although the game's difficulty ramps up quickly, you rarely feel overwhelmed. But the game does occasionally border on completely unfair. For example, there is one type of enemy whose bombs, although big and easy to hit, are heavily armored and will kill you instantly if it hits the ground. This is fine at first, but if you fail to take the plane out fast enough, another one of the same type will emerge from the other side, and you are left with having to deal with two of them. You instantly lose a very valuable life.
Even with these problems, the game is not unplayable by any means. If nothing else, at least the online multiplayer manages to do everything perfectly. It is a four-person cooperative mode, where the object is to fend off the invaders for as long as you can. You don't have lives; instead, each time you die, it takes a little bit longer to respawn. You won't notice it much at first, but it could decide the fate of the game later on. The game ends when everybody is dead at the same time. You will find yourself coming back to the online mode very often, even though you can only find one or two open games at any given time.
There is so much I can say about this game, about the level design, (never the same level twice!) about the artwork, (even the nukes look very nice) about everything. But it all boils down to this: Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank is an extremely fun arcade game that currently reigns as my favorite game available from the XBLA. I would highly recommend this game to anyone, and as such, I give it a 4 out of 5.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Introduction
Hey there! My name's Corey, but I'd rather be called Pieguy. And allow me to welcome you to XBLA Reviews! (A place I like to call X-BLAR) I have some pretty big plans for this site. Expect to find a place where you can not only find reviews and walkthroughs for XBox Live Arcade games, but also a place for XBLA gamers to discuss these games and submit their own walkthroughs. I will soon set up a message board for this purpose.
X-BLAR's updates should follow a set schedule so you will know exactly when a new review will come out. The tentative schedule is as follows:
So that's it. I hope you'll find this place worthy of a bookmark, and come back again! =)
X-BLAR's updates should follow a set schedule so you will know exactly when a new review will come out. The tentative schedule is as follows:
- On Monday, you can expect to find a new review. For a while, I'll only be able to review classic Live Arcade games (i.e. games released one or more years ago), but as the blog gets going (and the ad revenue will hopefully start paying for the games; that's right, the more you come here, the more modern games I'll be able to review!) I should be able to review games as they come out.
- On Tuesday, you will probably find a rant. I will talk about any topic (hopefully XBLA-related) that's on my mind, and give my opinion.
- On Wednesday, a new game should come out for XBLA, so I'll give you the heads up on it then.
- On any day, you can expect news articles. I check several major gaming sites daily to keep up on the latest news about XBLA (and the gaming world in general).
So that's it. I hope you'll find this place worthy of a bookmark, and come back again! =)
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