Rock of Ages (XBLA): "Epic Boulder Rolling Fun Spanning The Ages"

I consider myself both lucky, and blessed for having the chance to review Atlus's/ACE Team's new game, 'Rock of Ages'. I recently decided to step up my game in the reviewing business, and seek out the approval of XBLA developers. I'm always up for broadening my horizens when it comes to reviewing, and doing just XBLIG titles wasn't satisfying my desire to expand my gaming knowledge further. When I contacted ACE Team about reviewing this game they accepted my request, and were truly friendly about it. Getting to know developers such as that, even if it is only through brief messages makes what I do worth the while. To be 100% honest though, I had no clue what 'Rock of Ages' was truly about when I made the request. I had a vague idea after watching the youtube trailer, but the trailer doesn't do the game justice. It's much better than the short footage you get to see in the video. I'd go so far as to say that ACE Team, and Atlus have created one of the best games I have ever played. It was definitely a privilege to get to play through, and review this game.

Everything about 'Rock of Ages' is grand in scale. It features a story mode that puts a lot of games out there to shame. Also included in this title is SkeeBoulder, War, Time Trial, and even a LIVE/Local System Link multiplayer mode. You definitely can't go wrong with a multiplayer mode in such a game as this. This game also features some unlockable items. There are characters, and different boulders available to unlock as you play through the story mode, and I strongly suggest you do. ACE Team, and Atlus picked one of the most unique characters in history/mythology to play the starring role in this amazing rock 'n roll adventure, and it was a pleasant surprise. Sisyphus, the man of Greek legend who was doomed to roll a massive boulder uphill for all eternity is the character you play as in this game. If this fact alone doesn't spark your interest then the epic boss battles, and historical/mythological/religious characters you encounter definitely will. This game takes you on a well spent journey throughout ancient lands, and even lands of myth or legend as you roll your boulder across lands reminiscent of 'Marble Madness (NES)'. You will use strategic units (catapults, buildings, animals, contraptions) to prevent your opponent for breaking down the castle door you hide behind. While all of this is going on you will also be trying to break the barricade/castle door that houses your enemy, so that you can totally roll your boulder over him/her and claim victory. That is what story mode (War) is all about. The other modes in 'Rock of Ages' (Time Trial, SkeeBoulder, Local/LIVE Multiplayer) are all about where you stand in the grand scheme of things (aka, The Leaderboards).

Gameplay in 'Rock of Ages' can seem a little intimidating at first, but if you pay attention to the tutorial levels, you should do alright. Being the experienced gamer that I am I picked up on the game fairly easily. For the most part 'Rock of Ages' is a dual thumbstick game. The 'Left Thumbstick' will guide your boulder as it rolls a long the map's areas. The 'Right Thumbstick' is used for camera controls. It is very important that you learn how to use the camera controls, or you'll find yourself losing frequently. Aside from rolling your boulder you can also make it jump. To do this you simply press the 'A' button. Those are your basic controls for the game.

Building units to slow down your enemy requires earned in-game cash, and more involved controls. To earn money in 'Rock of Ages' you must simply roll over  buildings, people, and your opponent's units. Later on in the game a special unit/s can be earned for 'mining' that increases your cash flow automatically. Setting the units is a tad bit more difficult than crushing your enemy's units for cash. You must strategically place units that are at your disposal in locations that will halt your foe's progress. To do this you will open up the unit menu via the 'Right Trigger', and cycle through a wheel containing all of the available units. After deciding on which unit you want you will press 'A' to select it from the inventory wheel. Placing the unit/s on the overhead map also requires the use of the 'A' button for setting, and the 'Left Thumbstick' for positioning. You can zoom in and out of the map by using the 'Right Thumbstick'. I know all of this may sound a little hard to learn, but the game definitely gives you the instructions better than I can (plus it has visual guides). Once you have mastered the strategy part of the game, the rest is all downhill (pun intended).

There are three types of sub-modes available in Rock of Age's singleplayer (War, Time Trial, SkeeBoulder). The story mode  takes you through Sisyphus's story via 'War'. War is a a mode that is avalaible in both single player, and multiplayer. Your objective in 'War' is to strategically prevent your opponent from breaking down your castle stronghold (using available units) while attempting to breakdown their's. Time Trial is a mode where you earn medals (bronze, Silver, Gold) by making it to the end of the tracks/levels with the fastest time. Your scores in the time trials are kept on the leaderboards. The final mode in singleplayer which is also available in Multiplayer is 'SkeeBoulder'. If you've ever played skee ball at the arcades then you'll have a good idea what this mode is about. At the end of each track in SkeeBoulder is a series of circles inside of each other with holes at the bottom. Landing your boulder in a hole (inside the rings) will multiply your points. The lower the hole that your boulder lands in, the lower the score multiplier will be. The higher the hole, the higher the multiplyer will be. Scoring points in SkeeBoulder is achieved by striking down easels with painted targets on them. I also believe you can score additional points by running over the people, and buildings in your path. There is no time limit in this mode, so you are free to take as long as you like.

Rock of Ages ranks high on my list of all-time favorite games. In fact it's one of the most enjoyable games I've had the pleasure of playing on the Xbox 360, or any console for that matter. The game's many themes (Art, History, Mythology, Religion, Retro Gaming, Parodies) will appeal to a wide variety of gamers. The animated historical sequences in the game were comical, and artistic with a historical/mythological touch that made this game really stand out. When you play 'Rock of Ages' you're likely to notice all of the various references/parodies included, especially if you're into history, mythology, art, or even older video games. Rock of Ages has superb replay value. The fact that you can unlock different boulders, and characters as you play through story mode makes this game even better. This game is definitely a 'Must Buy'!!!