Review

Dirchie Kart was developed by BrownBot and released on January 22, 2011 and costs 240 Microsoft Points. A copy was provided by the developer for review purposes.

The rise of indie development in games has been a boon to various elements of the games industry. While innovation is often the result of the tight focus of smaller development groups, indies also have a unique ability to revisit old ideas and breathe in some new life. Dirchie Kart is a solid attempt at this, reviving the Super Mario Kart formula in a glorious and unflinching fashion. Read More

Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot was developed by Vatra Games and published by Konami. It was released on March 30, 2011 and retails for 800 Microsoft Points. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

It’s becoming more and more common for publishers to revisit their IPs of yesteryear, either giving them a new coat of paint or taking the franchise to new and exciting places. Bionic Commando Rearmed is a great example of bringing fresh looks to a classic. Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot aims to take the franchise elsewhere. Set 15 years after the Cold War between the United States and Russia, the game follows Sid Marrow and his team, sent to rescue an operative kept as a prisoner of war since the Cold War.

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A little over 3 years ago, Poker Smash was released on Xbox Live Arcade. At first glance, one might write it off as just another generic match-three game. Sure, the game can be played by simply matching 3-of-a-kind, but the depth that Poker Smash brings to the action/puzzle genre is unlike any other game on the marketplace.  Inspired by the SNES cult hit; Tetris Attack, Poker Smash is truly one of the hardest puzzle games to master.  But the true beauty of the game is that any gamer of any skill level can find an enjoyable experience in Poker Smash. Read More

Stacking was developed by Double Fine and published by THQ. It was released on XBLA on February 9th for 1200MS points.

Stacking is an adventure/puzzle game that places you in control of Charlie Blackmore, who is the smallest member in a family of Russian stacking dolls. The Blackmore family is being forced to work for a rich industrialists know as “The Baron” and it is up to Charlie to free them. Charlie must stack inside other dolls and use their special abilities in order to make his way through 4 areas and defeat the evil Baron.

Riding high on their October release of Costume Quest, Double Fine has found room for success on the XBLA platform. With that said, expectations for Stacking were extremely high considering it was from the minds of Tim Schafer and the team of hit-makers at Double Fine.  Luckily, Stacking surpassed most expectations and stands out as an early favorite for 2011 XBLA Game of the Year. Read More

Microbot was developed by Naked Sky Entertainment and published by EA.  It was released on XBLA on December 29th for 800MS points ($10).

Microbot is a dual-stick shooter, which is fairly common genre on the XBLA platform.  With games like Geometry Wars and Assault Heroes already on the marketplace, it’s tough for a newcomer to stand out.  Microbot offers the same dual-stick gameplay gamers have become accustomed to with a few new additions.  Even though some of the new additions are a welcomed change among the dual-stick audience, there are simply too many issues with Microbot to make it an enjoyable experience. Read More

Spare Parts was developed by EA Bright Light and published by EA.  It was released on XBLA on January 19th for 800MS Points ($10).

Spare Parts is a casual action adventure game with minor puzzle elements that mostly surround the co-op aspects of the game.  You play as a robot, Mar-T, who is searching for stranded robotic allies and missing ship parts in order to escape the hostile environment where he’s shipwrecked.  It’s a basic concept that’s been done many times before.  Sadly, Spare Parts brings nothing new to the table and the gameplay is as generic as the title of the game. Read More

Zeit² is a sidescrolling Shoot ‘em Up developed by Brightside Games and published by Ubisoft. It’s available on the XBLA for 800 microsoft points.

XBLA games are frequently prone to being viewed as “casual” because of their price point, and as such it’s easy to assume any XBLA title will have a casual playing style to it; Zeit² does not. The game has a tutorial where they explain how the game works and how to play, along with supplementary tips throughout the Arcade experience, but the handholding quickly ends and Zeit² shows itself to be a top shelf challenge worthy of any sidescrolling shoot ‘em up lover.

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ilomilo was developed by SouthEnd Interactive and published by Microsoft.  It was secretly released on XBLA last week and is scheduled for an official release on January 5th.  It will be a part of the “Games for the Holidays” promotion starting on December 22nd.  If you want to get the game early, you can read how to get it in the XBLA Fans preview post. Read More

Dead Rising 2: Case West was developed by Blue Castle Games Inc. and published by Capcom.  It was released on XBLA on December 27th.

Dead Rising 2: Case West is the second helping of small stand-alone games based off Capcom’s popular Dead Rising franchise.  With Dead Rising 2: Case Zero setting record numbers in sales, the idea of a second bite-sized game left gamers begging for more.  As a first of it’s kind, Case Zero showed that small downloadable versions of full retail titles can be a serious force in the XBLA world.  Dead Rising 2: Case West promised a better experience than Case Zero by adding Frank West and co-op play to the formula.  Case West may have added a few extra features, but describing it as a better experience is a bit of a stretch. Read More

A World of Keflings was developed by NinjaBee and published by Xbox Live Arcade.  It was released on XBLA on December 22nd.

With games like Cloning Clyde, Band of Bugs and Ancients of Ooga under their belt, NinjaBee has become one of the most beloved XBLA developers to date.  In 2008, the release of A Kingdom for Keflings solidified their spot as an XBLA powerhouse.   After the success of the first installment, A Kefling sequel was evident.  As one of the most anticipated XBLA games of 2010, A World of Keflings generated high expectations from both the fans and the developers.  With a ton of new additions and upgrades, the difference between A Kingdom for Keflings and A World of Keflings is clear.  The game has improved in nearly every area. Read More