Blogcritics

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Commanders: Attack of the Genos

Brian Szabelski — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 14:57:20 EDT

It's a lot like Advance Wars. That's not exactly a good thing.
The Xbox 360 isn’t quite the home of the turn-based strategy game, but there are a few offerings on Microsoft’s current-generation console. One of those is Commanders: Attack of the Genos, an Xbox Live Arcade title that puts you at the helm of defeating the threatening Geno forces. Unfortunately, though, Commanders does just enough to...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Poker Smash

Brian Szabelski — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 06:44:36 EST

Thee guys. One game. One hell of an effort.
Of all the games on Xbox Live, few may be more impressive than Poker Smash, for quite a few reasons. It's not only fun, but the story behind the game is quite remarkable.The game's developer, Void Star Creations, is made up of three guys. On a limited budget. That only makes what they've pulled off all the more impressive.The game itself plays...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Rez HD

Brian Szabelski — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:37:19 EST

Trippy, trendy, terrific.
If you listened to any Multiplayer Chats over the past month or two, I made constant jokes about Rez HD's rumble compatibility leading to a shortage of wireless Xbox 360 controllers just about every time the game was brought up. Even with all the improvements, Rez HD still feels like it did when it first came out on the Dreamcast and PS2 -...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Undertow

Brian Szabelski — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 02:33:13 EST

Good, with plenty of potential, but not great.
When Xbox Live started screwing up, Microsoft decided to make it up to everyone with a free game, which turned out to be Undertow. Most people weren't satisfied, either because they wanted a better game or because it wasn't enough. Well Xbox Live is still on the fritz from time to time, but what of Undertow? Is it any good?Undertow's main controls...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Omega Five

Brian Szabelski — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 01:43:43 EST

Not the super-long game fans of this genre were looking for, but still a fun, good looking Xbox Live Arcade title.
Omega Five isn't quite sure what it is. It's trapped between being a straight-up shoot 'em up and a bullet hell game and isn't exactly sure what it wants to be. At times, you'll be dodging or deflecting bullets on the screen, while other times will feel more traditional as you destroy waves of enemies. If there's anything that's obvious about Omega...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Rez HD

Andrew Ogier — Sat, 2 Feb 2008 20:19:50 EST

I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer.
One of the most criminally over-looked games of this century to date has just been released to a whole new audience on Xbox Live Arcade.Rez HD is an enhanced Hi-Def Widescreen version of the classic Rez, released in 2001 for Dreamcast and Playstation 2. Created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (now best known for Lumines and Meteos), Rez was his first, and in...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Carcassonne

Brian Szabelski — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 10:34:41 EST

Board Game + Xbox Live = More fun than you might think.
Xbox Live Arcade has long been home to a number of great titles, both old and new, that are well worth the price of admission. Games like Pac-Man Championship Edition, Puzzle Quest, Geometry Wars and Alien Hominid HD are among the great games you can find on the service… but can a digital board game make this list as well?The answer is a...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords

Brian Szabelski — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:45:19 EST

One of the best titles on Xbox Live Arcade right now.
Normally, when you take a well-known game and try to combine elements of other games with it... it doesn't end well. Most of the times, the new elements overshadow what the original game was all about, and it's just kind of lame.But for some reason, Puzzle Quest is one of those games, and it works. I don't know why I should be getting excited for a...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Puzzle Quest

Matt Paprocki — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:17:36 EDT

You'll buy it knowing you'll soon be addict. That's value.
It's not hard to imagine the first meeting that eventually spawned the idea for Puzzle Quest. Phil: "Guys, I have an idea. Let's mix Bejeweled with an RPG!"Everyone in unison: "Phil, you're fired."While its idea is absurd, the actual execution is undeniably addictive. Turning a PopCap classic into a turn based combat game, this becomes the best...

Xbox Live Arcade Review: Yaris

Matt Paprocki — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:33:26 EDT

I now now formally pledge pledge to never look at a Toyota product when looking for a vehicle.
So, you're a car company with a new product. It's a cute compact car, cheap enough to reach the masses, but you can't figure out how to get the message out to them. Your marketing team has an idea though: Slap it into a free video game and let gamers test drive it. What kind of game do you make? An accurate, Gran Turismo styled experience to better...