Recent XBLA releases

[Hydro Thunder]

I was getting fairly anti- XBLA after I wasted $10 on the price-reduced-from-$15 Comic Jumper. Turns out the rest of the game is completely unpolished, not nearly as good as the demo level and strangely, lacking in humor. And the gameplay completely sucks. I've not had an XBLA title so severely disappoint me after the demo was so good...ever.

 

But I had to bite on Rock of Ages. And it's allright, not bad. The humor is consistent, the gameplay is interesting. It's kind of a Marble Madness combo with Tower Defense elements. But it's uneven, and could've used testing and tweaking. The camera angles are a real pain in the butt, in combination with some of the jumps you've got to make. It is also frustrating to try to follow what your opponent is doing while you are navigating your own Rock down the course. I'd say it could be worth your money, but I wish I hadn't bought it due to low replay value.

 

Space Channel 5 I was concerned about. I LOVE Space Channel 5 on Dreamcast, and kind of thought the PS2 Space Channel 5 sucked. It seemed washed out, and most importantly, the controls felt laggy, a major issue in a rhythm game. Also, it got a little...uncomfortable in a porn-y kind of way that I wasn't cool with. The XBLA version is really good though, and I think they reworked it successfully. The graphics are very sharp and high deffy, and the rhythm and control are about right on. It's still a bit icky in ways (one of the bosses, grabs your gal with his many tentacles, and she sighs "ooh, don't touch me there...", and later, "It's tingling....."), but hopefully that will lessen up as I make my way through. As a Space Channel 5 fan, worth the $10 I would say, for the nice graphic improvement and control tightening.

 

And then there's Orcs Must Die, which was $15. I was excited about this, but concerned. It's by Robot Entertainment, who are formerly Ensemble Studios, the guys who did the completely awesome Halo Wars RTS, as well as Age of Empires / Age of Mythology. This one is Tower Defense, but with a feel more like Tecmo's Deception than most Tower Defenses I've played. I didn't think it would work out, honestly. The control takes a bit of getting used to (running around in real time while setting traps and such), and the humor is questionable most of the time. "Winning!" a la Charlie Sheen wasn't funny three months ago, and certainly isn't now. Your character's clearly a take on Ash from Army of Darkness, just not as witty. Though I appreciate the little "Boom goes the Dynamite" comment, generally the humor is kind of a miss. But that said....the gameplay has really drawn me in and I'm very much falling for this game. It's difficult, but multi-faceted, well paced and with very nice graphics. Once you get the hang of things and learn the maps, it's very much a challenge and a treat to re-play them for better scores. Definitely try the demo - if you like Deception and/or Tower Defense games, I recommend it highly.

[Austin]

I bought Quake Arena last night (apparently it's five bucks now). It's pretty nice except for the fact that there weren't any online games available. I guess this game is a ghost town already.

[MagitekAngel]

I just want to go on the record saying that I have never been comfortable playing Space Channel 5 with anybody else in the room.

 

I'm also the biggest XBLA hypocrite in the world, because while I'm constantly whining on AtariAge about the importance of physical media and how I'd only get disc-based this and I won't throw my money away on the downloaded version of that, I just checked my games list and I've purchased about twenty or so XBLA games. Including Doom. God-damn Doom. And Doom 2. And frigging Wolfenstein. What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. Me.

[HammR25]

I also bought Doom and I've played it about two times. If I remember right though I waited until it was on sale for like 320 points though. Since you said you've gotten around 20 XBLA games I went ahead and counted mine. I've got 35 that I paid for. My "why the heck did I buy that" list starts with a game called Mad Tracks. The idea seemed great at the time but it's terrible. I'm not sure what I thought was so great about the trial. I also got After Burner Climax simply because it was on sale even though I didn't like the trial. Gee for some reason I haven't really played it. I personally don't have a problem with buying download only games since that's the only way to get them. It'll be a cold day in hell before I buy a download version of a game for a particular console when there is a disc based version to be had for that console.

[MagitekAngel]

It'll be a cold day in hell before I buy a download version of a game for a particular console when there is a disc based version to be had for that console.

 

That's a statement I can get behind without too much hypocrisy. I imported the Prince of Persia Trilogy on PS3 from England back when it looked like North America was only going to get the downloads. As for After Burner Climax, I got that one too because I was on an After Burner II kick at the time. I didn't stop to think that maybe the new game would be exactly as long and involved as the old one....

[Metal Ghost]

I'm kind of disappointed to hear about Comic Jumper. I've had it for what seems like forever, but haven't played it yet: I've been working my way through the other XBLA games that I purchased during sales last holiday season. Generally I really like Twisted Pixel games, and I'm looking forward to purchasing The Gunstringer. But oh well, I've already got this one purchased, so it's in queue for my next XBLA game to be played (just finished Shadow Complex, so Comic Jumper was up next).

 

For some reason I have Greed Corp. too, and I've never played that. Another one to chalk up to a 'too good to pass up' sale!

[Hydro Thunder]

Metal Ghost -

 

When you get to playing it, let me know if I'm completely off on Comic Jumper. I had to say something just to see if everyone was as disappointed as I was. I still _really_ love the demo, but it seems like 90% of their work and effort went into that. But perhaps I'm just really bad at it; I find the levels after the demo to be punishingly hard, annoying, unfunny and poorly designed... but maybe it's just me. With any luck, it is just me, and you'll enjoy it thoroughly.

[Austin]

I just checked my games list and I've purchased about twenty or so XBLA games. Including Doom. God-damn Doom. And Doom 2. And frigging Wolfenstein. What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. Me.

 

Dude, there's no shame in that. It's DOOM. And DOOM 2. AND Wolfenstein freakin' 3D! That's good stuff.

 

Oh, and I think I have over 70 XBLA titles, so don't feel bad about owning twenty.

Edited October 10, 2011 by Austin

[MagitekAngel]

I just checked my games list and I've purchased about twenty or so XBLA games. Including Doom. God-damn Doom. And Doom 2. And frigging Wolfenstein. What. The. Hell. Is. Wrong. With. Me.

 

Dude, there's no shame in that. It's DOOM. And DOOM 2. AND Wolfenstein freakin' 3D! That's good stuff.

 

Oh, and I think I have over 70 XBLA titles, so don't feel bad about owning twenty.

 

Well, now I have the Doom games on PC, and run them through ZDoom. Buttery smooth, high-res, endlessly modifiable Doom. I even found a way to get the No Rest for the Living expansion loaded up as a Doom 2 PWAD. I'm even starting to learn how to build my own levels. In retrospect, it makes the XBLA purchases seem somewhat... superfluous.

[onlysublime]

I loved Doom and it was worth it on XBLA, especially for the sales price I got it for. But Doom II (which recently was on sale) didn't resonate with me and so I skipped it.

 

I'm still stuck at a level in Doom and it sucks that I can't go any further in the game. I tried looking up guides but none of them give any detail.

[moycon]

Probably most folks here bought Doom! I know I did as well. Got 100% achievements on it and Doom II I believe.

I agree with onlysublime, 20 Live Arcade games is nothing to be ashamed of MagitekAngel.

Try 100+ and then you might start worrying. (Yeah I hate to think how much $$ I've spent on Live since 2006!)

[Austin]

I loved Doom and it was worth it on XBLA, especially for the sales price I got it for. But Doom II (which recently was on sale) didn't resonate with me and so I skipped it.

 

I'm still stuck at a level in Doom and it sucks that I can't go any further in the game. I tried looking up guides but none of them give any detail.

 

DOOM II is a lot more difficult than the original DOOM in my opinion. The stages are much, much more devious. This is not counting Thy Flesh Consumed, of course, as that episode adopted the evil level design traits of DOOM II, haha.

 

What level are you stuck at in Ultimate DOOM?

 

Well, now I have the Doom games on PC, and run them through ZDoom. Buttery smooth, high-res, endlessly modifiable Doom. I even found a way to get the No Rest for the Living expansion loaded up as a Doom 2 PWAD. I'm even starting to learn how to build my own levels. In retrospect, it makes the XBLA purchases seem somewhat... superfluous.

 

Yeah, those add-ons are really nice. Admittedly they got old for me after a while though and I realized that all I really needed was DOOM in its original form to have fun. For jumping, free-looking and super hi-res graphics with glow effects, I can play Quake.

Edited October 11, 2011 by Austin

[onlysublime]

If you could help me out, that'd be awesome! Unfortunately, my game save got deleted and it's been awhile since I played it so I'll have to dig around for a level screenshot or something. all I remember what it started me off with virtually no ammo and a lot of big baddies were there. I think it was the beginning level of the next chapter or something. the beginning of the level was outdoors, on an elevated platform. i'll look up the level. would love to finish the game! if they gave me sufficient ammo, it wouldn't be so hard.

 

*edit* Okay, looked up the various levels on Youtube and I'm confused. At first I thought it was Hell Beneath but then I looked at the levels past that and I was sure I played them. so maybe it was unto the cruel. will do some more research.

 

maybe this will be the time to slosh thru the entire campaign again to get to the level I'm stuck at.

 

I loved Doom and it was worth it on XBLA, especially for the sales price I got it for. But Doom II (which recently was on sale) didn't resonate with me and so I skipped it.

 

I'm still stuck at a level in Doom and it sucks that I can't go any further in the game. I tried looking up guides but none of them give any detail.

 

DOOM II is a lot more difficult than the original DOOM in my opinion. The stages are much, much more devious. This is not counting Thy Flesh Consumed, of course, as that episode adopted the evil level design traits of DOOM II, haha.

 

What level are you stuck at in Ultimate DOOM?

 

Well, now I have the Doom games on PC, and run them through ZDoom. Buttery smooth, high-res, endlessly modifiable Doom. I even found a way to get the No Rest for the Living expansion loaded up as a Doom 2 PWAD. I'm even starting to learn how to build my own levels. In retrospect, it makes the XBLA purchases seem somewhat... superfluous.

 

Yeah, those add-ons are really nice. Admittedly they got old for me after a while though and I realized that all I really needed was DOOM in its original form to have fun. For jumping, free-looking and super hi-res graphics with glow effects, I can play Quake.

Edited October 11, 2011 by onlysublime

[Metal Ghost]

Metal Ghost -

 

When you get to playing it, let me know if I'm completely off on Comic Jumper. I had to say something just to see if everyone was as disappointed as I was. I still _really_ love the demo, but it seems like 90% of their work and effort went into that. But perhaps I'm just really bad at it; I find the levels after the demo to be punishingly hard, annoying, unfunny and poorly designed... but maybe it's just me. With any luck, it is just me, and you'll enjoy it thoroughly.

 

Well I'm only through the Nanoc level so far, but this is definitely my least favorite Twisted Pixel game. That's not to say that I dislike it, I'm just not nearly as fond of it as I am of 'Splosion Man and The Maw. I do agree on the difficulty....the 3rd time they through a 2nd in a row tiger 'thing' at me was kind of a BS move. At least the save points have been fairly well disbursed as far as I can tell. But the 1st person shooting parts are awful. A super slow targeting hair that isn't in inverse mode and apparently can't be switched into inverse mode via control settings. Horrible.

 

It's also the 1st Twisted Pixel game that I don't feel as if I can play with the kids in the room. Even The Gunstringer I feel as if I can (though I haven't purchased it yet....am I wrong?). That's just a personal minus against it, not really a game issue of course. It's just that I already have Dead Space waiting in the wings for when the kids aren't around....I need my games that they can watch too. Heck, my oldest is even getting into The Maw herself now!