Outpost Kaloki X

Recently I've been playing alot of Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. It's a simple, yet addictive game, which really shows what Xbox Live Arcade games should be like - fun and good for those quick blasts where you have some time to kill.

Outpost Kaloki X is something different. Rather than developing another shoot-em-up or puzzle title, which make up the bulk of Live Arcade, NinjaBee Studios have opted for a management sim - something completely different than what is currently available.

Set in the far reaches of outer space, players take control of a space station and build it up to attract guests and thus earn more cash. In order to expand their station, players must build extensions, which can vary from businesses such as lemonade stands and chemistry laboratories, to important utilities like power generators and garages. There are limitations to the amount of pods (extension spaces) that you can have on your station, so when you want to build something new and there are no spaces left; an older, less profitable extension must be sold and a new one built in it's place.

Your space station is situated in the middle of the screen, and using the right thumbstick you can look around it. On the playing screen there are three menus: the stat menu, the X-menu and the Y-menu. The stat menu is situated on the right of the screen and it shows you many things including how much money you have (or don't have). Underneath it is the power bar, which shows you how much electricity the station has spare. Should the bar go red, you'll need to build a power expansion or you won't be able to build any more extensions.

The time under the power bar counts down until the mission is over or, in the sandbox scenarios, it shows how long you have been playing. Then there is also the star rating, which shows you how popular (or unpopular) the station is - the more stars the better.

Finally, there are five bars representing each category of business. The red bars indicate a need for that business. Green bars show that people are happy with the current provisioning of that business.

Pressing X during gameplay allows you to access the X-menu seen at the left of the screen. Here you are presented with five options: Controller Tips, Scenario Progress, Game Speed, Save and Load and Pause Menu.

Pressing A over the selected option brings up that menu, which are all pretty self explanatory. Controller tips shows the controls; scenario progress shows the scenario objectives and what has already been done; game speed changes the game speed, which can also be done by pressing RB; save and load lets you...well...save and load; and finally, pause menu brings up the pause menu, which can also be accessed by pressing Start (duh). Other than the scenario progress, you will rarely use this menu, leaving it rather pointless.

Y, on the other hand, is alot more useful. Pressing it allows you to access the Y-menu, at the top of the screen. Here, you can see how your visitors feel about the space station. Normally they will complain about there not being enough of what they want, but occasionally they will actually be content with your station. Sometimes an exclamation mark will appear over one of the pictures, if you check it out, you can get another add-on to your station (otherwise it will be some needless dialogue).

The single player campaigns consist of two stories; the adventure story and the war story. For beginners, the adventure story should be the first port of call. It basically acts as a tutorial and gets you ready to tackle other scenarios. Each campaign has different stories, many clichéd and forgettable. They are entertaining for a while, but then the pace changes from being quite chilled out and laid back, to being rather stressful at times, where one mistake can cost you an entire mission. That could be over a quarter of an hour wasted because you didn't build or demolish a building.

Games like Rollercoaster Tycoon and Theme Hospital became popular because you could customize your business. In Outpost Kaloki X, there is no customization whatsoever. It is incredibly limited, and there is no desire to return to the game after the single player campaigns are complete. The 'sandbox' games, which allow you to do whatever you want, are boring - with no objectives and no customization, what is the point of returning? Especially when the gameplay can be slow-paced and infuriating at times.

The graphics are OK to say the least. Considering this is a Live Arcade game, having 3D graphics was something I was not completely expecting. They are fairly reminiscent of your typical last-gen games, but with a higher definition (this is the Xbox 360, after all). It is filled with bright colors, which adds to the overall cartoony feel of the game.

The sound on this game is dreadful, from the actual sound effects to the incredibly irritating music which keeps repeating itself like it was some sort of torture device. I'd much rather listen to Tim Westwood than hear this game again. And I'm a guy who really hates Tim Westwood. Thankfully the sound can be switched off.

Final Word

This game does not feel next-gen. But then, what Arcade title does? The Live Arcade games are there for fun blasts, nothing more, but Outpost Kaloki X loses it's fun factor a bit too quickly. There is no desire to mess around with the sandbox scenarios, and you'll tire of the adventure campaign after the sixth mission. Most management sims are entertaining because they can be truly personalized, but with no personal creativity involved in creating your own space station, there might be some disappointment to fans of this genre.

This is a shame, because a management game is a good idea for Live Arcade, which is currently filled with puzzle titles and coin-ops. But Outpost Kaloki X just doesn't have the qualities of Rollercoaster Tycoon - it never feels like you are in charge.