Xbox Live Arcade Reviews:
Defense Grid: The Awakening (800 MS Points) - As a tower defense game, Defense Grid: The Awakening does brilliant job at separating itself from the rest of the pack. At the price-point of only 800 Microsoft Points, Defense Grid is a steal due to its addictive nature. If players have never played a tower defense game, well, the name of the genre is self-explanatory; players must protect an object (which, in this case, is a power core) and, of course, stop the opposition from obtaining it. To aide in protection, players will build and upgrade their defense towers with a variety of weapons to bust some alien butt. What makes Defense Grid so special is the tension that is built up throughout each level that should have gamers on the edge of their seats. After surviving each enemy wave, players will be wiping the sweat off their brow and preparing for the next onslaught. This is why Defense Grid is such a special addition to the tower defense genre and why Xbox Live gamers should give it a try before writing it off and heading back to their free tower defense games on their PC.
4/5
Shadow Complex (1200 MS Points) - Created by Chair Entertainment, Shadow Complex is, without a doubt, one of the best Xbox Live Arcade titles to date. Resembling the classic 2D side-scrollers such as Contra, Castlevania and Metroid, Shadow Complex is a brilliant title that has a tremendous amount of replay value through multiple playthroughs to find every hidden item, level up their hero, and complete all the challenges called “Proving Grounds.” Utilizing the Unreal Engine 3.0, Shadow Complex bends the genre with its 2.5D format that allows gamers to interact with a 3D environment in unique ways. After a player’s first completion of the story, they will undoubtedly head back into the story to try and beat their runtime over and over again. Shadow Complex is a bonafide classic that should be looked upon in the future as one of the greats from this decade. 5/5
Trials HD (1200 Microsoft Points) - The best way I can describe Trials HD to the old-school gaming audience is to think of a merger of the Burnout series with the classic NES title, Excitebike. Players are tasked to reach the end of the 2D level by overcoming dangerous obstacles and performing outrageous stunts. Showcasing 3D graphics on a 2D plane, Trials HD is an addiction that gamers will not want to quit. The first time a player crashes into the wall and dies is the first time they’ll realize how entertaining Trials HD can be. The evolution of Trials HD from its free flash iterations on the PC is easy to see upon the start of the game. The graphics, effects and physics lend to why Trials HD will have people laughing out loud at parties as they try to solve the puzzles to reach the end of the levels. 4/5
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (1200 Microsoft Points) - If there’s one thing that is sacred in the video game industry, it would be the LucasArts catalogue of adventure games. Among the various wonderful titles developed by the studio when it still had prestige was The Secret of Monkey Island. As one of the quirkiest and funniest adventures still to date, LucasArts went ahead and remade the classic for the Xbox Live Arcade with enhancements such as new character art and environments, re-mastered score and the addition of voice-acting. Fanatics of the traditional game should fret not about their blessed adventure title being stomped on as LucasArts went ahead and provided the ability to play the original with its MIDI soundtrack and old look at anytime. 4.5/5
Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers (800 MS Points) - This is an incredible addition to the Xbox Live Arcade due to that it’s geared towards gamers who have never played the famous card game and has enough depth for hardcore fans to enjoy. Duels of the Planeswalkers is an excellent way to introduce a friend or a family member to the extremely popular card game since there’s a slow-paced tutorial that helps guides players to learn the tricks of the trade in no time. The one thing that Duels of the Planeswalkers doesn’t offer is a variety of customization for hardcore fans to play to their own liking. Strictly as a card game, players aren’t provided any 3D representations of the battles going down in real-time, so the monster battles still have to occur in the imagination of the gamer. As a game in general, Duels of the Planewalkers is a great starting point that Stainless Games and Wizards of the Coast can continue forward with and introduce elements that hardcore fans will surely enjoy down the road. 3.5/5
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