Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're not supposed to compare games to other games here at GamersInfo.net. Then again, I'm talking about the classic of all classic video games, Pong, where two paddles bounce a ball back and forth, and I'm talking about Breakout, where a paddle bounces a ball against bricks in an effort to…uh…break out of something. If you haven't heard of at least one of those games, well, I'm not certain how you're using a computer to read this.
There we go; someone has gone and surrounded Earth yet again. That means, as is inevitable, it's up to one plucky pilot — you — to (this time) steal a prototype alien spaceship and blast your way through hordes and hordes of enemies and save the day. Somehow, though, it keeps staying fun.
Sometimes all you're looking for is mindless shoot 'em up fun. Loads of bullets flying across the screen, stuff blowing up all around you, swarms of bad guys threatening to overwhelm you, that kind of thing. If that's what you're looking for, Assault Heroes 2 is right up your alley.
Platforming will remain as one of the genres with greatest longevity in my gaming life. I started with nothing less, and I like nothing more to this day than just jumping around. They've evolved over the years, sure, but a spot-on formula for this type of game is always in the quirks that lie within each individual title's framework ... though pixel-perfect accuracy seems to remain one of the simplest ways to ensure a smile on a gamer's face. N+ is a follow-up to its popular predecessor on the PC, N, and is now available as another respectable choice on Xbox Live Arcade. With just a lonely little ninja and a strong pair of legs, does this game have enough to offer for even the more demanding Xbox 360 owner?
Ever been away from the internet for several days or even weeks? I hate it. I feel out of touch. There's so much stuff that I keep up with on a daily basis. The one good thing about ending such an extended stint "on the wagon" is when I go to catch up on one of my favorite online comics, Penny Arcade, and find that there are several strips on which I can gorge myself all at once. That is what playing On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness feels like to me.
Editor's note: one of the characters mentioned in this game review is named using strong language, reproduced verbatim.
I'm going to come straight out and say it. I hate the title of this game - PowerUp Forever. It just screams mundane at me. But there's this test that simple titles should be able to pass: it's the "duh test?" Unlike a Mass Effect which requires explanation (and mystery) or a Call of Duty which at least tells you what the setting is, but not the gameplay, the simple title tells you everything you need to know about the game in the title. PowerUp Forever pretty much says it all... get those powerups and just keep going and going. The thing is, it was pretty cool.
War is hell. With death and mass destruction the centerpiece for any real conflict, it's more or less an unspoken truth we can do without when possible. Though these confrontations in real life can produce less then desirable results for any and all parties, large bouts of aggression in video games can be, on occasion, hilarious. With the topsy-turvy nature of battle being entertaining in games, something like Commanders: Attack of the Genos goes a step further by substituting warfare's morbid nature with something a little cuter. In this way, Commanders builds itself on several conflicting principles, which make the entertainment slightly perplexing.
There is something ultimately satisfying about a run'n'gun game. I say this as someone who is anti-gun, a mother of two and can't hit the broadside of a barn with baseball bat from 6 inches away. In the end, just mowing down a bunch of cartoon enemies is great therapy when what I really want to do is kick the cat. I'm sure the cat appreciates it.
Nearly a year ago, a good friend of mine, David Bowman of Certain Affinity, asked if I'd like to visit the office to see what they were working on. Sure! I couldn't report any of it but this was about seeing the creative efforts of a friend, not work. It hadn't yet been released that the company was doing the 360 port of Valve/Turtle Rock's Left for Dead - Zombies are always cool - but I didn't feel compelled to run out and report about it. Zombies, biogenics...*shrug*. Next Bowman pulled out some hexagonal pieces of paper from a box of markers - oh yeah, game design, I remember this! He talked about sitting in a corner play testing, yadda yadda yadda - then he put a controller in my hand.
A rivalry as old as the world itself... a war that pits brother against brother, father against son, neighbor against neighbor... In what is probably the most important decision you'll ever have to make, where will you place your support? Pirates or Ninjas?
Suppose you're the developer who created Puzzle Crack Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, and can say with confidence that you are responsible for 1000s of hours of lost sleep and an increase in caffeine consumption in the year 2007. Would you simply sit back and rest on your ... laurels? Not if you're Infinite Interactive. No, you'd buy stock in Starbucks then make a sequel - and put it in space.
As the Xbox 360's lifecycle chugs along, Xbox Live Arcade keeps getting bigger, which means growing pains will follow. Some attempts to widen the existing library of XBLA games aren't always hits, and you would be surprised if you stopped and thought about how many different game experiences are needed to fill the gaps in terms of quality. GripShift is another game in a long line of attempts at diversity for XBLA, but as a racing title, does it deliver on the grounds of speed it needs to secure a substantial enough offering for distinction?
Have you ever played with one of those Fisher-Price shape things? They come in a polygonal shape like thing and are usually red and blue; you have a bazillion yellow shapes like triangle, oval, clover...and you have to try and fit them into the right spot on the polygon. Once you fill it up or grow frustrated, you pull on two triangular handles and empty it. Yeah...you know the one, for babies? Keep that in mind when I describe this game to you. I'll see if I can't find an image for those who have NO idea what I'm talking about because they were hatched fully grown.
This crazy racing game first came out on the PSP but is now available for download via Xbox Live Arcade. GripShift is not only a racing game, but it includes a challenge mode that turns it into a puzzler/platform game. There are over 100 courses to play on and will give players some variety, but after a while, it starts to feel the same.
The original Asteroids is about as old as I am — a coin-munching video game that is still as hard as it was back in the late 1970s and early '80s. This isn't exactly a complicated game, but Stainless Games has given it a makeover to at least try to catch up with today's shiny graphics standards. Xbox Live Arcade's Asteroids Deluxe includes Asteroids Deluxe and the original game Asteroids, if you really feel compelled to relive the black and white days.
Burnout's blistering next-gen debut has seen the series famed for intense crashes, eye-tearing speed and spectacular stunts roar onto the PS3 and Xbox 360 with a change of direction: Rather than individual circuits, the tarmac-burning action now takes place in a constant city - Paradise City, to be precise - packed with other drivers, both law-abiding and less considerate, who are willing to take you on.
I've been under the impression that water levels have and continue to be the bane of level design. I can recall games from the retro years though current gaming generations and remember many instances where the water areas were the hardest, slowest and most difficult levels as opposed to their landlocked brethren. Within the same vein, Undertow could be considered one huge water level, having the setting exclusively based under the sea. With so many negative stereotypes of gaming past to work around, Undertow has had its work cut out for it from the very beginning, but do any of the age-old problems saturate this experience to make it too soggy to enjoy?
There are a few basic premises you should follow when trying to impress a video game crowd. The first rule of thumb is explosions; a close second is robots, zombies and, of course, robot zombies. Knowing how cool it is to blow things up, the idea of having them blow up around you while running seems to second nature. At least, this is what appears to be the case in Screwjumper!.
Switchball is all about rolling a ball around and through various mazes. One of the cool aspects of the mazes is that they are floating thousands of feet in the air. If you aren't careful, your ball will roll off the edge and probably crack a mountain goat in the head. For those of you who are concerned about the health and welfare of local wildlife, you may want to be careful as you play the game.
As I first lay eyes on the game's intro, I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Arkadian Warriors.At first glance the graphics appear childlike - a soft representation of the usual action role-playing game standard I have come to know, and even manages to project that kind of Chibi appeal one might find if they hit up the same sort of epic with a shrink ray. Even in what might be considered a bite-size version of the genre, a grand adventure can be found within.
In my mind, a company by any other name than Llamasoft could not do justice to a game entitled Space Giraffe. Be prepared for a bombardment of chaotic visuals, an audio track as helter-skelter, and gameplay that can only be described as an abstract twist on classic arcade gaming. Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, "Your eyes can deceive you, do not trust them." He could have been talking about Space Giraffe. The aforementioned gameplay might dissuade the faint of heart, but reward anyone who would give the game the chances to see that it something beyond sight and sound: it is a feeling, and that is one quality that many games fall short of.
It's time for another Xbox Live Arcade 2D shooter! Brought to us by Sierra Online. Only this time instead of what we've all grown to love and hope for from Geometry Wars, we've taken a spin back to ol' Galaga meets Asteroids in this new title called Battlestar Galactica. I have to say at first, I was not too impressed with the game. The cause of this being the controls, but after the first two maps (and a lot of starting over), I found myself feeling at ease finally and being able to enjoy the experience that the designers of this title were going for.
As much as I love Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), I find there simply aren't enough titles for gamers like me. I like brain benders more than action titles. Don't get me wrong, since this site, two kids and the degree came along the Casual Game scene is where I live and breathe. It's as close to action as I'm going to get. But I still love a good challenge that lets me relive High School (you know, when we actually could remember stuff?). But criminy! Word Puzzle has my grey matter turning to pudding.
I've been playing Every Extend Extra Extreme on and off for a few days now. As far as XBLA titles go, I generally enjoy the simple little titles I get and consider them to be a great value. For easily-accessible, simple-yet-intriguing games, you're usually in pretty good shape as long as you understand and appreciate the type of games typically distributed. Most of these games have a few very strong points that carry your interest and they build on these strengths to develop into a good 'casual' title.
Although video games aren't exactly accepted as part of mainstream culture, some gaming icons are instantly recognisable to gamers and non-gamers alike. Venerable falling-block game Tetris is one of these icons, and rightfully so. It's been around since 1985, ported to more platform than I can count, cloned, adapted and parodied; yet new versions are still showing up today. Even my text editor sports a Tetris clone. So, what does newcomer Tetris Splash bring to the table?
