Weird.

That's all of an intro you need to describe Yaris, a game that tries to mix racing and shoot 'em ups together in some kind of crazy hybrid game. I generally have a soft spot in my heart for these kind of oddball games, but Yaris somehow left me scratching my head.

The game basically puts you in the seat of a Toyota Yaris that you can upgrade, with shields and a laser on the front. You can pick up other weapons along the way, and some of them aren't too bad, but switching between weapons can sometimes be a pain.

The shooting parts of the game aren't the problem. No, it's the fact that you're having to drive, too, stuck in a tube, always moving forward - just like those old bonus stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Except instead of rings, you're shooting enemies and collecting the coins you need to pay for those shiny new upgrades to your Yaris. This makes things quite hectic at times, and having to both steer with one analog stick and aim your shots with the other can cause issues, even with experienced gamers.

The game is pretty bland graphically, as it looks more like a quick online Flash title than a polished Xbox Live Arcade game. Then again, there are plenty of other games that fall into this category, too. The sound department could also use a bit of an upgrade, as well. There are online modes, too, but really... are we ever going to use them? I doubt it.

Yes, Yaris is free, but I suspect most Xbox 360 owners will hate this game to death because it's not great. Even I have had a hard time with this title and have become frustrated with it, and I love these quirky types of games! It's nowhere near the quality of Burger King's amazing trio of Xbox games, but it'll hopefully be a shining example to all other companies wanting to make Xbox Live games that quality does matter. A lot.

Pros: If you like weird games that break the rules, well you're in luck. It's free, too.

Cons: Controls are very sketchy. Things kind of get boring fast. Online is pretty much useless.

Yaris is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB for Cartoon Violence.