15 years ago
Rewind Review: Garou: Mark of the Wolves (XBLA)
Garou: Mark of the Wolves was released by SNK/Playmore on June 24, 2009 and retails for 800MSP.
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (MOTW) is one of the last great fighting games released for the Neo-Geo. Originally releasing roughly around the same time as Street Fighter 3 this game was to be SNK’s answer to Capcom. While it never did reach the same level of popularity it certainly is a great game in its own right.
With some of the best graphics that the Neo-Geo could produce and some of the best gameplay in any fighting game ever; this game is a true gem. MOTW is essentially the culmination of the Fatal Fury series. Its story line is one of transition. Old heroes make way for new heroes and old villains make way for new ones as well. Everything about this game is polish and class. The only real shame is that the sequel was never released.
15 years ago
QuadSmash Indie Game Review
QuadSmash was developed by Creative Patterns and retails for 400MSP. A copy of the game was provided for review purposes.
QuadSmash is a 2D car combat game. You drive around in quads and, not surprisingly, your goal is to smash them, or at least smash your opponents. This game is pure multiplayer madness. It is one of the rare games that actually defaults to the multiplayer content on the opening screen. The gameplay consists of driving very fast through insane obstacles and using the terrain and special moves to beat your opponents to a pulp.
15 years ago
The Adventures of Shuggy review (XBLA)
Adventures of Shuggy was developed by Smudged Cat Games and published by Valcon Games. It was released June 15, 2011 for 800 MSP. A copy of the game was provided to us for review purposes.
We’re used to thinking we find the best platformers on the classic Nintendo or Sega consoles, but in the growing future we see Xbox Live Arcade as a platform for that genre. With calls to classic difficulty in Super Meat Boy or offering an artistic experience with Braid, the types of game in that genre boom and The Adventures of Shuggy brings that same flavor.
As Shuggy, you inherit a mansion with over 100 challenge rooms. Your mission is to go throughout the rooms all over the mansion and collect the gems in each room. The game goes from tricky to downright complex in a matter of levels and the amount of variety will keep your thumbs on the edge.
15 years ago
TIC: Part 1 review (XBLIG)
TIC: Part 1 was developed by Red Candy Games. It was released on June 21, 2011 for 240 Microsoft Points. A copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes.
TIC: part 1 is an stunning example of what the Xbox Live Indie Marketplace was made for. This simple, beautiful game is amazing from one end of the spectrum to the other. It’s got bright vivid colors, a simple story line, a unique art style and most of all it’s tons of fun. You control TIC, a robot who needs to save the world from oil stealing aliens. To do so, you must fly, collect and drill your way through the stages.
15 years ago
Rewind Review: Scrap Metal (XBLA)
Scrap Metal was developed by Slick Entertainment and published by Microsoft on March 10, 2010 as part of the Xbox Live Arcade Block Party for 1200 MSP.
Scrap Metal, not to be confused with Twisted Metal, brought the first true bout with car combat to the Xbox Live Arcade. This top down racer really captures the theme of crazy, sometimes strange vehicles with crazy, sometimes strange weaponry in crazy, sometimes strange locations. There’s a single player and a multiplayer component like most car combat games but no nifty mini-games or other sidetracks so to speak. However, the single player does have some special races with different objectives than just “blow up the other racers” or “come in first place”, and for the most part, like most of the game, they’re all fun. Read More
15 years ago
Rewind Review: The Maw (XBLA)
The Maw was developed by Twisted Pixel Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on January 21, 2009 for 800 Microsoft Points.
For fans of Xbox Live Arcade games Twisted Pixel Games is a household name. With titles like ‘Splosion Man, Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley and the forthcoming Ms. Splosion Man they’re a huge success story. But there was one title that started it all. One that was ridiculously cute with simple but fun puzzle elements: The Maw. In the game players take control of Frank, a cute bipedal alien who has been captured by bounty hunters. Shortly after being thrown into a cell on the bounty hunters’ vessel the craft crash lands on a strange planet. Frank and another escapee, The Maw, must find their way to freedom from the surviving bounty hunters bent on recapturing them.
15 years ago
Iron Brigade (Trenched) review (XBLA)
Iron Brigade (Formerly Trenched) was developed by Double Fine Productions, published by Microsoft Games Studios and will be released on June 22nd, 2011 for 1200MSP. A copy of the game was provided to us for review purposes.
Double Fine has found great success so far with their downloadable titles. Costume Quest and Stacking were well received, critically and commercially. Each title has been unique in gameplay, setting and style. Trenched is no different, a mech-based tower defense game set in an alternate history with all the charm and character you’ve grown to expect.
Rewind Review: Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project (XBLA)
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project was developed by 3D Realms and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released June 23, 2010 and retails for 800 MSP.
Just over a week ago, Duke Nukem Forever was released onto the world and while you may think that’s a sign of the apocalypse, we’re all still here. Duke’s brand of humor and violence has been seen in countless iterations in different genres from first and third person shooters to the classic side-scroller. Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project aims to return to the classic side-scrolling days and make sure the aliens pay. Duke must save the city of New York from imminent destruction from aliens and fight his way through levels ranging from Chinatown to the depths of space. Now this all sounds great and fun but you have to remember that this game originally came out in 2002. What was great eight years ago doesn’t always fly in today.
15 years ago
Rewind Review: Sam & Max Save the World (XBLA)
Sam & Max Save the World was developed and published by Telltale Games. It was released June 17, 2009 for 1600MSP.
Point and Click adventure games were extremely popular in the 90s, but fell to the wayside once console gaming became more popular than computer gaming. The genre sat barely noticed for many years, but a new episodic format envisioned by Telltale Games tried to change that. Sam & Max Save the World is a compilation of six of the Sam & Max episodes where the dog and rabbit duo, otherwise known as the freelance police, must solve a number of crimes connected to an overarching plot. Sam and Max reinvent the adventure genre in a game that rewards a good thought with a good laugh.
15 years ago
Rewind Review: Triggerheart Exelica (XBLA)
Triggerheart Exelica was developed by Warashi and retails for 800 MSP. It was released on February 27, 2008.
Shoot em’ up (shmup) fans are an interesting crew. Most of them are not interested in fresh gameplay mechanics but simply the hunt for a high score and notoriously difficult challenges. Triggerheart Exelica attempts to throw a new concept into the genre—a hook mechanic—but the draw for hardcore fans will continue to be an immeasurable difficulty level that has them perfecting their skills and memorizing bullet patterns. If Triggerheart Exelica were to be judged by its challenge level, it would exceed expectations, but upon extraction it simply lacks the bells and whistles of better titles in the genre.