Game: Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2
Genre: Multidirectional shooter
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade
Score: 9 out of 10
All right, so I might be a bit behind when it comes to the latest greatest releases in the gaming universe, somehow Im always playing catch-up. So this weekend I thought I would take a moment to give this new phenomenon known as Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 a once over for good measure.
As a kid growing up in the early eighties I experienced my fair-share of games in the multidirectional shooter genre and when I saw that Bizarre Creations had released a new version of the game, I jumped on the bandwagon. So I got home Friday after work, added some points, and proceeded to anxiously await my download to finish. Once completed I did my usual routine, you know, grab the can of Brisk Iced Tea, almond packed candy bar, and danced the happy dance. After that, it was down to business.
The first game mode I was introduced to was Deadline, and it was more of an introductory course to the game where I would hone my skills for future battles. This mode was pretty straightforward: destroy as many enemies as you can in three minutes to rack up points. The single greatest thing about this mode is that you have an unlimited amount of lives to dispose of and dont have to worry about losing a few because you ran into some enemies along the way. While the first level isnt designed to blow your mind, it does serve a higher purpose and gets the gamer used to steering and shooting with both analog sticks. Sounds easy so far right? Well this is just the tip of the Geometry Wars Retro Evolved experience and the game proceeds to get increasingly harder as you progress.
The second mode I unlocked was King, which is my favorite so far. This game mode required that you navigate from one circular zone to another. This also sounds easy right? Wrong! How about we strip you of your weapons system until you are in the perimeter of the safety zone. While here you may use your blasters, but none of the enemies can attack you and they just kind of hang out closely around your circular safe haven until you emerge. Sounds easy right? Well Bizarre Creations couldnt have you hanging out in the safety of a little bubble all day could they? Hellz No! To solve this problem the developer added a time constraint to the zones. Once you pass through a zone it changes colors and subsequently disappears in a couple of seconds. So now you have a limited amount of safe time, no blasters outside the zone, and a countless amount of enemies appearing every moment you are still alive. And you thought you were going to fly around collecting the geom bounty the whole game, didnt you?
The Evolved game mode was designed with the destroy everything in my path type gamer. While playing this game type you are challenged to score as many points as you can without a time constraint looming over your head. But, you only have four lives, including the one you start with, so you better use them wisely. Extra lives and bombs used to clear the entire board of enemies can only be acquired at certain points in the board, so save those bombs till you really need them.
The game mode Pacifism is another mode that challenges you as the captain of your tiny vessel. In this mode you have no weapons to disperse your enemies with. Instead you must maneuver around the enemies chasing after you, and lead them to their demise by passing through gates that are floating around the level. As you pass through each of these gates the enemies that are closest to the particular gate youre flying through will be destroyed. Pacifism adds a new dimension to the game play of this arcade title. Leaving you stripped of your weapons you now rely on your piloting skills to survive.
Another one of my favorite modes is called Waves. This mode will pit you against numerous waves of rockets traveling horizontally and vertically across the board. You can dodge them, shoot them, or try to ignore them, but just dont let them hit you. You have just one life to loose in this mode.
Sequence is the final mode I unlocked while on my pixilated space adventure. This is a mode that consists of twenty different levels. Each level will challenge you to defeat all the enemies on that particular level in thirty seconds. Each level has its own enemy pattern that comes at you pretty quickly. Learning and even memorizing the pattern of your enemies movements throughout the levels will only aid you in becoming the greatest pilot in the universe. You only have a limited amount of lives in this mode just like in Evolved, and if you die on one level they just throw you onto the next. So if you want to beat this mode as a whole you better keeps your wits about you, your eyes on the road, and your hands on the wheel so to speak.
The introduction of a cooperative mode added a huge amount of replay value to the arcade title. So now instead of just sitting there all by your lonesome, you could now team up with a friend and either work together for a common goal, or duke it out to see who could get the higher score.
The end of my first run-through of GWRE2 was an incredible one. Fueled by an enormous amount of iced tea and sugar I pushed my skills as a pilot to the limits and back. I defeated many enemies along my way in this pixilated trance infused intergalactic fireworks show. This was one arcade game that was a complete package: the graphics were good, the game play was great, and the mellow trance music fit this game like a glove. I never expected to be utterly blown away by an Xbox Live Arcade Game, but I was.
Genre: Multidirectional shooter
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade
Score: 9 out of 10
All right, so I might be a bit behind when it comes to the latest greatest releases in the gaming universe, somehow Im always playing catch-up. So this weekend I thought I would take a moment to give this new phenomenon known as Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 a once over for good measure.
As a kid growing up in the early eighties I experienced my fair-share of games in the multidirectional shooter genre and when I saw that Bizarre Creations had released a new version of the game, I jumped on the bandwagon. So I got home Friday after work, added some points, and proceeded to anxiously await my download to finish. Once completed I did my usual routine, you know, grab the can of Brisk Iced Tea, almond packed candy bar, and danced the happy dance. After that, it was down to business.
The first game mode I was introduced to was Deadline, and it was more of an introductory course to the game where I would hone my skills for future battles. This mode was pretty straightforward: destroy as many enemies as you can in three minutes to rack up points. The single greatest thing about this mode is that you have an unlimited amount of lives to dispose of and dont have to worry about losing a few because you ran into some enemies along the way. While the first level isnt designed to blow your mind, it does serve a higher purpose and gets the gamer used to steering and shooting with both analog sticks. Sounds easy so far right? Well this is just the tip of the Geometry Wars Retro Evolved experience and the game proceeds to get increasingly harder as you progress.
The second mode I unlocked was King, which is my favorite so far. This game mode required that you navigate from one circular zone to another. This also sounds easy right? Wrong! How about we strip you of your weapons system until you are in the perimeter of the safety zone. While here you may use your blasters, but none of the enemies can attack you and they just kind of hang out closely around your circular safe haven until you emerge. Sounds easy right? Well Bizarre Creations couldnt have you hanging out in the safety of a little bubble all day could they? Hellz No! To solve this problem the developer added a time constraint to the zones. Once you pass through a zone it changes colors and subsequently disappears in a couple of seconds. So now you have a limited amount of safe time, no blasters outside the zone, and a countless amount of enemies appearing every moment you are still alive. And you thought you were going to fly around collecting the geom bounty the whole game, didnt you?
The Evolved game mode was designed with the destroy everything in my path type gamer. While playing this game type you are challenged to score as many points as you can without a time constraint looming over your head. But, you only have four lives, including the one you start with, so you better use them wisely. Extra lives and bombs used to clear the entire board of enemies can only be acquired at certain points in the board, so save those bombs till you really need them.
The game mode Pacifism is another mode that challenges you as the captain of your tiny vessel. In this mode you have no weapons to disperse your enemies with. Instead you must maneuver around the enemies chasing after you, and lead them to their demise by passing through gates that are floating around the level. As you pass through each of these gates the enemies that are closest to the particular gate youre flying through will be destroyed. Pacifism adds a new dimension to the game play of this arcade title. Leaving you stripped of your weapons you now rely on your piloting skills to survive.
Another one of my favorite modes is called Waves. This mode will pit you against numerous waves of rockets traveling horizontally and vertically across the board. You can dodge them, shoot them, or try to ignore them, but just dont let them hit you. You have just one life to loose in this mode.
Sequence is the final mode I unlocked while on my pixilated space adventure. This is a mode that consists of twenty different levels. Each level will challenge you to defeat all the enemies on that particular level in thirty seconds. Each level has its own enemy pattern that comes at you pretty quickly. Learning and even memorizing the pattern of your enemies movements throughout the levels will only aid you in becoming the greatest pilot in the universe. You only have a limited amount of lives in this mode just like in Evolved, and if you die on one level they just throw you onto the next. So if you want to beat this mode as a whole you better keeps your wits about you, your eyes on the road, and your hands on the wheel so to speak.
The introduction of a cooperative mode added a huge amount of replay value to the arcade title. So now instead of just sitting there all by your lonesome, you could now team up with a friend and either work together for a common goal, or duke it out to see who could get the higher score.
The end of my first run-through of GWRE2 was an incredible one. Fueled by an enormous amount of iced tea and sugar I pushed my skills as a pilot to the limits and back. I defeated many enemies along my way in this pixilated trance infused intergalactic fireworks show. This was one arcade game that was a complete package: the graphics were good, the game play was great, and the mellow trance music fit this game like a glove. I never expected to be utterly blown away by an Xbox Live Arcade Game, but I was.
