Castle Of Pixel Skulls (XBLIG): "A Retro Skeleton Platformer"

This review of 'Castle Of Pixel Skulls' was actually requested by the developer. I'm always thrilled to have game developers contact me about reviewing their latest creations. I don't think I'd turn down any request unless the developer was being a total arse about it. In this case the developer (Josep Monzonis, 2KSOMNIS) was actually fairly straightforward with the email inquiry he sent me. I was definitely glad to accept the assignment since the game (Castle of Pixel Skulls) looked very interesting to me. Everything from the graphics to the gameplay itself all looked well designed yet simple. Simple games are sometimes much better than the mainstream games that gamers pay top dollar for. I definitely wanted to see if that was the case with this indie game title ...

Real Steel (XBLA): "A Highly Customizable Robot Boxing Game ..."

If you are as old as I am you have probably seen the "Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots" toys of ages (years ^.^) gone by. The concept was really simple back then, and only involved a couple of movable plastic robots that were attached to a plastic boxing ring. It was inevitable that the release of a movie/video game such as "Real Steel" would sooner, or later rear it's head. With the lack of inspiration that seems to be plaguing the hollywood directors of today, and the classic toy/movie craze (Smurfs, Transformers ...) that is currently going on it all sort of adds up. Yuke's Co., Ltd is the developer behind this video game rendition of the recent movie release. Unlike the movie "Real Steel" there is nothing going on behind the stage involving the human puppet masters (Hugh Jackman ...) that control the brawling bots. The game itself is pretty much a straightforward boxing game with some nice additions (RPG elements, customizations, robotic dismemberments ...) to gameplay that suit the scifi content the game was molded after.

Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone (XBLA): "A Dual Thumbstick Zombie Shmup"

Zombie Apocalypse: NDA (Never Die Alone) is the sequel to Back Bone Entertainment, and Konami's 'Zombie Apocalypse' game of 2009. It features dual thumbstick (shmup) style gameplay, and a story that can be completed in either singleplayer or multiplayer modes. Up to four players can join in on the zombie shooting spree in multiplayer mode, or you can have at it alone switching between characters as you make your way across the zombie infested locations. There are four unique characters to play as in the game. There is a gamer dude named 'Jeremy', a female weapons specialist named 'Alma', A youth minister named 'Father Bill', and a British/Australian rapper named 'Def Money'. Each character plays their own special part in this apocalyptic zombie tale that takes place in the various locales of Canada. There's lots of humor to enjoy, zombie swarms to neutralize, and some major moolah to collect in this RPG driven shoot 'em up.

The War of the Worlds (XBLA): "H.G. Well's Classic Tale Reimagined"

When you have been a gamer for as long as I have you have likely witnessed the change in visual styles, and graphics on gaming consoles through the years. There have been both 2D, and 3D versions of video games released throughout the years I have been gaming. Rarely ever do you see a developer take a gaming concept of old, and significantly enhance it though. This is definitely the case with 'Other Ocean Interactive's (The Developer)' latest reimagining of H.G. Wells classic martian invasion story "The War of the Worlds". The developer has taken the oldschool 2D platforming genre, and has applied it in a way that pays perfect tribute to the classic invasion tale. The graphics are definitely next generation quality, and the soundtrack is truly amazing. To top all of that off, Other Ocean Interactive has acquired the voice-over talents of 'Sir Patrick Stewart'! With all of that combined 'The War of the Worlds' for the Xbox 360 has been brought to life in a way that the newer generation of gamers can experience, and appreciate.

Light Fish (XBLIG): "An Aquatic Puzzle/Arcade Game"

Just when I had thought I'd seen every twist on video game genres possible 'Eclipse Games (The Developer)' goes and creates 'Light Fish'. If you have ever played Japanese import video games then you may have stumbled across some puzzle mini-games (Reveal the Picture Games) that have you revealing pictures by boxing off portions of the screen with lines. The developer has taken this concept a giant leap forward, and utilized that type of gameplay in a whole new way. Instead of boxing in sections of a panel to reveal a picture you will be trapping other types of geometric/aquatic creatures, and reefs in order to score points.