XBLA Reviews

Age of Booty was developed by Certain Affinity.  It was released October 15, 2008, and retails for 400 MSP.

Every once in a long while, a game comes from out of nowhere and surprises with such a vengeance that folks who play it can’t help but recommend the game to everyone they know. They play the game incessantly, altering strategic calculations, building a list of friends to play with, trading grudge matches against rivals and friendly competitions with friends. They marvel at how damn good that game is.

Age of Booty is one of these games. Sitting on the dusting e-shelves of the XBLA library, Age of Booty is not a title that most players would stumble upon and think “I bet this is a great game.” The graphics are rudimentary by today’s standards, the theme seems a bit cartoonish, and for those who have the patience or curiosity to test the demo and who try anything beyond the single player campaign, they may quickly find themselves sailing into battle without any bearings, and end up switching to a different game.

This is a mistake, but an understandable one.

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The Captain America table for Pinball FX 2 was developed by Zen Studios and retails for 240MSP. It will release on June 29, 2011. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Captain America is the latest addition to the Pinball FX 2 family of pinball tables. This table is a continuation of the Marvel Pinball table series and features none other than the red, white and blue hero in his fight against the Red Skull. Cap is one of Marvel’s most beloved superheroes but really hasn’t been in the spotlight in recent years. With an impending feature film that will likely change. But don’t let any unfamiliarity scare you away, this table is great fun on its own. This is a medium length table and it plays on the fast side. Zen Studios continues to improve its offerings and Captain America is one of the best tables available.

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Peggle was developed and published by Popcap Games. It was released March 11, 2009 for 800 MSP (400 MSP for Gold Users).

Puzzle games are an interesting lot. They not only make you think but also to become an uncontrollable addiction. It’s all about being the best: having top scores, the best moves and lively competition on leaderboards. Popcap created the game that may have been infused with sugar for more addictive qualities. Don’t drink caffeine while playing this one, it could be dangerous. Read More

N+ was developed by Slick Entertainment, and published by Metanet Software. It was released February 20, 2008 for 800MSP.

Based on the browser Flash game N, N+ is an highly updated version with HD graphics and completely new levels. You play as a nameless ninja who nimbly jumps past every danger in his way through a highly mechanized and gray world. As tough as it is addicting, N+ is one of the best platformers around, but it doesn’t do enough to not feel like a flash game.

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Tetris Splash was developed by Tetris Online, Inc and published by Microsoft Game Studios and retails for 800 MSP.  It was released on October 3, 2007.

Tetris fans must be exhausted over choosing which version of the classic to spend their time with, having dozens of iterations on dozens of different platforms to choose from. Tetris Splash, the first time the game has graced Xbox Live Arcade, will certainly be a low priority for Tetris purists, but for everyone else, is it worth picking up — ahem, downloading?

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Rocky and Bullwinkle was developed by Zen Studios. It was released on April 16, 2008 and costs 800 MSP.

Rocky and Bullwinkle is a mini game super fest with the whole cast from the beloved children’s show. You play through seven distinct worlds, each with there own set of amusing levels, giving you a total of 105 different mini-games to play. You can play through all the levels by yourself or with up to 11 friends locally for a quirky experience that only Rocky and Bullwinkle can provide.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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