Verdict: extreme challenge!

In a Nutshell: This is a top-down, real-time strategy space conquest.

(from the game’s manual)

“You are a space war commander who controls a small fleet of ships and must win against all odds. While your enemies usually have more money and ships than you, a clever strategy can always turn the situation upside down so that you’re the one with all the cash and a giant armada. One last thing. In an act of sabotage, someone turned on your starbase’s self-destruct mechanism. This means that it will gradually destroy itself, assuming that your enemies don’t eliminate you first. Really, you have no time to waste. Get to it, commander!”

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Verdict: If not for the load times . . .

In a Nutshell: This is a dogfighter with campaigns that take you through the time-line of WWII.

(from the game’s website)

“Air Conflicts is an arcade flight simulator game set in World War II, featuring the aircraft of this period and historically inspired missions. The emphasis is on intense dogfights, daring bombing raids and exciting aerial missions.”

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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.

(from the game’s website)

“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.”

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Verdict: nice and simple

In a Nutshell: You are a pyrotechnician in this rhythm game.

(from the game’s EA website)

“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.”

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Verdict: yellow spacemen are annoying!

In a Nutshell: Can’t say that I’ve seen anything quite like Strange Attractors 2. Closest I can get is pinball of the distant future meets cosmic wooden labyrinth puzzle.

(from the game’s website)

“Strange Attractors 2 is an evolution of its original one-switch predecessor. In it you use your ship’s gravity drive to navigate and escape from complex labyrinths full of secrets, hazards, and antagonizing screaming spacemen.

While the game’s controls have grown to include an “Anti-Gravity” button, and a “Shockwave” attack (bringing the number of inputs to a staggering three!), the game is still completely playable (including menu navigation) with a single switch.”

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Verdict: The more I play this game, the more I like it.

In a Nutshell: Audiosurf is a rythm arcade racer with tracks built from your music library.

(from the game’s website)

“Audiosurf is a music-adapting puzzle racer where you use your own music to create your own experience. The shape, the speed, and the mood of each ride is determined by the song you choose. You earn points for clustering together blocks of the same color on the highway, and compete with others on the internet for the high score on your favorite songs.”

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