Archive for April, 2009

Colosseum Demo (360)

A community game. Yes, another one. This one looks nice, with some stylish (if slightly unclear) cel-shaded graphics, but the trial just said, “I’m a fairly dull third-person brawler that you probably wouldn’t give the time of day to on Live Arcade itself.” It’s pretty, it seems to work and I was a little bit annoyed when the trial ended, but I didn’t feel much like trying it again.

Honestly, it might be more interesting than it seems. The time limit on community games is a real problem, I think. You just don’t get long enough to make up your mind about a game, especially if there’s a long tutorial at the beginning.

My Brute (Web)

It’s the new sensation that’s sweeping the Internet nation!

FIGHT ME!

Artoon Demo (360)

Remember Bounder? Well, this isn’t much like it, but you do control a bouncing ball. I’m sure there’s a better comparison, but I can’t think of it right now. Anyway, you bounce around changing the colour of tiles until the exit opens, then you bounce on over there.

There’s a good multiplier system and, most excellently, every level has a completely different visual style (the middle level on the second tier, after the tutorial has an especially clever hook)… but, but, but I didn’t like the controls as much I felt I should. The ball weighs more than I’m comfortable with, or something. It just didn’t feel quite right to me. Maybe that would come in time, but right now it feels like I’d pay 200 points for it, but not the 400 points being asked. (Though, given the amount of love that’s obviously gone into the game, 400 points is completely fair – it’s just a bit too much for me.

Supercow Demo (360)

Incredibly colourful, finely-detailed graphics. The graphics are so finally-detailed, in fact, that it’s actually quite hard to see what’s going. I think that may be intentional, though, with enemies placed in amongst the undergrowth, requiring more quick visual processing than controller reflexes. Underneath it all, it seems to be a standard 2D platformer that harks back to the 16-bit days, where all but about three games were exactly the same as this.

There doesn’t seem to be a guide to the controls anywhere in the game, so if you can use any super powers (apart from jumping on enemies to kill them, which admittedly is pretty super for a cow) I couldn’t find them.

I doubt I’ll ever buy it, but it’s worth a look.

Weapon of Choice Demo (360)

Last night was community games night for me on the 360. Weapon of Choice I’ve played before, I remember it fun but amazingly ugly. I don’t know if it’s because I was expecting it, but it looked less ugly last night, but is just as fun as I remember. Like Contra, but not stupidly hard and therefore, for me at least, better. Lots of nice touches, especially the way the game slows down when you’re close to being hit, allowing you to get out of the way… most of the time.

A possible purchase somewhere down the line, for sure.