Verdict: Sorta Fun
In a Nutshell: A swinging remake of an old action platformer.
“Bionic Commando is back, now on the Xbox 360 [PS3 and PC], 20 years after the NES classic was initially released. And returning with it is the swinging bionic arm game mechanic that made it so popular and critically acclaimed. Bionic Commando makes the move to 3D, and gamers will be able to grapple, swing, and scale a giant environment filled with buildings, canyons, and more.”
Verdict: it’s a dud
In a Nutshell: A mediocre new take on a classic Windows puzzle game.
“Minesweeper has come a long way since the days of the 9 X 9 grid! In Minesweeper Flags, you can choose to play the classic grid game if you like, but if you’re looking for real action, check out our Flags mode where you must secure the mines instead of avoiding them. Minesweeper Flags also delivers exciting multiplayer action for up to four players, deep stats to track your rankings, ratings and true skill score, fun new achievements and an all-new action packed single player campaign mode. This is Minesweeper Xbox 360 style!”
Verdict: squintiful
In a Nutshell: Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos is a collection hidden object games tied together with an international dective/spy theme.
“Track down the evil and destructive fugitive Dr. Chaos, as you hunt down clues in the exciting seek and find game Interpol: The Trail of Dr. Chaos. As an elite agent for Interpol, it is your mission to eradicate his trail of corruption as it takes you around the world from one international city to the next. Use your investigative skills to quickly gather the evidence needed to bring him to justice.”
Verdict: adorable
In a Nutshell: The Maw is a third-person perspective action game about an alien and his side-kick who eats everything possible.
“The pinnacle of alien evolution, Maw is a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging. He can, however, absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and can grow to unlimited size. If he wasn’t a danger to all life in the universe, he’d make the perfect pet. In this action/adventure game, he’s the best friend of our hero Frank, and only by working together can Maw eat their way to freedom. The Maw was honored with the Audience Choice Award in the 2008 PAX-10 showcase of independent games, and is a finalist at this year’s Independent Games Festival for Technical Excellence.”
Verdict: Steampunktastic!
In a Nutshell: This is an action/adventure meets RPG, third-person perspective game with turn-based combat about evil gods, robots that ravage tree-based produce, and those that would stop the nefarious ways of both.
“Whether you’re a fan of the first installment or new to the series, you’ll be able to pick up and play Episode Two as a standalone experience. This time, armed with a new gardening implement and witty repartee, you rejoin Gabe and Tycho in searching for more clues and another place to live.
Explore new areas, combat bigger, badder and stranger enemies, solve even more puzzles and move one step closer to unraveling the mystery hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia.”
Verdict: Arcade-tastic!
In a Nutshell: Schiziod is a “gobble-em-up” classic and needs to be in a stand up machine in your local arcade or convenience store where you and your friend can vie for top co-op place with Slushies at your side.
“Schizoid, the most co-op game ever, is an action game for 1 or 2 players, who must cooperate to protect each other from barrages of glowing enemies.”
Verdict: Nostalgic, Funny, and Addictive.
In a Nutshell: LEGO Star Wars is buckets of fun, but if you’re not a fan of LEGO and/or Star Wars, it will probably start to drag on after a while.
Building on the success of both LEGO® Star Wars ™ “block-buster” videogames, LEGO® Star Wars ™: The Complete Saga enables families to play through the events of all six Star Wars movies in one videogame for the first time ever.
Verdict: nice and simple
In a Nutshell: You are a pyrotechnician in this rhythm game.
“Set off an amazing display of fireworks with Boom Boom Rocket. As rockets fly against a spectacular cityscape, time their detonation to the beat of the music to unleash some awesome pyrotechnics. Featuring four game modes including two multiplayer modes, mesmerizing graphics, and a great soundtrack of remixed classics with a contemporary beat, Boom Boom Rocket is the explosive must-have game for Xbox Live Arcade.”
And the winner is . . . . .The MAW!
Verdict: loved it . . . mostly . . .
In a Nutshell: Two games for the price of one, Naruto takes one player through the adventure of a ninja-in-training or allows two players to go head to head in a fighting system as the major characters of the Naruto story.
“In a game exclusively developed from the ground up for the Xbox360 video game and entertainment system, and for the first time ever, gamers will experience Naruto starting from the series’ beginning. Relive the hit anime and manga and experience Naruto’s transformation from noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja.”
