Xbox Live Arcade Reviews:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time – Re-Shelled (800 MS Points)
They’re back! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are ready to take control of your living room again and this time it’s in a remake of the classic arcade title Turtles in Time. The remake not only sports new visuals, but the audio has been changed too. If you are a hardcore fanatic of the original and would rather have seen the sprites and soundtrack return, you may want to look the other way as the 3D graphics might give you a cold shiver down your spine and the music could honestly make you nauseated at times. Beyond that, the gameplay still remains fun; especially if you have three other friends to play cooperatively with. 3/5
‘Splosion Man (800 MS Points): One of the premiere Summer of Arcade titles, ‘Splosion Man is a brilliant puzzle-platformer that can be enjoyed by practically everyone. Developed by Twisted Pixel, developers of The Maw, ‘Splosion Man is full of humor and personality to last a lifetime. The addition of four-player cooperative play is only icing on top of the cake since the gameplay is full of tough puzzles. The single-player campaign is long enough to keep the attention of it’s gamers for more than one sit-down, so ‘Splosion Man should be added to everyone’s download queue as we speak. 4.5/5
UNO Rush (800 MS Points): As popular as the original UNO is on the Xbox Live Arcade, you’d think that Microsoft would’ve created a much better follow-up title. Unfortunately, UNO Rush isn’t inspired enough to keep the rabid UNO players coming back for more. Yes, the gameplay is fast and it’s pleasant to see the use of your own avatars, but it doesn’t feel more than an expansion pack to the original. Even with the plethora of features supported, such as Xbox Live Vision capability and creating your own rules, UNO Rush is only appropriate for diehard fans. 2.5/5
Lode Runner (1200 MS Points): As another remake on the Xbox Live Arcade service, Lode Runner provides a tremendous amount of replay value. Longtime fans should find satisfaction with the ability to create your own puzzles and levels. User-generated content isn’t necessarily the hot thing right now on Live, but with more games such as Lode Runner, gamers should be in for a real treat. As for the gameplay, it remains as difficult as ever and the visuals aren’t half-bad either. 3.5/5
Madballs in Babo: Invasion (800 MS Points): Don’t let the name hold you back from a purchase; Madballs in Babo: Invasion is a title that is surprisingly fun. The solid controls, sense of humor, and multiplayer game modes should be enough to warrant a purchase. While there’s only two Madballs characters involved in the video game, that shouldn’t hold back fans as the gameplay is solid. It’ll hold your interest, especially if you have friends to play with online. In the end, it’s a title that needs more attention than it received since, most likely, it’ll be forgotten by the end of the year. 3/5
Live Informant #2 is continued on the next page:
