Retro

With Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 just around the corner we at XBLA Fans thought it was a good time to revisit the first XBLA game in the series. Itself a remake of the fondly remembered NES game the original Rearmed was hotly anticipated upon it’s announcement in January 08. Since XBLAFans was not around to review it at the time we take a look back for our first Rewind Review.

Bionic Commando Rearmed was released August 13, 2008 for 800MSP.  It was developed by the now-defunct GRIN, which would later have many of its employees transfer to Fatshark, who developed Rearmed 2.  It follows Nathan Spencer, an operative for the Federation who is equipped with a bionic left arm.  His mission: To rescue Federation hero Super Joe from the clutches of the evil Empire and assist him with destroying their experimental superweapon known as Albatros.

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The game was designed originally by Konami and then brought to XBLA by Backbone Entertainment, a division of Foundation 9 Entertainment.  The player chooses one of six X-Men:  Cyclops,  Colossus,  Wolverine,  Storm,  Nightcrawler, or Dazzler. Their objective is to stop the villain Magneto from wreaking havoc on human civilization. They must fight through an army of hundreds of Sentinels and supervillains such as Pyro, Blob, Wendigo, Nimrod, The White Queen, Juggernaut, and Mystique.  Later, Magneto kidnaps Professor X and Kitty Pryde, prompting the heroes to go on a rescue mission. The heroes fight their way to Island M and ultimately to Magneto’s base on Asteroid M where the final battle with the Master of Magnetism takes place.

If you were lucky your arcade had the full on 6-player mode, and if you didn’t have the nice arcade, you had the cheesy 4-player cabinet.   The question is, how well did this classic age?   Is it worth spending the 800 MS Points ($10 US)?

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Decimation X3 is a 4 player shoot ’em up and thrilling sequel to the #1 Japan hit, Decimation X, and proud member of the Indie Games Winter Uprising. Back with intensified gameplay, extra power-ups, more firepower, improved retro graphics, huge bosses, and a beautifully remixed Imphenzia soundtrack. Developed by the “empower the player” philosophy of Xona Games, award-winning creators of Duality ZF and Score Rush.  It currently is selling for 80MS Points (1 USD) in the Indie Games section of the marketplace.

How does it hold up to my rigorous tests?  Well you know you have to click read more to find out.

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The time is upon us! Just say NO to cheesy massage simulators and poorly done clones in the indie games section of the market place, and hello to gaming goodness! The uprising is here, and all of us gamers are going to benefit from it!

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Guwange is a vertical scrolling shooting game, launched in Japanese arcades in 1999.  Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, Guwange tells the tale of the “Shikigami users”, hosts to ghostly avatars called Shikigami. Unlike other CAVE shooting games, known for their fighter craft and destructive machinery, the heroes of Guwange walk across the demonic landscape on their quest to rid themselves of the Shikigami curse, cutting a swath through enemies.

You have to click read more to get my thoughts on it now.

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First they get moved from the games and demos page, then they get moved back.  And now, they are planning to fight back to prove that there is a lot of worth within their store. You need to click read more to hear their story. Read More

Announced yesterday, Boulder Dash is looking to make a triumphant return to consoles.  And we have screenshots!   Read More

Shoot 1Up is an XBLIG title by Mommy’s Best Games that I think many people might have missed, because it is an XBLIG title.  Mommy’s Best Games are known for their retro style sticking more to 2D style games.   Shoot 1Up is a shoot’em up that has that great retro feel with some added bonuses that make the genre feel fresh and new.

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Ever since the beginning of Xbox Live Arcade, game companies have been using it as a way to breathe new life into their once classic powerhouses. We have seen many classic arcade games from the past like Pac-Man and Rush ‘N Attack, as well as not-so-old but just-as-great ones like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Alien Hominid. Yet still to this day there are some classic titles that have not received their day in a new light. We know some of it has to do with legal issues, but some of it is also due to neglect, which is why we will be covering our top ten picks that we wish were on XBLA, and why they deserve some new found love. Read More