Yo-Ho Kablammo

Overview

Title: Yo-Ho Kablammo
Release Date: September 2, 2009
Developer/Publisher: Canalside Studios
Genre: Action & Adventure, Family
Platform[s]: XBLA

Storyline

Yo-Ho Kablammo suffers from a complete lack of storyline – all you need to know is that you are a pirate sailing the high seas, and the battles and challenges that you would have come across in real life have been transformed into a rather contrived multiplayer deathmatch Xbox Live Arcade game, clearly geared towards the younger spectrum of the market.

Gameplay

Yo-Ho offers up two types of game, the usual multiplayer deathmatch mode where you can compete with up to three friends either locally or over Xbox Live and a deeper challenge mode, which gives you a range of goals to achieve (score X amount of points for example) within a set time limit. These are all linked to the online leaderboards where you can keep tabs on how you’re doing compared to your fellow pirates, but (surprisingly enough) we had trouble finding anyone to play online with and the boards themselves be scarcer than a drop of rum at the tail end of a pirate-ing convention.

Controlling your vessel is tricky and should be classed as an individual challenge in itself – the left stick is used to steer but your ship is so unpredictable in it’s handling that you very rarely find yourself heading where you intended to, and more often than not you’ll just end up circling round and round in a vain attempt to get the thing to head in one solid direction. Added to this frustration is the complete inability to score a hit on any of your opponents, not just because you can only fire from your port and starboard sides (using LT and RT respectively), but your cannons are so slow to reload (no mindless button bashing here) and your AI controlled adversaries so quick that by the time you’ve lined up a shot they’ve sunk your ship and sped off with the treasure. Your only hope in these matches are the mines that will sometimes appear, dropped into the area by a passing aeroplane. All are neutral until you claim one, turning it the same colour as your ship and causing it to explode on contact with any other vessel. Unfortunately this means your opponents will also be doing the same thing, and the computer controlled AI is so quick and deft in the handling of its ships that they are able to claim most of the mines available and scoot through the gaps of any they haven’t while you struggle to occupy a small portion of the screen.

Also at play are the power-up’s – these range from speed boosts to bigger and bolder weapons, but nine times out of ten your opponents will have nabbed them before you’ve even had the chance to point your ship in the right direction, and even if you do stumble over a power-up by mistake you’ll have more trouble than usual taking advantage of it.

Graphics

Yo-Ho looks very deceiving – its big, bold graphics are bright and appealing, in a CBeebies sort of way, and even the water (although not up to BioShock standards) is nicely animated. The overall cartoony feel is happy and joyous and, like a scurvy-ridden cake with hundreds and thousands on top, belies the grot that lies underneath its rather tasty looking outer casing.

Audio

Matching Yo-Ho’s bouncy, bubbly look is its soundtrack – various nautical-flavoured ditties run tirelessly throughout and the cannons and explosions all tick the correct boxes. In fact, the only high point of the game is the clichéd pirate voiceover during the tutorial. We guarantee you’ll have more fun trying to work out if the guy doing it is an American trying to do a West Country English accent or an extra off The Wiggles than you will playing the main game.

Overall Score & Replayability

Yo-Ho is ultimately a highly frustrating experience for anyone without the cast iron will of say, a seven year old, and playtime will be confined to bouts of no more than five minutes worth of stress-induced pad destruction. It’s a shame, because the overall cartoon-esque look and feel of the game is great, and with a little more effort it would have appealed to a broader spectrum of gamers and be worth its 800MSP price tag. Quite how this got past the Dream-Build-Play judges in its current state is beyond us. Avoid.

Wallace & Gromit Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees

Overview

Title: Wallace & Gromit Episode 1 – Fright of the Bumblebees
Release Date: 27^th June 2009
Developer/Publisher: Telltale Games
Genre: Action & Adventure, Puzzle & Trivia
Platform[s]: Xbox Live Arcade

The Queen’s Speech. An hour-long Eastenders special. Wallace and Gromit. Your nan spitting Brussel Sprouts all over the dinner table. Random acts of violence and depressingly interwoven sexual/family relationships (and that’s just the Queen’s speech). All stalwarts of your standard Christmas Day line-up, and it’s usually down to W&G, the dynamic plasticine duo, to bring the family together and remind us what Christmas is all about: a little bit of fun, a little bit of sentiment and a lot of laughter. It’s with all this in mind that you can see what TellTale Games has tried to achieve with their latest pseudo point and click adventure, but the studio unfortunately only manages to tick one of the above boxes – and hallelujah, it’s the one marked Fun.

Gameplay

The control system is easy to use, fluid and intuitive – move your on-screen character around with the Left Stick and although the game has been billed as a point and click adventure, it does avoid using the classic “move the cursor around the screen and find things to select” mechanic, instead opting to go with the left and right bumpers to toggle between the various interactive items that are on screen at any one time. No beefy arrows floating around the screen and no general annoyance at having to be pixel perfect with your selections, but while this helps immerse you into the universe very quickly (it’s all too easy to believe you are actually directing the action in one of their hallowed Christmas Specials), it does detract from the fact that (certainly as an older gamer) the whole nature of a point and click adventure is to hunt down those rascally objects with your cursor (sometimes revisiting an area more than once just to check you hadn’t missed anything because you were stuck at a particular point), and having them given to you on a plate straight from the off feels like you’re being led around by the hand a little too much. I can appreciate the difficulty in porting a PC mouse based genre onto a console controller, but it does make things a little too easy sometimes. The inventory system is easy to get around as well, using X to bring up the menu, with the Left Stick and A button being used for cycling through objects and selection respectively. The puzzles, however, range from the obvious to the devious – and several of them had me scratching my head in frustration, one so much so that I had to check the TellTale Games website for a cheeky hint …and in the usual forehead slapping style of these sorts of games, the answer was so obvious that I just didn’t think about it. It’s with these little touches that the game goes somewhat towards being forgiven for it’s bastardisation of the control system, but even still – some of the puzzles were a simple case of trial and error, and it would be entirely possible to bodge through the whole game in this manner.

Graphics

The graphics are gorgeous, that’s all there is to it – as previously mentioned, it’s all too easy to believe that you are watching an episode of the TV show, and despite a few lip-synching issues every now and then, it is without a doubt one of the most spot-on representations of a non-game based franchise known to man. From Gromit’s trademark speechless, exaggerated shrug of the shoulders and roll of the eyes to the little dimples and imperfections in the “clay skin” of the characters, everything about this stays 100% true to the TV Series. You can really see that a lot of love went into bringing Aardman’s classic onto the white box.

Audio

Despite Peter Sallis’ somewhat disappointing absence on Wallace vocal duties, I have to say that the stand-in is pretty damn good – 99.9% of the time, which is commendable in itself, but there is the odd syllable now and again where you’ll be wishing for the more traditional Wallace tones…but this is a rare occurrence. The rest of the cast have also been well placed, with Mr and Mrs Gabberley so far providing most of the laughs – again proving that TellTale really studied the subject matter before making any major choices in what to include. Even the in-game music stays true to the 50’s/60’s jazz-band influence made so popular in the shows.

Overall Score & Replayability

If you are a Wallace and Gromit fan, young at heart or looking for a lazy Sunday afternoon’s gaming you will be prepared to overlook the game’s flaws as playing it is just so much FUN – I can’t stress enough just how easy it is to become embroiled in the adventure, with Wallace’s trademark bumbling and over-zealous inventions and ideas causing stress to Gromit as he tackles to sort it all out, and unless you are a really hardened gamer I defy your heart to not be melted in the end by the claymation charms of this title. However, as TellTale Games are responsible for bringing Monkey Island and Sam & Max to our screens later this year, I really hope they do sort out those quibbles in time or there will be a LOT of disappointed gamers out there…

CellFactor: PsychoKinetic Wars

Overview

Title: CellFactor: PsychoKinetic Wars
Release Date: 3^rd June 2009
Developer/Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Shooter
Platform[s]: Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network

I’ve never been a big fan of First Person Shooters, except maybe Duke Nukem 3D, Goldeneye and BioShock – but saying that you’re an FPS aficionado because you played any of those games is like saying you’re into Hip-Hop because you bought the track Puff Daddy released after Biggie Smalls got shot – so I was slightly surprised when the opportunity to review CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars came up and I found myself grabbing the bull with both horns, and even more surprised when I realised I’d lost a good couple of hours to online deathmatch, even though I didn’t get any higher than second from last in the any of the match rankings (which is unsurprising, as it was my first on-line FPS dalliance).

Gameplay

CellFactor started life as a tech demo on the PC which then grew into a full (free) game. With that in mind you can certainly see where the games’ origins are, as there is no story whatsoever – no interstellar war being raged between good and evil, and no key characters to fall in (or out) of love with. For the standard FPS gamer, this can only be viewed as a good thing as it rids you of any alliance or emotion, and concentrates on cold, hard death and destruction. To that end, you could say that CellFactor was designed with the multiplayer deathmatch in mind, but there is quite a sturdy single player game hidden underneath all that online bravado.

There are three different classes of character (which we’ll come to later) to choose from, each offering different strengths and weaknesses that need to be learned and invested in if you wish to progress to the later levels or indeed, take your game online. The single player game is based around different challenges and team games which start off fairly easy and get progressively harder as you continue, teaching you the finer points of each character’s pros and cons…and although this in itself is pretty damn enjoyable, you can’t help but feel that it’s just some beefed up training module for the kind of bad-asses you will encounter in the online world. In a fairly bold move Ubisoft has given its characters “Psi” abilities alongside the usual pistol/shotgun/pulse rifle/rocket launcher armoury, obviously attempting to set the game apart from the rest of the FPS genre – and it works quite well, adding another dimension to the carnage and drastically changing your in-game tactics..

Each character has different levels of Psi/Weapon ability, which leads us nicely into the introduction of the aforementioned character types. First up: Bishop (no, not him off Aliens) – she’s a cyborg with large robotic mammaries and prefers using her Psi abilities over her weapons – shooting out blue beams and such in place of bullets & missiles etc. She can also fly for a short while as well, which is quite handy for getting out of trouble quickly. The Blackops character is the only humanoid out of the three, and is a good all rounder – he uses his Psi abilities in the same way as Telekinesis in BioShock, picking up random objects and firing them at targets using the power of his mind. He can also teleport quickly from one spot to another, but you can only move to close-ish places and shouldn’t be relied on as an escape technique. The Guardian reminds me of the X-Men’s Sentinels, favouring brute force and the ability to dual wield his weapons, and instead only really using the Psi abilities to run quicker (barging any hapless opponents in the way) and leap, Hulk-like, into the air.

The games themselves range from Team Deathmatch to CTF, to Assault – personally the most enjoyable – where you must capture a “hacker” hidden on the map, take it to your opponent’s base and wait for it to upload without getting blown away. Things can get particularly mental at times, especially if you have a full house of Live players who know what they’re doing, but it always remains enjoyable and lends itself very well to “one more go” syndrome.

Graphics

Unfortunately, the graphics are all very last-gen, using similar palettes and shades as the original Halo – and several of the maps have a similar, Halo-esque feel to them. Saying that, the maps are many and varied – each with their own distinct look and feel – and it’s easy to remember exactly where you are on each. There are no cut scenes to speak of, and providing you remind yourself that CellFactor was borne from a Tech Demo it’s easy to forgive its lack of graphical flair. One small bonus is the ability to “pimp” your character with a variety of colours and accessories, earnt as you progress through the single player campaigns. It adds an air of individuality, and is quite a nice addition.

Audio

Again, the sound is very last-gen – doing nothing new in the way of clicks, pops, whizzes or bangs – sticking to the usual tried and tested pistol/shotgun/machine gun noises, and slightly grainy yells of pain, mid death. There is a female voice over during the team games, letting you know when flags have been taken and dropped etc, and during particularly frantic sessions this can be quite annoying.

Overall Score & Replayability

All in all, CellFactor is a very enjoyable game, helping to fill a section of XBLA that is sorely lacking in decent shooters – if you can look over the last-gen graphics and sound, you will find a highly addictive game that ticks both online and offline boxes and although it is by no means a Halo or COD beater, it will certainly keep you coming back for more for quite a while.

Shadow Complex

Overview

Title: Shadow Complex
Release Date: 19th August 2009
Developer/Publisher: Chair / Epic Games / Microsoft
Genre: Platform Shooter
Platform[s]:Xbox 360

Storyline

Shadow Complex has a fairly straight forward story line, you are Jason Fleming (Feels like a mix of Jason Bourne and Ian Fleming, both have a lot to do with the style the game plays) and you start off exploring a cave with your girlfriend who then disappears and you have to find her, stumbling into a secret facility filled with puzzles, enemies and collectibles.  Its not exactly the most original story line we have encountered over years playing video games but this game is definitely different from the rest.

Gameplay

The game play is pretty straight forward in a very basic sense, run, jump, shoot, jump, shoot and run… got that? The game itself has a massive 3D element with out being 3 dimensional in the traditional sense, for instance you are given a map which depicts what way you should go and how to get there but in a completely 2D view which helps you to understand further what way you should go and how you need to get there.

I’ve never really been a platform kind of guy and often struggle when overwhelmed by enemies or hard obstacles such as jump puzzles but this game feels very accessible even to novice players, coming in a range of difficulties that most Epic Game fans will recognise; Easy, Normal, Hardcore and Insane.  The difficulty can be adjusted at any time which makes this game even more accessible.

The weapons in the game don’t vary much and they all offer unlimited ammo apart from the secondary weapons which are Grenades, Goo and Missiles but by finding special collectibles hidden around the game you can increase the amount of ammo that you can hold at a time.  Later on in the game you will find a grappling hook which will allow you to get to places that normal jumping would normally not allow.

The whole combat function is very simple, most enemies will automatically be sighted so all you need to do is shoot but sometimes you will need to manually aim by using the right analogue stick.

Graphics

Is this the future of platform games? we certainly hope so! this is by the far the most sexy looking game available on the Marketplace and without a doubt the Unreal 3 engine has been used in the best way possible, the whole game has a Unreal Tournament / Gears of War vision behind it, from the enemies resembling Unreal and some of the scenery and the helicopters representing Gears of War.

We sincerely hope that all platform developers take note of how well crafted this Arcade game is and takes it into account when creating new games as Shadow Complex will certainly set the benchmark for future titles.

Audio

Most of, if not all of the audio has a real genuine feel to it and they don’t sound like some geek has been tinkering around with sound effects for ages to bring the ideal audio to the game, the gunshots echo through the caves and the explosions bounch off of the walls which makes this game ideal for all home theatre owners!

The music that accompanies the title have dramatic effect on the game and help you distinguish when your in trouble or a degree of emotion when touching on parts of the story that we can’t spoil for you.

Overall Score & Replayability

I’ve mentioned a few times in this review that this game is by far the best game on the marketplace at the moment and probably will be for some time, the only problem that I really encountered was the hardness of the game on Normal and above which isn’t a great problem because you can adjuctthe difficulty at any time.  The other problem is the lengthof the title, expect it to last around 4 hours on Normal mode but with the addition to collectables you could probably spent twice that amount of time in the game.  Before the end of the game it will save allowing you to reload that save after you have comleted the title which will ensure that you can complete it 100%.

We expect some DLC from this title at some point as the end was left slightly unfinished in terms of storyline, plus the game is action packed and exciting to a degree of ‘I want more NOW!’ so in perfect honesty I wouldn’t be surprised if DLC wasn’t in the works now.

Sam & Max Save The World

Overview

Title: Sam & Max Save The World
Release Date: 17^th June 2009
Developer/Publisher: Telltale Games/Xbox Live Arcade
Genre: Action & Adventure, Puzzle & Trivia
Platform[s]: Xbox Live Arcade

Sam & Max are a cartoon Dog and Rabbit, originally introduced to gamers back in 1993 by the once mighty Lucasarts Studio – home to The Secret of Monkey Island franchise and the awesome Day of the Tentacle. Those old enough to remember those halcyon point and click days will smile fondly at the memories and perhaps wince a little at Telltale Games more recent attempt to bring the genre to console gamers, while all the youngsters out there will wonder just what the great interest in a cartoon Dog and Rabbit is all about anyway. Sam is a 6ft tall hound wearing a suit and a fedora, while Max is a “hyperkinetic rabbity thing”, together solving completely off the wall and bizarre crimes as The Freelance Police and handing out their own, similarly bizarre form of justice. Sam & Max Save The World originally debuted on the PC as an episodic series of six completely bonkers adventures, all of which are included here in one handy dandy XBLA package – and at 1600 MS Points, you can’t say fairer than that.

Gameplay

Developed by Telltale Games (the fellows behind Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures), Sam & Max actually sticks to the point and click format, with a cursor version of Sam’s hand on screen, controlled with the left stick as you would with a mouse. Scan the cursor over the random objects on screen, hit A to select something and Sam will wander over and comment on it, pick it up or talk to it. X brings up your inventory and that’s pretty much it – amazing how such a fuss has been previously made over introducing a mouse-driven genre to console controllers when Telltale have managed it with such ease here. Another interesting addition are the driving sections, serving as a minor distraction in some cases and a particularly random puzzle solution in others, the dynamic duo hurtle down city streets, randomly firing off shots and abusing other road users with a megaphone. It’s this sort of completely screwball and irreverent humour that sets Sam & Max apart from any other game out there, dark in places and just downright ridiculous in others, fleshed out with the kind of cartoon violence not seen since Tom last got battered by Spike the dog. Refreshing as this kind of humour is though, it is also the game’s one and only drawback, as you really have to throw caution to the wind and forget everything you know before playing – and there is a danger that some gamers just won’t get it, perhaps finding themselves stuck at the first hurdle because the solution to a puzzle may be one that is so totally unobvious that you end up descending into a frustrating game of trial and error for hours on end or listening to the same dialogue over and over again for some sort of clue. Thankfully, Telltale Games have full walkthroughs available for all episodes on their website, although we do urge you to only use them in extreme circumstances! But for those “in the mode” you will find Sam & Max distinctly rewarding as they pinball from one ridiculous situation to the next, often adding fuel to the fire with their own “esoteric brand of personalised criminal justice”.

Graphics

Graphically, you can’t fault Sam & Max. The world they inhabit is a lush and interesting one, and Telltale have really hit the nail on the head with the look and feel of the S&M universe – all of the characters are superbly animated and realised, with Max particularly spot on in his devilish, care free demeanour as he bounces around the screen menacing the NPCs.

Audio

The sound was always going to be the deciding factor with this game, and from the minute the opening sequence begins fans of the series will breathe a big sigh of relief as Sam & Max (and indeed all the characters) are voiced magnificently. One liners are delivered with pinpoint accuracy and timing, complimented by a selection of mock 1950’s crime caper music running throughout, and no character feels out of place or hackneyed in any way.

Overall Score & Replayability

All in all, Sam & Max Save the World is an awesome package – some may sniff at the 1600 Point price tag but we really cannot encourage you enough to part with your hard earned cash for it. The cartoon Dog and Bunny are thoroughly endearing and charming characters, the puzzles will fry your brain and drive you mad but you will find yourself laughing all the way. DOWNLOAD IT!!! NOW!!! And if that doesn’t work, I’m gonna torture your ears!!!

OutRun Online Arcade

Overview

Title: Outrun Online Arcade
Release Date: 15/04/2009 (XBLA), 16/04/2009 (PSN)Developer/Publisher: SUMO Digital / Sega-Europe Ltd
Genre: DrivingPlatform[s]: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network (Note: I am reviewing the XBLA version)

If you’re old enough to remember the original OutRun coin-op from the early 80’s, then chances are the memories are fond ones. Zipping around the brightly coloured landscapes in your Ferrari Testarossa, blonde bimbo at your side and Magical Sound Shower on the stereo…those halcyon days of gaming when Nintendo was the top dog (or plumber) and Sony were still making CD Players. Younger gamers and OutRun aficionado’s may remember the OutRun 2 coin-op, released in 2003 and ported over to the Xbox in October 2004 – brighter, beefier and mooted as a better game, and although the title of this XBLA update might suggest it’s a rehash of the original, look closely and you will find more than a hint of the sequel about Sega’s latest (cracking) addition to it’s Live Arcade resume.

Gameplay

Following closely in the footsteps of OutRun 2, OOA offers up several modes of play, and a rather spiffing multiplayer option as well. Alongside the normal Outrun mode (beat 5 stages in the quickest time possible) you get Time Attack modes (self explanatory), Heart Attack mode (complete tasks set by your girlfriend within the time limit) and the thoroughly compelling (and utterly frustrating!)15 Track Continuous course mode. The idea is simple, choose a car, choose a mode and get from point A to B in the quickest time possible – using drift (hard to master but an essential part of the game) and slipstreaming to earn extra points and add a bit of boost behind your bonnet. The cars are all fully licensed Ferrari beasts, ranging from the F50 to the Dino 246 GTS – and despite the odd top speed, they all handle more or less the same…meaning vehicle choice really just boils down to aesthetics and personal preferences. This really adds to the Arcade vibe, giving you the option to dip and dip out of the game using different motors as and when, without having to learn simulation-like nuances of the cars on offer. Tuned versions of each vehicle are on offer in the online multiplayer modes, but translated into gaming terms it just means their top speed is increased and they’re slightly twitchier to handle. Multiplayer is a joy as well, either enjoying a quick cruise round 5 stages with your buds or across all 15 is nothing less than awesome – although with no ranked matches or leaderboards on offer the only incentive is to beat your (and your friends) times to reach the top of the pack…just like in the Coin-Op days!!

Graphics

The first thing that strikes you about OutRun Online Arcade is just how shiny everything is – from the menu screens to the car themselves, the graphics just ooze the wonderful HD sheen we’ve come to expect from our beloved console. The stages themselves are lush, plentiful and exciting, and the feel of speed is quite authentic, albeit in a cartoony arcade fashion. Your on-screen girlfriend waves her hands in the air (like she just don’t care) if you do well, and – despite a pretty crap looking flip out if you manage to hit something with great enough force – collisions feel suitably painful. Birds and hot air balloons soar overheard in the transition between stages, and it really feels like no expense has been spared in bringing the graphics up to date in the best way possible. Each stage is different, and range from Las Vegas style Casino towns to Jungles, Mountain tops and a breathtaking Cape Canaveral after-dark stage.

Audio

Not only have the graphics been revamped, but the musical score has been given a complete rerub as well – all your favourite tracks from the original game have been polished up and remixed (while still sounding as retro as you remember them), giving proceedings an air of total OutRun authenticity. Incidental sound effects (vehicle noises etc) all sound as they should, and your girlfriend’s excited whoops and comments add to the feel of hacking that Testarossa around.

Overall Score & Replayability

OutRun Online Arcade could be your new best friend; once you’ve learnt the fine art of when and where to drift. It’s a game you can dip into for a quick single player blast or a monster multiplayer session between you and your friends and it has some real long-term replay value, providing arcade-y style trips down racing memory lane are your bag.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Overview

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (XBLA)
Release Date: September 12, 2007
Developer/Publisher: Sega/Sonic Team
Genre: Platform
Platform[s]: Xbox 360 Live Arcade

Storyline

This is Sonic the Hedgehog 2, that old Mega Drive/Genesis classic we all know and love.  It isn’t heavy on story; Dr. Robotnik steals the Chaos Emeralds leaving it up to Sonic the Hedgehog and his sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower to save the day.  Simple!  There is more of a back-story built up outside of the game however – if you find yourself interested in this, the legendary Wikipedia sums it up fine.   

Gameplay

Sonic 2 is a side-scrolling platform game split into stages and then acts but I reckon you already know this; after all it has been around a while now – the emphasis (of course) being completing stages as speedily as possible whilst collecting rings (for Special Stages) and earning points.  STH 2 is fast and furious, at the time of release it was a pioneer of its genre and even now it’s better than an awful lot of modern platformers.  Oh, then there’s Super Sonic, a yellow high powered, faster version of our hero who makes the game even more fun – obtainable only via cheat or collecting each of the Chaos Emeralds.

Everything I’ve mentioned above is vintage Sonic 2 before its re-release on XBL and to be honest the only new addition is the ability to ‘save state’ anywhere, any time.

Graphics

1992 is the year Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released in Japan so quite obviously it’s somewhat dated now and there have been efforts made to smooth things over but no doubt there are a number of people out there awaiting a full remake.  Not me though, I think that the graphics add character and remind us of the videogame origins. 

Sound

Catchy MIDI tracks and signature sound effects – there’s nothing amazing here but its much better than some titles of its time.

Overall Score & Replayability

STH 2 has lasted this long and still manages to attract new players as well as reunite itself with the old ones.  This is an achievement of magnificent proportions.  Ten years from now I don’t doubt many will come back again.

Rocket Riot

Overview

Title: Rocket Riot
Release Date: 17th June 2009
Developer/Publisher: Codeglue / THQ
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade
Platform[s]: Xbox 360

Storyline

You’re a pirate with no legs and a rocket launcher and a professor has strapped a jet pack to your back in order to destroy the evil enemy Black Beard. Simple!

Gameplay

The gameplay in this title is as simple as pie, each level gives you a certain objective (Kill enemies, blast blocks, destroy cannons and score in a game of American Football) and as each level progresses the gameplay gets faster and harder with enemies having increased accuracy and of course a lot more bad guys to blast. Controlling the game can be a bit daunting at first as you control with both analogue sticks (one fires and controls the strength of your shot while the other controls direction), but as soon as you get used to it you will be blasting like no tomorrow.

As you blast away at the scenery you will see spinning grey cubes that will turn into power ups, some of these are not power ups and they screw you over like bouncing you all over the place as if your a pinball or take away your rocket launcher and turn it into a gun that shoots out a ‘Bang!’ flag.

Graphics

The games graphics are quite simply wonderful, with each shot you take the environment breaks away in 3D like pixels as you can see from our screenshots. Each level has been crafted perfectly to try and screw you over with each level as it progresses. The colour scheme is very bright and brings you a warm feeling, just as well really as if your anything like us your going to die… A LOT.

You get a great feeling that the developers have spent a long time trying to produce this game and the work in the graphics department certainly pay off.

Audio

In terms of audio we really can only talk about the SFX and the backing music both of which are truly excellent. The background audio certainly has a level of repetitiveness around it but it no time you will find yourself playing the game just to hear the same music again and again, I find the words ‘Rocket Riot’ going over again and again in my head.

The SFX are nothing out of the ordinary that you would expect from an arcade game, but they do fit in really well against the background music. However, I feel if the music wasn’t playing then we would probably be turning the sound on the TV down and playing some music on our stereos.

Overall Score & Replayability

Overall the game is very addictive but also very repetitive at the same time and may bore some people but in our opinion 800 MS Points is definitely worth the price for such an excellently crafted Xbox Live Arcade game!

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