13 years ago
Battle High: San Bruno review (XBLIG)
Battle High: San Bruno was developed by Mattrified Games and retails for 80 MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
Battle High: San Bruno is a one-on-one fighting game akin to classics such as Street Fighter 2 and The King of Fighters. It was originally released in February 2011 but has since undergone a revision and has been named one of the finalists of the Indie Summer Uprising. Battle High is the sum of years of fighting game tropes put together. What it lacks in originality it makes up for in playability. It even benefits from the classic story of competing high school students ripped straight from Rival Schools. The inspirations for this game are many. In fact Battle High really reminds us of classic Neo-Geo fighting game Rage of the Dragons. But does this game have enough to excite fighting game fans?
13 years ago
Rock of Ages review (XBLA)
Rock of Ages was developed by ACE Team and published by Atlus. It retails for 800 MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
Rock of Ages is quite possibly the oddest game we’ve played on XBLA. It is an eclectic mixture of tower defense and Marble Blast Ultra. You travel through different eras of time challenging historical figures to a strange game of protect the castle. You’ll meet daunting characters like Vlad the Impaler that want nothing more than to push your face-of-a-rock off the cliff to weaken its ability to damage his castle gate, all while being treated to a Renaissance style of music that is one of the game’s best features.
Players who are familiar with tower defense games will feel right at home. You place defensive units up and down the narrow path to your castle wall in an attempt to thwart your challenger’s rock from reaching top speed to crash into your castle’s gate. In almost all instances, three consecutive dashes on you or your challenger’s gate will bring it down revealing a paper-like historical figure ready to be run over–so speed as well as proper defense are equally important.
If this setup sounds quirky that’s because it is. Not only is your rock anthropomorphic but it occasionally yells in terror when it falls of a cliff, which will happen often because a finite number of elephants, cows, catapults, towers, explosives and other obstacles will obstruct your path to the castle gate.
13 years ago
The Baconing review (XBLA)
The Baconing was developed by Hothead Games and published by Valcon Games. It retails for 1200 MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
The Baconing is the third installment in the DeathSpank series. Why it isn’t simply called DeathSpank 3 is a mystery but with a game this over the top it only seems appropriate. This game has the hero DeathSpank seeking to destroy the Thongs of Virtue by burning them in bacon fire. This mission will branch of into countless other directions as the citizens of the world give DeathSpank other quests to do as well. Those familiar with the series know about the over the top humor of the game and frantic combat of the game. But is this installment enough to win over the uninitiated?
13 years ago
Rewind Review: R-Type: Dimensions (XBLA)
R-Type: Dimensions was developed by Southend Interactive and published by Tozai Games. It retails for 1200 MSP and was released February 4, 2009.
R-Type: Dimensions is an HD remake of R-Type released in 1987 and R-Type 2 released in 1989. They are both horizontal shooters which, along with the Gradius series, defined the genre. For those who don’t know the genre is defined by brutal difficulty, mandatory memorization, tactical gameplay, and blowing up aliens. In R-Type: Dimensions you control one ship against the entire Bydo alien race. The Sci-Fi space theme works well and lends itself to crazy bosses and enemies. R-Type’s historical importance is without question, but it is also one of the few games that old that still holds up to modern gameplay standards.
13 years ago
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition review (XBLA)
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike Online Edition was co-developed by Capcom and Iron Galaxy Studios and published by Capcom. It was released August 24, 2011 and retails for 1200 MSP.
The 1999 arcade release of Street Fighter 3: Third Strike couldn’t have come at a worse time. Fighting games had begun their decline in popularity along with the disappearance of local arcades in which to play them in. As a result, many gamers had to get their SF3 fix on the less than perfect iterations of Third Strike for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, but now that the fighting genre is experiencing it’s biggest boom in over a decade, Capcom saw the chance to reintroduce Street Fighter 3 to the masses. Is it still as relevant as they had hoped, or better yet, does it stand the test of time as one of the great brawlers?
13 years ago
Crazy Machines Elements review (XBLA)
Crazy Machines Elements was developed by Fakt Software and published by DTP Entertainment. It was released August 24, 2011 and retails for 800 MSP.
There are a handful of genres that are largely untapped on Xbox Live Arcade: MMOs, real-time strategy games, even some sports sub-genres such skateboarding. But one that’s never been touched is that of a Rube Goldberg-esque puzzler. Crazy Machines Elements is an attempt to dive in and take the monopoly. Players must complete partially finished machines in order to complete a given objective. Now something like this could easily sink or swim based on the quality, but this is from Fakt Software, a team that is no stranger to machine games, having made them since 2005.
13 years ago
Motorbike Stunt Agent Julie review (XBLIG)
Motorbike Stunt Agent Julie was developed by Mattini Games. It was released on August 17, 2011 for 80 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.
What happens when you mix Trials-style gameplay with a twin-stick shooter? Motorbike Stunt Agent Julie, that’s what. Julie is a retired secret agent now working as a traveling stunt rider. When a crisis threatens the globe she is brought back into service to help take down the evil Dr. Kreutzer. The game spans 20 missions and has enough variety in both terrain and objectives to keep things fresh.
13 years ago
SpeedRunner HD review (XBLIG)
SpeedRunner HD was developed by DoubleDutch Games and retails for 240 MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
Somebody set SpeedRunner up the bomb. Over and over. That’s about as much plot as you’ll get in SpeedRunner HD, but that’s ok. You play as SpeedRunner, a quick superhero-type fellow with a sweet costume and a penchant for dismantling bombs. Which is good, because the Mad Bomber is setting up bombs all over the city for you to diffuse. Each level is filled with a variety of obstacles that you must overcome using the tools you gather along the way, including a grappling hook, a jetpack, and the ability to jump off of walls. The levels all have a number of potential paths to take, so keep your mind open to different possibilities as you play through in an effort to get the best time. Read More
13 years ago
Lair of the Evildoer review (XBLIG)
Lair of the Evildoer was developed by Going Loud Studios and retails for 80 MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
Lair of the Evil Doer is a twin stick shooter with some roguelike elements as well. You are the rejected creation of an evil doctor who has decided to fight for his life rather than be terminated. To survive you must explore floor after procedurally generated floor. Along the way you collect new and improved weapons and level yourself up as well. The RPG elements are fairly solid which adds a lot to the game. It also has a lot of oddball humor scattered throughout the game.
13 years ago
Ms. Splosion Man Pinball FX 2 table review (XBLA DLC)
The Ms. Splosion Man table for Pinball FX 2 was developed by Zen Studios and retails for 240 MSP. It will release on August 31, 2011. A copy of the table was provided for review purposes.
Ms. Splosion Man is the latest table for Pinball FX 2 and the first non-Marvel table in some time. This time the theme is none other than the Twisted Pixel heroine, Ms. Splosion Man. But instead of platform action this battle will be won with a silver ball and a pair of flippers. Ms. Splosion Man must battle the agents of Big Science and Mr. Destructoid himself if there is to be any hope of rescuing Splosion Man. This table is rather short in length but doesn’t play particularly fast. It’s in the middle of the line as far as difficulty goes compared to other tables in the series.