The Controls are a 4 button interface. Before you get all up in arms about that, hear me out. It is a 4 button interface but with a small screen and no physical control pad to play with, what did you expect? With this control scheme we get one button to punch, one button to kick, one for special and one for focus attacks. You don’t have to worry about complex button combos, for example to do a Hadouken all you have to is tap the “special” button. This simplicity adds an inadvertent awesome factor do the game, Instead of fumbling with the controls to try and get the upper hand on your opponent, you instead just have to worry about perfect timing.

The Graphics. We are talking good old fashioned Digitized goodness. Street Fighter iPhone uses sprite animation but still maintains that 3D model feel. For being sprites, the animation is seamless. The Ultra Combo mini cut scenes are still 3D which translate very well onto the small screen. As far as the back drops that you’re fighting on, they are all from the original console version. The only downer is that they are as stagnant as a green puddle of water in an empty backyard pool. Ooooo that was a bad joke and I apologize for that, It’s understandable that the iPhone has its limitations but when it comes to the environments in the game, there is no background movement what so ever. It actually feels like I’m fighting on a panoramic photoshop background. Besides the stagnant backgrounds, Street Fighter 4 on the Iphone for lack of a better word, looks great.

Street Fighter 4′s character roster is the classic 8 character line up, minus the Russian wrestler. Instead of Zangief we get Abel, We still get Ryu, Ken, Chun-li, Blanka, Dhalsim, Guile, M. Bison. For all you Sagat, Vega, E-Honda and Balrog fans, they are MIA, that’s a good thing. Yes I hate those spammer characters. I cant understand why there is no Cammy. At least give me Akuma. I do hope they add them in an update or something.

Game play is solid. iPhone Street Fighter offers the standard game modes, Tournament is the Single Player experience with a little added twist. The game actually challenges you to complete it in the fastest time possible, if you’re quick enough you get treated to an awesome cut scene from Super Street Fighter 4 where Chun-Li and the British stinger Cammy are fighting Juri. Its a real treat for anyone excited for the new game. You can practice up your skills or if you just want to get used to the control scheme you can hop in the Dojo. There is a multiplayer option but it has no online, instead we get a Bluetooth option. C’mon Capcom COD Zombies gave us online co-op, it can be done! On a positive note the Blue tooth has practically no lag. Since you pretty much are playing right next to each other it comes to be expected. Side by side Multiplayer takes me back to when I would have friends over to play Street Fighter 2, Its a trash talk fest for the nostalgic.

All in all Street Fighter iPhone is a solid game for any fan of the franchise. It is one of those App store gems that deserves a strong following in hope that more updates can come along. A few minor complaints should not deter anyone from enjoying a Street Fighter you can play on the crapper.  Just next time Capcom give me more characters and online.

Serious Sam: The First Encounter didn’t push any boundaries when it was new, but it never intended to. In a time when most shooters are attempting to inject something new into the genre, there’s something oddly refreshing about a game that celebrates the simple. The term, “stupid fun” comes to mind. However, since Serious Sam HD has no original content, it’s only natural to question its value this holiday season.

Serious Sam HD is a throwback to a more simple philosophy of game design, but more specifically, it’s a throwback to a throwback. In its original form, it was essentially Doom, with better graphics, support for more co-op players, and even more ridiculous weapons. The game throws hordes of enemies at you, even on the “normal” difficulty level, making it both fun and challenging. The baddies are practically endless, and with no time to think, it’s all about reaction—this is the very definition of twitch gameplay.

The title screen makes the graphical overhall immediately apparent.

Those familiar with the franchise already know that there’s absolutely nothing serious about Serious Sam. The whole game is a parody of the FPS action that it recreates so well. Serious Sam’s “story” chronicles the life of Sam “Serious” Stone, who is sent back in time to prevent extraterrestrials from taking over the planet. The adventure begins in ancient Egypt, which makes up the setting for most of Serious Sam HD’s levels. This gets a little dry (sorry) and repetitive, but the game does divert from the desert setting briefly towards the middle of the campaign with levels like “Oasis.” Sam also packs an encyclopedia-like device known as NETRICSA (NEuro-TRonically Implanted Combat Situation Analyser) implanted in his brain, which allows you to look at detailed information about your enemies and weapons. If you even bother reading through any of this content, you’re in for a bit of a treat, as the game attempts to seriously describe the origins of its antagonists, as if you can seriously describe the origin of screaming headless suicide bombers.

If Serious Sam HD serves as a peak at what we might expect of Serious Sam 3, well, the future will be rendered in brilliant detail without sacrificing performance. This is a game that demonstrates its new technology handily at times, while being occasionally rough around the edges. Most of SSHD has received a glorious new coat of paint, but there are still some old assets poking around, and they harshly contrast with new models and textures. It’s also little disappointing that the sound effects haven’t been updated to match the new eye candy. Thankfully the retooled character models, textures, and lighting all look brilliant. Graphics are one of Sam’s new strengths, and you’re given a myriad of options to help control the performance on older machines, while a newer GPU will deliver a glorious sixty frames per second with all the details pumped up.

The NETRICSA gives you a serious insight into the "plot."

Now, for the bad news—Serious Sam HD is unfortunately missing some serious features. Croteam has yet to release a dedicated server for Serious Sam HD, which is surprising given the climate in which it was launched. Also absent is a versus multiplayer mode, limiting you to playing co-op online. Versus is not why I play Serious Sam, but deathmatch would be a nice addition, and it would at least serve to add the perception of additional value. The lack of dedicated servers presents a bigger issue, however, with 16 player co-op constantly desyncing. It’s been implied on the official forums that we’ll see these features added in the coming weeks. If we can expect that level of post-release support from Croteam, than they’ve seriously trying to compensate for a somewhat disappointing launch day.

This game is a lot more difficult to recommend than I had anticipated. Don’t get me wrong, I actually love it, but there are other variables to consider. Croteam has already announced the impending Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter, and frankly, it’s a bit disappointing that they didn’t combine the content from both releases into a single package. It’s easy to see the potential for a future bundle, which might make one wait for The Second Encounter. Sam is also going up against a typically stuffed holiday season, so it’s not like you wont have plenty to play if you decide to wait. Even at the budget price of $19.99, there are other downloadable goodies to consider.

Despite my hesitation in giving this my hands-down recommendation, it’s worth considering the following: the asking price is less than immense, and it’s seriously fun. It’s especially entertaining if you have a friend or two or fifteen to play co-op with. You really can’t go wrong with Serious Sam HD, especially if you’re new to the franchise, but it’s important that you recognize what you’re signing up for. So if you’re in for some stupid fun and old-school twitch madness, this is a game for you—just don’t expect more than a classic game with a fresh new look.

Serious Sam HD is currently available on Steam. Console versions should be coming “soon.”

-Bit. Trip: Beat (600 pts. for full game)

-Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord (1,000 pts. for full game)

-NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits (1,000 pts for full game)

-Pokemon Rumble (1,500 pts. for full game)

-World of Goo (1,500 pts. for full game)

This game needs to be in your collection!

So now that I got all the info about the downloads done, what are my picks for games you should check out?  First and foremost, NyxQuest is fantastic and totally worth the ten bucks.   Just a little time with the demo, and you will be hooked.  Unfortunately, the full game will only take you 3-5 hours to collect everything, but it’s like a nice,  healthy meal…short, sweet, and satisfying.  I like a game that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome or beat a dead horse, so be sure to give NyxQuest a download.  World of Goo is another fun game if you are into puzzles, and the quirky sense of humor will put a smile on anybodies face.   My last pick would have to be…Bit. Trip: Beat.  BTB has a unique control scheme (reminiscent of Pong), in which you must hit squares that go along with the music.  I hope as the weeks go on, we see more demo’s come out of the WiiWare service, so that people can realize there are some great games on the service.  “Word of mouth” has been really the only thing selling a lot of these titles, so it will be interesting to see a sudden spike in WiiWare sales in the coming weeks.

This game doesn’t bother with complicated mechanics, they just throw you in to the world, and want you to have fun.  The classes are simple; workers gather resources, mages cast offensive spells, priests can heal, warriors are your muscle, and rangers are used for long-range combat.  To change between classes, is as easy as putting on a hat, which I think anybody with ADD can appreciate.  The simplicity follows through with pretty much everything in the game, it never gets more complicated than just stealing your princess back and protecting her.  I found myself hopping into a few games with people who  knew what they were doing, and the matches lasted an extremely long time; it pretty much just felt like a stalemate.  While some matches dragged on, it was one of the most fun times i’ve had with a PSN title.

The cartoony graphics "belly" a deep message...get it?

They actually added a single player campaign in this mostly-multiplayer affair, but don’t get too excited, it’s very short.  How short you ask?  The story mode has six chapters, which you will probably beat in one sitting.   They really just threw the single player campaign in there to get you acquainted with the mechanics of the game.  For instance, in one Chapter you will have to take over outposts, while in another you are told to only capture the Princess.  Not a very compelling campaign, but I was glad I played through it and thought of some good strategies to use in multiplayer.  What little story there is will probably still make you laugh with its odd humor told by a proper British narrator.  After you finish the story mode, you can try your hand in the Gladiate Arena and see if you can last a number of rounds against waves of enemies.  The arena was kind of nice in between rounds of multiplayer, but nothing really special.  I guess for the most part, the single-player stuff feels kind of tacked on, but you will probably be spending most of your time playing online, anyways.

Besides the cutesy graphics, the most charming aspect of the game has to be the humor.  You can tell the developers at Titan Studios have a great sense of humor that shows even on the very fist menu.  When you boot up the game, you are asked to “Play with Others” or “Play with Yourself”…juvenile? Yes…funny?  Hell yeah!  I can recall the very first time I walked up to the enemy castle and spotted the princess, a text bubble popped up that said, “Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt!  She looks like one of those rap guy’s girlfriends.”  That’s not the only Sir-Mix-A-Lot reference, oh no, the credits play the entire song, while you kill the creators of the game…very creative.  I think the reason most people will be drawn towards the game is the art style as well, as the humor.  It reminds me very much of Happy Tree Friends in many ways, seeing a group of tiny soldiers turn into a giant red splotch.  To sum it up, the game feels like Animal Crossing meets Castle Crashers with its perfect blend of cutesy crap and immense pools of blood.

Now, I have raved about how accessible and funny Fat Princess is, but there are some major flaws that not even the trusty, worker class could fix.  A game like this really requires teamwork, without it, you will just spend most of the time running around the map like a chicken with your head cut off.  It’s a real shame the PS3 isn’t packaged with a microphone, since it makes the game much more enjoyable when you can coordinate a group of guys to raid the enemy castle.  Out of the number of games I hopped in, I found very few people with mics, and the sometimes the ones who did, wouldn’t even work as a team, it can become very frustrating.  Apart from a few issues with teamwork, I noticed a bit of lag in a few games, as well.  While the lag I encountered wasn’t game breaking by any means,  it was just a bit annoying.

Any closer and she'd be eating him. Think I'm joking? Don't say I didn't warn you.

Fat Princess is a bit pricey, weighing in at fifteen bucks; a somewhat hefty price for a core-multiplayer game…is it still worth a buy?  Absolutely!  I have never been a fan of games that were strictly multiplayer, and in fact the first few times I played this game, I really didn’t care for it.  The thing is, the humor, and the ease of which you can just hop in a game and start raiding a castle are what made the game slowly grow on me.  While the game may not be very deep, it really makes up for it with it’s fun factor.  For those worried about this game dying out sometime soon, fear not, this game is going to stay lively for quite some time.  They have new maps coming in the form of DLC (New Pork City is the first one coming out), and these new maps are going to add more longevity to an already solid experience.  Let your inner chubby chaser out and rescue your Fat Princess.

I'd be yellow too if I were in space without a suit, for a different reason however.

At its core the game has been left alone, thank the gaming gods for that one. we still get our side scrolling goodness that made us love the series way back in the day. Yes, there was a time when Sonic the Hedgehog was better than Super Mario. That’s right I said it.

The graphics are classic Genesis greatness, none of this HD fancy pantsy stuff. This is from a time when games relied on actual gameplay rather than the pizazz of graphics. The environments are large with more than one way to get from point A to point B, adding a lot of extra game time. The sprites are still from Sonic 3 but that’s ok, why fix something if it isn’t broken?  The sounds of yesteryear are here with a little added clarity. There is something about the chime of the rings that sends me to my warm and happy place.  Back in the day I used play games on a mono speaker TV, sad I know.  Now that I have full surround sound all the classics just sound awesome. Sorry got a little emotional there for a second, i’m just glad to see Sonic being so awesome again.

The gameplay is classic Sonic. Sonic and Knuckles uses the same engine as Sonic 3 with a few additions. In 1994 everything had to be updated to make Knuckles work in the Sonic universe. As we know he can glyde, climb at will and also run through certain block walls. This was a big deal back then but now, not so much. Sorry kiddies, you just had to be there to appreciate it.

Sonic and Knuckles has always been a solid game and the re-release of this great title promotes that statement even more, and it’s still a blast to play. What really makes this game so great on XBLA is that we also get Sonic 3 and Knuckles, Knuckles in Sonic 2, and Blue Sphere. This download is Achievement whore friendly. I earned 5 achievements in less than twenty minutes. If you’re a Sonic fan, this game should be in your virtual library. For 400 Microsoft points you can’t go wrong, especially when you’re given three other games to go with it. ‘Nuff said.

How boss was this toy? It's why I still get Kids Meals!

Transformers 2 The Game is actually quite fun…GOTCHA! Just like the movie you have to go in with the attitude that it will be full of mindless action and many WTF moments. The game sports two campaigns, Autobots and Decepticons. There isn’t much of a difference between the two stories. If you want to follow the “story” of the movie the Autobot campaign is the way to go. Unfortunately its a very boring one, I mean the awesome chase scene where Optimus Prime takes out Demolisher (the constructicon) is dumbed down to a lame arena style boss fight for special people, I almost stopped playing after that fight but for the for the review I had to be a trooper. Now it’s not all negativity, a good thing about the game is the fact that the Autobot Twins are missing in action. Thank God! Ok that was a little harsh but it had to be said.  The Decepticons fair a little better story wise but not by much, their boss battles are actually enjoyable, for example you take out the Autobots one at a time. Mission wise the game is almost identical, Where the Autobots  have and Escort Mission, The Decepticons have a Destroy the Escort Mission.

Graphics wise the game is okay. The environments are open but very bland. There isn’t much space to run around which means trouble for the flyers. I wish the game had a sense of speed for many reasons. When you play as Starscream it seems like his Jet form doesn’t go any faster than the regular cars. We all know a jet going 65 MPH is a crashed jet.  The robots on the other hand look awesome. Each time you start a level you are treated to a crane shot of your character for that extra bit of eye candy.

Multiplayer is where this game shines. Its Autobots Vs Decepticons at its best. The best mode is Team Deathmatch of course. Each character has their own special ability for team support. Ratchet has heals, Optimus Prime has “valiant leader” that turns him into solid gold, etc. This adds strategy and extra play time to the game and it looks like the developers worried more about this part of the game than the single player. Everything that was flawed in single player is improved in multiplayer. Bigger environments, more Robots, and hours of fun.

Now to the real reason im doing the review. The DLC! I haven’t been excited for Downloadable Content in a long time (not even for the Mythic Map pack from Halo 3) but this one had my attention from the start.  The DLC has given us Transformers fans what we wanted, G1 robots! The list of characters is extensive: G1 Megatron, G1 Starscream, G1Optimus Prime, Movie Soundwave, Movie Sideswipe. The list goes on. Movie Soundwave is awesome. He actually comes with Lazer Beak and Rumble as “special abilities” which gave me a nerdgasm to the max. All the G1 characters add a well needed fan service but they don’t change the gameplay to much. Either way its still a lot of fun. If  they can do G1 characters in 3D and make them look this good it makes me wonder, WHERE IS MY G1 GAME ALREADY?! The DLC will run you 800 microsoft points and it’s worth every virtual penny. If you’re a Transformer fan you must have this DLC!

Transformers 2 The Game isn’t the worse thing I’ve played but there is a lot of room for improvement for part 3. For example, give as much attention to the single player as they did for the Multiplayer, maybe add the G1 bots right away. If you end up buying this game, make sure you get the DLC and only play Multiplayer. At least give it a rental for the Autobots vs Decepticons mode.

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SimonM7: Chair Entertainment (sounds less comfy than Couch Campus), archeologists extraordinare, have dug up the remnants of a long lost design concept and have crafted their own modern XBLA take on old sensibilities. Not without adding a few decidedly modern twists I shall stress, as without the analog, twin stick aiming, Shadow Complex wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying to play. But that is still largely its appeal in a nutshell. The Metroid style setup puts the satisfaction of powering up and progressing above all else, and the tame storyline – though penned by a “real author” – is every bit as arbitrary as it ends up feeling. Cast into the role as normal dude Jason Fleming you soon find yourself waist deep in top secret government shenanigans in an underground – shadowy as it were – complex. The path ahead is littered with secret areas, weapons, ammo upgrades, health upgrades and the acquiring of an ability granting power suit. Despite being played almost exclusively on a 2D plane, it’s not uncommon for enemies to appear further into the screen and even occasionally in the foreground. In these cases Jason will aim accordingly and you’ll dispatch them as if they were simply larger or smaller enemies. It’s a very nice play on perspective, and even though it occasionally takes you out of the “2D realism” of a game like this, it is for the most part expertly handled and gives a welcome illusion of depth while playing a surprisingly significant role in a number of encounters. But it is in marrying all these elements with bits and bobs from everything from Flashback and Blackthorne to modern day Prince of Persia and Uncharted, all the while drawing potent creative power from the limitations of a game played from the 2D perspective that Shadow Complex becomes such a great success. On the surface it appears a bit plain and charmless – and it’s certainly guilty of those vices from a presentation standpoint – but the game underneath is one I believe people will, in time, be comfortable mentioning along the genre’s best.

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Phaethon: This game looked boring. I won’t lie. I had no interest in this whatsoever. I can thank an intervention from my friends on XBL for turning me onto this however. I slowly but surely started track after track, and I had no idea how much fun I was having until I realized I couldn’t put it down. Don’t let the motorcycle fool you, this is a platformer. The most realistic, physics based platformer ever. In Trials HD You traverse a myriad of obstacles that don’t look challenging at first, until you realize that everything in the world behaves like it’s supposed to. Your bike responds to your weight, the objects respond to your bike, and the exploding barrels respond to the objects. I thought I knew what hard was. This game is challenging, frustratingly though. But it’s that little glimmer of hope and your hatred that swells for your friends above you in the leaderboard that push you to get the best score. Then you manage to look at the real leaderboard and feel pathetic. Still, this game has enough tracks on varying difficulty and mini-games to make this the best $15 I’ve spent all year. Just make sure to keep a swear jar handy. Tell your friends and neighbors you have Tourette’s.

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Pipomantis: Okay, so nobody told me that this year, Summer of Arcade was in fact “Summer of Old School Games gone HD”. Shadow Complex was a brilliant HD Metroid, Marvel vs Capcom 2 was… well it was an HD MvC2 and then we have Splosion Man. Splosion man is on hell of a good die and retry platformer, it’s like Out of this World made a baby with… let’s say… a cocaine-filled Prince of Persia? Yes it would be something like that. All along the levels of Splosion man, you’ll have to make your way through a shitload of deadly traps, mechanisms and really hard platforming sets. This is in fact a really classic game, but it is so well-conceived, so polished, that you HAVE to like it. Every level tries to bring something new to the core gameplay, the design is plain awesome (you have to watch the hero running, trying to mimic a plane, hilarious), the music is fantastic and the boss battles, even if quite classic, are real pure fun. It might not be the greatest game of all time, but it is seriously one of 2009′s best platformers. Wait, when was Braid released? 2008? Ok, so yes it is.

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Axel: “I’m going to take you for a ride!” YES!! Those lyrics can only mean one thing! Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is back and ready for action! Being a fighting game freak and already owning two different copies of the game (Dreamcast and PS2) you can say that I was pretty excited to see MVC2 was being released on Xbox Live and PSN. I went and downloaded it for XBLA (Duh Summer of XBLA). This game hasn’t changed a bit, and that’s a good thing….OK maybe it has changed a bit, now it has Online support, welcome to anonymous pwnage via headset and avatars. As far as balancing goes nothing has changed. Desperate scrubs will pick Sentinel, Ice man (no chip damage from blocking), or Magneto for the easy win (sometimes that’s the team, other times atleast one will be on it). Cleaner sprites are a welcome change, and the controls are a little better (talking about the 360 controller, that’s saying a lot.) For a game that hasn’t changed much however, 1200 Microsoft points is a little much, but if you’re a fighting game freak, let this one “Take you for a ride.” Just beware of the really cheap bastards that use the above mentioned characters.

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Domstercool: Everybody loved the Turtles back in the early 90s. Just like everything popular, it spawned numerous toys and films and even some very well made video games. One of these was Konami’s TMNT: Turtles in Time, an arcade game that was later ported to the SNES with bonus features. Turtles in Time was a highly praised scrolling beat-em-up with great music, graphics and even a mode 7 hover board level, which was excellent. Since the TMNT license belongs to Ubisoft now and their numerous attempts to make a great Turtles game have failed, they’ve decided remake the classic for the HD generation. But this remake doesn’t do the original justice, oh no… it butchers it. I am a huge fan of the SNES version so I was looking forward to playing the remake. For starters though. This version is a port of the arcade version, which means it has a missing level, and the original bosses included, rather than the remixed bosses in the SNES version. It just goes downhill from there. The music isn’t nearly as joyful and catchy as the original tunes, just check out these differences with the SNES sewer surfing and the remake version. The original wasn’t much of a challenge and this re-shelled version is the same, but is also a total spam fest. You can simply attack constantly, there’s no break up between the combos. The original had an animation to stop this, adding a short pause.  This remake just has your turtle slashing all over the place. Re-shelled looks decent, if a little plain, but all the charisma is lost with the blandness of the characters. They simply don’t have that charm that was with the original game. TMNT Re-Shelled is the story of a remake that feels like it was simply created to cash in. It’s only worth a purchase for serious fans of the genre and even then they’ll be disappointed. It seems Ubisoft just can’t make a good turtles game, no matter the source.

This post was written by writers from the following:

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For those who haven’t come across it before, the Xbox Live Indie Games channel is where games created by independent developers can be uploaded and sold on Marketplace. So far, members of the XNA Creators Club community have uploaded nearly 400 games since November last year. Whilst you would expect a wide spread in terms of quality when the majority of games are developed by students or hobbyists with little to no money to spend; some of the games are true labours of love and hidden gems do exist. It’s a great place to find something different. In no particular order, here are a few that I liked at the lowest 80 MSP price point;-

Like Live Arcade games, every game has a demo (usually a timed one) so you can try all of these out without purchasing.

Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp

Originally a Nintendo DS homebrew release created in a spare week of student Craig Forrester’s free time,  Johnny Platform’s Biscuit Romp is a delightful 2D puzzle-platformer comprising of 55 increasingly challenging levels. Whilst the difficulty ramps up quite quickly, the game’s fundamental rules are never broken. Collect coffee mugs to garner extra lives, jump on enemies heads and open the door to the next level. As simple as it sounds, the consistent and well thought out design makes for fun platforming and the retro graphics lend it a unique charm. Bourbon’s (the king of all biscuits) which double as collapsing platforms, floating battenbourgs and rolling cookies around are combine to create some complex rooms that will require both thought to navigate as well as some pixel perfect jumping. Seasoned platform fans will find this a short but sweet experience. Recently reduced from 200 points, this is an absolute steal.

Download trial version (Xbox.com)

Ladybird Galaxy

Easily mistaken to be a twin stick shooter on first appearance, Ladybird Galaxy is more aptly described as a “collect ‘em up”. The gameplay itself is pretty basic;  navigate your spaceship around the screen collecting gems whilst avoiding the ladybirds enemies. Picking up the stars dotted around provide a temporary speed boost (at the cost of harder steering) and increment a multiplier which can then be stacked by picking up another star. The idea being to plan your route accordingly to bag the most points.  Occasionally a killer ‘line’ will sweep the screen which needs avoiding or a shooting star allowing the player to fire bullets if picked up but in terms of gameplay that’s more or less it.

Perhaps lacking a bit of depth, the controls also take some getting used to  but for me the presentation and particle effects make it quite nice to look at whilst you do and I found myself playing it for a fair while. It’s easily one of the best games on the service for younger players. As it supports immediate drop in co-op/multiplayer for up to 4 people you get a really polished effort and a lot of bang for your buck in terms of a game to play with your family.  Another game recently reduced from the arguably harder sale 200 point level, it’s well worth checking out at 80.

Download trial version (Xbox.com)

Totem

Totem is another game with a high level of polish in terms of gameplay, graphics & presentation. Even rivaling that of similar puzzle titles on it’s big brother XBLA. For once not a “match-3″ puzzler, Totem simply has you swap round segments of totem poles in order to destroy the totem bases. Whilst a simple concept, it can get quite tricky when the number of stacks increases towards the maximum of seven. Though the woeful explanation of controls doesn’t make this clear, there are also special items to be earned to get you out of a sticky patch and as the game goes on, you will need them.  This minor quibble asides, the presentation is flawless and the core mechanics solid. A 28 level adventure mode together with boss battles to accompany the usual survival mode ensures you get a unique puzzle game and good value for your 80 MSP.

Download trial version (Xbox.com)

Hieronymus Bash

The best way to describe this would be Super Smash Bros meets dodgeball. What immediately grabs you about this game is the quirky and humorous line drawn graphics. Pledge your allegiance to either the Angels or Devils and prepare to do battle in arenas themed on Eden, Heaven or Hell. The dodgeballs you pick up are actually human souls(!) which are thrown & caught using the right trigger and left thumbstick. Hitting an opponent three times makes you “deadly” and able to take another player out if you hit them with your next shot though even if you do, they can still interfere with the game as a “ghost” and help your remaining team mate.

The wacky theme soon extends to the gameplay which quickly gets pretty riotous. Getting any good at hitting people will take some time but the action is entertaining once mastered and is a blast with four people. The developers excellent decision to go back and put in some very serviceable bots post release makes it worth while picking this up even to play on your own at the price.

Download trial version (Xbox.com)

Zoomaroom

Inspired by the likes of N+ and Marble Blast Ultra, Zoomaroom is a physics based platformer with some quite clever puzzles. That your character is actually a monkey with a sphere for a body belies it’s wacky charm and the driving force that momentum is to the gameplay. Compared to the other platformers in this article, the controls are floaty and imprecise so you can expect to be restarting a few times. The saving graces though are numerous. In most cases, the level design is excellent and the game comes with an inbuilt editor to create & share your own (though there is rarely another player on line to do with with admittedly.) More importantly for a game that features a lot of trial and error, the checkpoints are generous and restarting is very quick. Challenges have a high degree of variety involving several different types of pick ups which need to be used together in later levels.

Compared to another physics based platformer on the service, the acclaimed Carneyvale: Showtime this is certainly lacking in a couple of areas but it is also one fifth of the price and I was compelled to hit the purchase button after just a few levels. There is certainly plenty of challenge in the initial 70 rooms to keep a dedicated player occupied for a fair old time.

Download trial version (Xbox.com)

Honourable Mentions

In the course of this review, there were several equally decent games available for 80 MSP which whilst I didn’t feel compelled to purchase are certainly solid enough to interest some people. Here’s a a brief selection;-

Bomb Disposal Expert – A very polished version of the popular child’s toy Simon. The mission based story mode still kept me amused for a while.

Being – Another platformer that is basic but has a certain charm to it and is certainly fun to play.

(sin)Surfing – A graduate of the TIGS Procedural generation competition, this is a fun little toy which can be consumed wholly within the trial period making a purchase hard to recommend. Well worth a look mind.

NextWar: The Quest for Earth – Whilst in my opinion, Xbox Live doesn’t have a tower defense game to rival Pixeljunk monsters this is a solid, if a little basic take on the popular genre well presented with neon vector graphics.

Shed – A great little card game I remember from my teens. Featuring AI bots and online multiplayer, this is a very well implemented variant which is both relaxing to play and compares well to XBLA’s Uno. The lack of a viable online pool of friends to play with was the only thing that held me back but it would be great if you can convince your friends.

bricks4ever - An excellent Arkanoid clone that compares especially well to the full release on XBLA. There’s a lot of bang for your buck at 80 points in comparison and I personally bought it for research. Occasionally has slightly odd ball physics but it’s the best of many similar clones on the service.

Want more?

The Xbox dashboard is a great place to start now it has a “Top Rated” section for Indie games but unfortunately, this does not allow selection by price point. Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of Xbox MVP Nick Gravelyn’s XboxIndies.com which answered the XNA community’s cry for game ratings before Microsoft got round to it. In the coming weeks, we’ll post another five selections for the other price points but in the meantime, feel free to let us know in the comments any great 80 MSP titles we missed.

Air Sharing (Lite)

This was something I needed at the time, and it wasn’t at all the failure of the program. It worked exactly as advertised. I set up my iPod Touch as a portable web drive (wtf is that?!) and used a little .dll or something called Bonjour (it still shows up in Task Manager sometimes…should I be worried?) I used it primarily to transfer .pdf and .doc files to my Touch to read while I was away from my PC (for numerous reasons). The files got there fine and dandy, but the iPod has a terrible interface for reading. Later on with an update, transferring files of around 2mb total got ridiculously slow. I’m not sure what happened. Global warming or it stopped being free. *rimshot*

Aurora Feint II (Lite)

I played the original without too many RPG elements. I never delved into it much beyond rotate the device, move blocks together and get bonuses. I didn’t even know what to do with the points after you cleared a stage! I didn’t care. I still don’t. So all this stuff they’ve added into with social networking, score posting, and whatever bores the crap outta me. The original game wasn’t too engaging to begin with. I was just bored and it managed to capitalize on the fact that I didn’t really feel like searching for something better.

ESPN Sports Center (FREE)

I used this during the NBA Playoffs. It was nice to be able to see the players stats without breaking away from the game action. Oh, not watching the game on the iTouch, just looking down at the screen. That’ll teach ABC to show all that stats and junk on the screen while I’m watching! I’ll look down not up! Hoping to get a lot of use from this when Football season starts. I mean real football.

Facebook (FREE)

I think this came with the iPod Touch? I don’t know, but I’ve used this twice. Nothing against Facebook…it’s just full of so much junk, and ads. It’s like a Bazaar of feet. It’s stinky now.

Fandango (FREE)

I’ve yet to be in a situation when I have wifi but not a computer and have the need to search for tickets. Although theoretically I could be lazy at the couch and see a trailer for a movie I want to see and want to check showtimes. Hasn’t happened yet. But it may happen.

Flashlight (FREE)

I used this when the power went out in my apartment and I was on the crapper. Saved my life. They should make a version that acts as a blacklight. I’m just joking, that’d be awesome…and gross.

Flight Control ($.99)

Worth the price for when you’re bored and in a seated position. Not really good if you’re not in a calm state. My highest score is 38. You have to guide planes to different runways and landing zones without them hitting each other. You draw a path for them and hope that nothing obstructs it. They’re so slow though…So slow.

IQ Test (FREE)

Something tells me everyone scores abnormally high on this. Or maybe – ZOMG! I’m teh genius! It was one of those apps you download while on the crapper. It was off before the flush.

i. TV (FREE)

I used this when I had Comcrap at my old apartment and wanted to know what was on. I miss having digital cable and DVR, but it substituted nicely. There’s just no need for it now. If they added video clips, summaries and a planner it might be worth the download. As of now its very basic. I’d hate to see it need a pay version for those simple additions.

Ice Road Truckers (Lite)

I don’t know what this game has to do with carrying loads of mining equipment to drilling stations in Alaska. I just know it’s ridiculous hard. It started off well enough, but then I guess I hit the ice. Ridiculousness. If it was this hard to actual be an Ice Road Trucker, I’m pretty sure even they’d give up.

iSlots (Lite)

I got this and started getting hooked. It’s SO simple yet so addicting. I got up to around $5,000 and lost it all. For any other recovering gamblers, give this a shot before heading back to the slots.

Leroy Smith’s iMotivator (FREE)

I don’t know why this is still on here. It’s funny for the first few minutes though. Charlie Murphy needs his own show. Like, now. He’s the Michael Jordan of motivating Michael Jordan!

Lightsaber Unleashed (FREE)

This is the coolest app ever – for thirty seconds. Don’t deprive yourself your 30 seconds of bliss. Grab it now.

Paper Toss (FREE)

The best iPod Touch game ever. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s free awesomeness. I’m the current regional champion by the way. Twenty shots in a row on medium. Beat that. Three in a row on hard. Beat that! Only four in a row on easy…how?

Peggle ($.99)

I have it on my PC, I have it on my DS, and now I have it on my iPod Touch. The only way to get Peggle while on the toilet better than this is a series of mirrors and wireless mouse. At this price I couldn’t say no. For the same price as a colonoscopy from Taco Bell (or ten cents more I forget) you could have Peggle on your iPod!

Bit. Trip creators, GaijinGames, seems to really know what gamers want…variety.  Core  plays nothing like Beat, and that has me extremely excited to check out the new mechanics.  With the earlier game playing more like an old-school gem, this new title looks to be a bit more complicated.  Watching the video you will notice that there is no longer a paddle you control and that the player is now a cross in the middle of the screen.  The object is to shoot a beam either up,down, left or right, to stop the blocks…so essentially the same premise, but new mechanics.  Either way, it looks to be as challenging, if not more so than its predecessor.

You can purchase Bit. Trip Beat in the Wii Shop Channel right now for 600 points.  I highly recommend checking it out to see if this type of gameplay is for you, because it is something that many people may find too brutal.  With Beat, I really like that there are boss battles at the end each level, and was interesting and different, so I am interested in seeing how the new gameplay mechanics work with boss battles in Core.   This is a series that I hope catches on to the masses and the team works on even more games in the series.  Since gameplay videos were just released, I am not expecting to see the game for quite a few months, but expect a review on day one, because I have really high hopes for the title, and can’t wait to get my hands on it.