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Reviews

Zombie Driver HD review (XBLA)
11 years ago

Zombie Driver HD review (XBLA)

Zombie Driver HD was developed by EXOR Studios and published by Cyberfront Corporation. It was released on October 17, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Have you ever watched a zombie movie and silently pondered the cathartic value of a vehicle? Zombies are scary up close, but get inside an armored sports car and suddenly survival doesn’t seem so impossible. Then, imagine what you could do with automatic weapons strapped to the side, a flamethrower at the front, and rocket thrusters in the back. This is the prospect behind Zombie Driver HD–pick your vehicle, load it with heavy weapons, and blaze a bloody trail of carnage through the forest of undead. It’s the zombie apocalypse, and you are the only person daring enough to take on the horde in whatever vehicles you can find.

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Happy Wars review (XBLA)
11 years ago

Happy Wars review (XBLA)

Happy Wars was developed by Toylogic and published by Microsoft Studios. It was released on October 12, 2012, free of charge. A copy was provided for review purposes.

There was a time when free-to-play games were regarded as the second-class citizens of the industry, relegated to social networking sites and mobile phones. While those days are over, free-to-play gaming never quite made it to Microsoft’s console until now, raising questions as to whether the model could even survive in a market that thrives on the bigger and better. Happy Wars’ delightful online action is the first to provide an answer to that question – and it’s a good one.

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Developer blog: The creation of Alien Spidy’s supporting cast
11 years ago

Developer blog: The creation of Alien Spidy’s supporting cast

By  •  Reviews

Occasionally, XBLA Fans likes to take a backseat and allow members of the development community to speak openly and directly to our readers. After all, you came here to read about games, and who better to talk about them than the professionals who create them? With that in mind, please enjoy the following article written by Enigma Software CEO Daniel Parente.

In our first Alien Spidy post, we showed how we took the initial concept for our protagonist, Spidy, and made him into the lovable character he is today –- despite being a spider!

In today’s post, we want to do something similar. We’re introducing the remaining cast of characters featured in the game and how we came up with consistent visuals to keep the art direction and, of course, Spidy himself in line with our vision.

Let’s start with the Ladybug, which has its own unique charm.

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Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise review (XBLA)
11 years ago

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise review (XBLA)

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise was developed by Behaviour Interactive and published by 505 Games. It was released on October 10, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Naughty Bear was originally released as a retail game back in 2010. The game was heavily criticized by most, so we were more than surprised to see a sequel in the works and a downloadable one to boot. However it would be unfair to judge Panic in Paradise based on it’s predecessor so let’s wipe the slate clean and start with an open mind.

The premise for Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise is that all the teddy bears went on a holiday to Paradise Island but didn’t invite Naughty Bear. Probably because he’s naughty and also a psychotic murderer. It seems like a reasonable decision to us but Naughty Bear is not a happy chappy. He decides to follow the party bus to the island anyway creating a hit-list of bears to punish along the way. Gameplay revolves around being tasked with the “punishment” of a particular bear and players can choose which bear to kill next from a menu screen, though some of the bears are not unlocked until you “defluff” a certain number of bears beforehand. The assassination then takes place in one of the various maps within the game and once you’re in you are free to play out the level as you please, leaving at any time to bank your score.

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Dollar Dash developer blog: Creating fun weapons
11 years ago

Dollar Dash developer blog: Creating fun weapons

By  •  Reviews

The following article was written by Andreas Hackel, art director at Candygun.

Today we at Candygun Games would like to present the process of creating weapons in our upcoming game, Dollar Dash. We have been pouring in countless hours as we finish development, so it has been a thrilling experience tinkering with the in-game weapons to pave way for a competitive, yet entertaining for all ages, multiplayer game.

Creating fun weapons

 

Weapon system in Dollar Dash

Dollar Dash offers a wide range of fun weapons to slow down opponents and steal their money. There are three different categories of weapons and there is a slot for one each per category. Permitting only one action weapon per category has players weighing their options on what is most useful in each scenario – should they use the long-range snowball in effort to free up a slot for the medium range boxing glove, or should they hold onto the snowball to attack from afar? Choices are tough, but the competitive factor always looms. This may be a bit different to what many are used to from other games, but we found out that this system is the most fun for a fast-paced arcade game.

The three different categories have their advantages in combat and defense:

Offensive weapons can be fired or thrown at an opponent in front of the player. Some of them are short-ranged while others encompass the entire level. Most offensive weapons have multiple charges, so testing the effects of each is essential to for the best strategy.

Defensive Weapons can be dropped to the floor to attack opponents in pursuit. Most of them are traps that trigger when someone runs across them. Defensive weapons are superb when playing Save the Safe mode – players can be on the run from the opposition and lie down oil slicks to have players slide off the level or a portable to have opponents falling to their doom.

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Worms: Revolution review (XBLA)
11 years ago

Worms: Revolution review (XBLA)

Worms: Revolution was developed by Team 17 and published by Warner Bros. Entertainment. It was released on October 11, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Worms, Worms, Worms. The Xbox Live Marketplace has seen Worms, Worms 2: Armageddon and Worms: Ultimate Mayhem, and now we’ve got Worms: Revolution. That’s really quite a bit of Worms, it’s strange to imagine that the artillery shooter genre is in such high demand to warrant four Worms games all in one place. Since each of the games have been at least competent, enjoyable, playable iterations all more or less with the same problems, was there really space available for another Worms game? Worms: Revolution had no space to fit into, so instead Team 17 cut the fat, renovated the foundation of the game and built something grander, smoother, and far more polished than its precursors.

But it’s still a Worms game. It’s a Worms game with Worms problems and Worms humor and Worms entertainment and if that’s all well and good then get right on board the Revolution train, but for everyone else there’s a cache of new features to consider. Worms: Revolution adds a class and formation system, dynamic water, physics objects and several new utilities and weapons. There’s a lot going on in this Worms game, a lot of new things, all piled on top of a 17-year old foundation that still works. Well, it works for multiplayer, the AI still makes single player a chore. Read More

Trials Evolution: Origin of Pain review (XBLA DLC)
11 years ago

Trials Evolution: Origin of Pain review (XBLA DLC)

The Origin of Pain downloadable content for Trials Evolution was developed by RedLynx and co-published by Microsoft Studios and Ubisoft. It was released on October 5, 2012 for 400 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Fall is upon us. The Summer of Arcade promotion is over, and while the five games released all did fairly well the real heroes this year are two Spring games: Minecraft and Trials Evolution. Both have been a beacon of hope in what has been a relatively disappointing year for Xbox Live Arcade thus far. Trials Evo is one of only a few of this year’s games we’re still playing are likely to still be this time next year.

That interest is compounded with the newly released Origin of Pain downloadable content. RedLynx delivered in a big way with their Trials HD DLC, and are upping the ante this time around. It’s arguably the most ambitious DLC offered for any XBLA game, and certainly one of the best bargains on the marketplace. While it does have a few weak points, Origin of Pain brings thrills in a way that only the RedLynx gang knows how to deliver.

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Sonic Adventure 2 and Battle Mode review (XBLA and XBLA DLC)
11 years ago

Sonic Adventure 2 and Battle Mode review (XBLA and XBLA DLC)

Sonic Adventure 2 and the Battle Mode downloadable content were developed and published by Sega. They were released on October 5, 2012 for 800 MSP and 240 MSP, respectively. Copies were provided for review purposes.
Sonic Adventure was a bit of a mixed bag. The original release was lauded by fans of the franchise, but the overworld aspects were confusing, as was its what-the-heck-is-going-on plot. When it was re-released in 2010 via Xbox Live Arcade it was met with much of the same. While the 3D platforming was almost enjoyable everything else weighed down the game. Sonic Adventure 2 was released a few years later and seemed to, at least initially, address player concerns. Gone was the overworld and much of the complicated plot. But while it was an improvement it still had minor flaws.

Now Sonic Adventure 2 joins its older brother on the Xbox 360. It brings the same sense of speed as it did 11 years ago. There are several over-the-top moments that bring a measure of enjoyment to the game. Unfortunately it still suffers from the same issues it did in 2001. This is a straight-up port aside from the fact that the GameCube-exclusive Battle Mode is available for purchase separately.

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NiGHTS Into Dreams… review (XBLA)
11 years ago

NiGHTS Into Dreams… review (XBLA)

NIGHTS Into Dreams… was developed and published by Sega. It was released on October 5, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

NiGHTS Into Dreams… like the re-release of Jet Set Radio for XBLA last month, is a game from an era remembered with great fondness by gamers old enough to have played the original in its prime. NiGHTS is a game that dreamed large for its time, and as a historical curiosity, it is outstanding that Sega has seen fit to release it to a wider public. Unfortunately for the last great dream of Sonic Team, while it remains a grand vision with fantastic artistic direction, it has not aged very gracefully.

For anyone reading this review with no prior experience of NiGHTS, it was released for the Sega Saturn in the fall of 1996 on the cusp of the transition from 2D to 3D gaming — for reference, Super Mario 64, largely credited with completing this transition, was released a month afterwards as a release title for the Nintendo 64. NiGHTS (which is both the game’s title and the name of the main character) has its great moments, but they are tarnished by a few annoyances that are signs of the game’s original time period

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Fire Pro Wrestling review (XBLA)
11 years ago

Fire Pro Wrestling review (XBLA)

Fire Pro Wrestling was developed by Spike Chunsoft Co. and published by Microsoft. It was released on September 21, 2012 for 800 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

FPW

Fire Pro Wrestling is a franchise that dates back to the late 1980s and has been met with a strong fan following. Although only three entries have released in the United States, the series has garnered a large cult following. The franchise gained popularity due to its old school, sprite based graphics and its deep combo and customization systems. The last major entry in the series, 2005’s Fire Pro Wrestling Returns for the PlayStation 2, gained the series a cult following in the West.

Now, the franchise has returned with the long delayed Fire Pro Wrestling, which repackages with a shiny Avatar wrapping; the game hit XBLA earlier this month. How does it hold up? Is it worth your hard earned MSP? Read on.

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