Every Monday here at Evil Towers, we’ll be taking a selection of new games from XBLA and putting them through their paces. It’ll by no means be a definitive list of ALL the new releases, but it will cover a fair few that have caught our eye over the week.
Go! Go! Break Steady
I like rhythm based games. I’ve even been known to play a Dance Dance Revolution type affair if I’m drunk enough. Go! Go! Break Steady is more of a rhythm-cum-puzzle game.
The premise for the game is a simple one. Mash some buttons in time to the rhythm of the song, then use the left analogue stick to drop some multi-coloured beatniks onto a ring that’s whizzing round the screen. Make a chain of three or more and they disappear, giving you points and eventually allowing you to move on to the next round. All the while, your little avatar is breaking steady (geddit?) with a wealth of different break dancing moves.
What I like about Go! Go! Break Steady is how it takes the tried and tested formula of a puzzle game where you have to match three pieces of the same colour to advance, and mashes it up with the genre of the moment – the Guitar Hero/Rock Band type – but allows you to play without having to fork out your hard earned currency on a plethora of extra peripherals to enjoy it.
As far as options for your playing experience go, you have three single player games at your disposal;
- “All City Tournament” – Battle the DJ and the Beatniks, getting ranked for every performance in your search for stardom.
- Endurance – A staple of any puzzle-type game. See how long you can last.
- Challenge – Something completely different – create a song play list and knock out all the Beatniks before each song ends.
The trial of Go! Go! is quite limited compared to some of the trial games I’ve played in the past, but it does allow you to play three rounds on the All City Tournament and the other two single play modes for a “limited time” (I’m not sure how long that is, as so far I’ve been playing for 30mins – shhh!) which is 30 minutes of play in any of the modes.
Unlocking the full game will set you back 800 points, but if you do enjoy a puzzle game with a difference, I do think Go! Go! Rock Steady will supply you with months of button mashing goodness.
360 Evil Rating: Buy it
1942: Joint Strike
The 80s arcade classic has had the usual HD remix, with a few noticeable cut scenes included to make the experience more like a native 360 game. As with a lot of the retro games that have been released on Live Arcade, the additions don’t take anything away from the original.
It’s still a top down shoot-em-up where you need to avoid as many bullets as possible whilst still managing to destroy hundreds of other planes in wave after wave AND pick up the power-ups. It sounds quite simple in today’s world of multiple button bashing and remembering numerous combos.
That’s the appeal for many people who play these re-released games. They want a break from the complexity and be able to escape back to their child hood. 1924: Joint Strike does this perfectly and adds to the fun with a Xbox Live mode and the usual leaderboard so you can see how you compare against your friends.
360 Evil Rating: Buy It
Double D Dodgeball
I’ve never played a dodgeball game on a console before and Double D Dodgeball is surprisingly fun. You use both of the analogue sticks to first of all rush to get the ball at the line, then a combination of the left and right analogue, the triggers, and luck. There were a few times playing it that I did actually just close my eyes and hope that wherever I happened to end up aiming would be a player from the opposite team.
It’s definitely a fast paced game, but after a few rounds I did get the hang of it and did have quite a bit of fun. The real fun is had when you get four friends together, go online and then play against four others. The team play aspect is the big winner for me and well worth shelling out the 800 points for it.
[rating:4/5]
These are just a few of the games that were released for Live Arcade recently, if you have a favourite you’d like to see on here get in touch via the comments or email me – phil at gamesareevil dot com.
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