Tunnelvision (XBLIG): "A Visually Stunning 3D Shmup Masterpiece"

By now most of you know that I'm really into the shmup (shoot 'em up) game genre. I have even reviewed some shmups here on this blog. A couple of days ago I found a video of a new XBLIG shmup that was going to be released on the Xbox Marketplace. The shmup was titled 'Tunnelvision', and it was developed by 'Team Stendec'. The cool thing about this shmup is that it took the genre in a new direction with some visually impressive 3D graphics. The video I watched on youtube actually didn't do the game justice though. When I played the game for the first time I was totally amazed by the lighting, and 3D effects. The gameplay was easy to pick up on, and involved a lot more game elements than I had initially thought it would feature. There are 9 mission based levels that get progressively more difficult as you play, and as the title suggests the playing fields are located in tunnels. There are also end level bosses called 'Level Lords' that must be defeated in order to continue. For the score hounds out there the game does feature a highscore leaderboard, but I think it's only local. Overall I found the playthrough to be an amazing experience, and quite challenging at times.

Avatar Fighter Online (XBLIG): "A Solid Avatar Based Fighting Game With An Unfortunate Downside"

I absolutely love Xbox 360 avatars! Since I first got my Xbox 360 earlier this year I've had a lot of fun spending time making my avatar a personal reflection of myself. When I first began doing XBLIG game reviews here on my review blog I noticed that there were quite a number of avatar based indie games available. You could find FPS versions, games that involve aerial combat, and even a game based on hackey sack (which I reviewed not too long ago). When I noticed that 'Bwoot Games' was going to release an avatar based fighting game I knew I had to get this game for review. I not only wanted to see how it stacked up against mainstream fighters for myself, but I also wanted to let (you) my readers know as well. I have quite a few readers/friends who enjoy fighting games just as much as I do, and I'm pretty sure they're probably just curious as I was.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (XBLA)

When it comes to the trading card game of 'Magic the Gathering (MTG)' I am no stranger. I actually collected, and played MTG years back with a friend. What always held my interest was the artwork on each, and every card. The art really brings the game to life, and makes imagining a fantasy duel much easier. Without the artwork I honestly think that MTG would have failed years ago, but thankfully they decided to to include the mini-masterpieces on the cards. 'MTG: duels of the Planeswalkers 2012' keeps true to everything the trading card version stood for, and brings it to digital life in a truly amazing way. The game features very detailed customization options as well as lots of unlockable content (via in-game & xbox live marketplace). Wizards of the Coast/Stainless Games (the developer) even went so far as to include the premium holographic cards that veteran fans of the game will likely recognize. Everything about this game is done in great quality. It even opens with an epic cinematic scene that would put most video games to shame. Throughout the entire game there are artistic images of the paintings that adorn the MTG cards. It's eye candy at it's best with quality gameplay that doesn't dilute the core values that 'Wizards of the Coast' set out to achieve.

Pinball FX2 (XBLA): "Ms. Splosion Man"

The 'Ms. Splosion Man' Pinball FX2 table was a joint effort between Zen Studios, and Twisted Pixel. It is my absolute favorite out of all of the tables in the Pinball FX2 library. I do realize it looks like it's geared more towards the female gamers, but I think it's really fun. The table definitely seems to have way more going on than any of the previous ones. It features a cool music soundtrack, vivid colors, and constant hilarious commentary/actions by Ms. Splosion Man herself. The table's setup is layed out just right so you can achieve some really high scores fairly easily. I currently have a highscore of 134 million points on this table which actually pales in comparison to a friend's score of close to 600 million points. I have played this table numerous times, and always go back for more. I'm hoping to get a highscore of at least 1 billion someday ...

Pinball FX2 (XBLA): "Captain America"

The Captain America Pinball FX2 table is one of the best decorated out of the currently available Marvel Pinball tables. If features a very patriotic theme with the Captain front, and center as the tables primary illustration. Accompanying him on this table are 3D models of Baron Zemo, Red Skull, and the Sleeper. Each of the villains has a unique objective that can be completed to score more points. Red Skull goes fist to fist with Captain America in a sparring bout. Baron Zemo actually has a couple of objectives on this table. One of his objectives involves destroying canisters of 'Adhesive X'. The other involves trying to survive his 'Death Ray' by hitting the cluster of bumpers on the left side of the table. The ramps on this table sport a trench style appearance, and are somewhat difficult to access. I found that changing the view to '2' helps out greatly in hitting the ramps just right though.

Angry Fish (XBLIG): "Fishy Feline Fray"

If you have ever played Angry Birds, or games from the Fish Craft XBLIG series then you'll definitely be familiar with this game. Angry Fish is actually a sequel to the Fish Craft series, and was developed by Frozen Software. In this game you take on the role of some fish who are tired of the cats crapping all over their volleyball court. Actually that's what I interpreted from the visual intro (Lol! ^.^). I came to this conclusion, because there were piles of squat littering the the beach that fishes were playing volleyball on. The cat in the intro picture also had a mischievious grin on his face which further supports my hypothesis. Angry Fish features 2 levels with 21 stages each that involve epic kitty smiting. Each level has a different background theme with a night, and day version. There is also an epic orchestral tune playing as you're trying to take out the furry fiends. Your objective in the game is to launch fish from a cannon, and take out the barriers (boards, stone, glass ...) that are housing your feline foes ultimately annihilating them. How quickly/efficiently you take out the structures, and cats will determine your ranking (1-3 stars) and score for each stage.