I'm taking a break here on my blog from the main releases and taking a look at a couple of Xbox Live Arcade titles I've played lately. Just want to mention, that the whole idea of the Arcade store, which Microsoft started with the Xbox 360, later used by Sony with the PSN store and Nintendo with WiiWare, is fantastic! It gives small developers a chance to sell games on a huge scale.
Some of the most inventive titles are in fact released this way and often a break from the mainstream ideas. 2D games, which are more or less gone from the main market, get to live freely on these digital markets. I love the fact that Xbox Live Arcade lets you try every single game before purchase too!
Released: 2010
I’ll start off with a look at Blade Kitten, a blend of 2D platforming and beat 'em up. Featuring a cute, pink haired, girl with cat ears as the main protagonist, called Kit. It even makes some fun out of Japanese anime figures in it’s cutscenes, with some cool small touches. Like every time you open a secret treasure, Kit says something like “win get”.
Released: 2010
You know, a game is going to be good, when the opening screen shows a huge red smiley face and the words: SUPER MEAT BOY are shouted through your speaker system!
Some of the most inventive titles are in fact released this way and often a break from the mainstream ideas. 2D games, which are more or less gone from the main market, get to live freely on these digital markets. I love the fact that Xbox Live Arcade lets you try every single game before purchase too!
Review
Played on: Xbox 360Released: 2010
I’ll start off with a look at Blade Kitten, a blend of 2D platforming and beat 'em up. Featuring a cute, pink haired, girl with cat ears as the main protagonist, called Kit. It even makes some fun out of Japanese anime figures in it’s cutscenes, with some cool small touches. Like every time you open a secret treasure, Kit says something like “win get”.
The plot is simple, Kit gets a vital item from her spaceship stolen and she goes on a manhunt to get it back. She’s kind of a mercenary and gets tangled up in missions along the way. The game has a cellshade art style and making the flashy cutscenes look cartoony.
Gameplay is 2D platforming, blended with fighting elements. Add in the ability to climb vertical walls, ceilings and double jump, and the result controls great! The levels are huge, with a ton of side routes and treasures to find. You can play the game like a Sonic the Hedgehog beginner, by just racing through the maps, but then you are missing the point. You should can play it like a true platformer and explore and find secrets, this is the best part of Blade Kitten.
I like the art style, the comic and funny storytelling, the controls are good and the exploring is rewarding and exciting. It lets you upgrade your abilities with treasure money and the levels are actually very varied.
Gameplay is 2D platforming, blended with fighting elements. Add in the ability to climb vertical walls, ceilings and double jump, and the result controls great! The levels are huge, with a ton of side routes and treasures to find. You can play the game like a Sonic the Hedgehog beginner, by just racing through the maps, but then you are missing the point. You should can play it like a true platformer and explore and find secrets, this is the best part of Blade Kitten.
I like the art style, the comic and funny storytelling, the controls are good and the exploring is rewarding and exciting. It lets you upgrade your abilities with treasure money and the levels are actually very varied.
There are some issues though, the framerate is low and sometimes it dips considerably, I would also have preferred more variety to the fighting and variation of enemies.
Overall, I was surprised and fairly impressed by this release. It feels like a 2D platformer from the old PC days, rather than an old console platformer, mainly because of the more advanced exploring, animations and the type of control style.
Review
Played on: Xbox 360Released: 2010
You know, a game is going to be good, when the opening screen shows a huge red smiley face and the words: SUPER MEAT BOY are shouted through your speaker system!
This game is really simple. Super Meat Boy, a blood soaked, square piece of meat, with tiny legs and arms, and a huge smiley grin of a face, needs to get his girlfriend Bandage Girl back from the evil Dr. Fetus. It sounds bizarre and it is!
SMB is addictive, the controls are fantastic and the cutscenes in the story are hilarious. It shows modern gamers what classic 2D platforming is about in a new, yet classic way. Try out the demo and I’ll guarantee you’ll love SMB.
The cutscenes have this early 2000’s, internet flash player, cartoon style and violence to them and they're very funny. The simple story aside though, this game is about the gameplay. Except the left right buttons, there are two things meat boy can do. Jump and run, these two combined make up for some insane long jumps. The aim of each level is to get to bandage girl without dyeing. A simple, yet sometimes, impossible task.
You see, SMB, that abbreviation isn't a coincidence, probably has some of the most nightmarish levels for any 2D platformer fan. It’s like that “Mario from hell” video from the old days of YouTube. The controls are fantastic and they make this game so addictive. SMB is ultra-responsive when you control him and it doesn't take long before you are doing impressive platforming around on the really difficult stages.
You see, SMB, that abbreviation isn't a coincidence, probably has some of the most nightmarish levels for any 2D platformer fan. It’s like that “Mario from hell” video from the old days of YouTube. The controls are fantastic and they make this game so addictive. SMB is ultra-responsive when you control him and it doesn't take long before you are doing impressive platforming around on the really difficult stages.
When you finally reach Bandage Girl, at the end of a level, you're shown all your previous failing attempts. Which is a nice touch, since you will constantly be dying and giving each difficult level that “one more go before I give up”.
SMB is addictive, the controls are fantastic and the cutscenes in the story are hilarious. It shows modern gamers what classic 2D platforming is about in a new, yet classic way. Try out the demo and I’ll guarantee you’ll love SMB.
