alt="Air Strike"/>

1942: Joint Strike

Developer: Backbone Entertainment

Publisher: Capcom

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

Continuing Capcom's trend of reimagining its classic games as downloadable exclusives is 1942: Joint Strike, an updated take on the 1984 arcade title. This vertical-scrolling shooter takes place in an alternate WWII-era universe, which means that you won't be seeing any outrageous spaceships or aliens here. Even so, the stylized enemy crafts and flashy weapons couldn't exactly be classified as "realistic."

Like many shooters, Joint Strike isn't a terribly long experience. With just a handful of levels, you'll probably breeze through the game in an hour or so. Of course, the point of these games is to repeatedly go through the whole thing in an effort to raise your top score. The problem here is that the gameplay mechanics just aren't exciting enough to warrant multiple play-throughs.

The most innovative feature is only accessible when playing with a partner. The titular Joint Strike attack forces the two players to coordinate their attacks to pull off the extremely powerful move. Sadly, the move isn't available in single-player mode, being replaced by a standard missile attack. If you've got a buddy on call, this is a more worthwhile purchase. Otherwise, definitely try before you buy.

alt="Go Go Break Steady"/>

Go! Go! Break Steady

Developer: Little Boy Games

Publisher: Microsoft

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Try It

Have you ever been playing a music/rhythm game and suddenly felt the urge to play a puzzle game for a couple minutes? Or have you been avoiding purchasing Zuma on Xbox Live Arcade because there simply isn't enough breakdancing in it? Well, brother, have we got the game for you!

That pretty much sums up what the oddly named Go! Go! Break Steady is all about. You spend a few minutes tapping the controller's buttons in rhythm to some fairly generic beats before the gameplay shifts to puzzle mode where you must launch multicolored blocks at the ring of blocks surrounding your breakin' avatar. Match the colors, and the ring collapses in on itself, triggering combos if the colors match up right. The better you perform in the rhythm segment, the easier time you'll have whilst puzzling. When the ring is gone, it's back to the rhythm section, and the cycle begins anew.

Despite the seemingly odd juxtaposition of the two genres, they actually complement each other pretty well. The transition between the two styles of gameplay is surprisingly natural. The main problem is that, although there's a novelty factor in the hybrid, neither plays as well as titles that are dedicated to being solely a rhythm or puzzle game.

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alt="Geometry Wars 2"/>

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

Developer: Bizarre Creations Ltd.

Publisher: Activision

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

There were people who considered the original Geometry Wars to be the Xbox 360's killer app when the system launched. Released for only 400 Microsoft Points, it was also the best bargain on the system. The long-awaited sequel is now here, and although some may scoff at the price (it's double the cost of the original), Bizarre Creations has stuffed the game with enough gameplay modes and tiny improvements to make it still feel like a steal.

As before, the game is a dual-stick shooter along the lines of the arcade classic, Robotron: 2084. One stick moves your craft while the other allows you to shoot in any direction. The colorful, special-effect-laden vector graphics give the game a fantastic "future-retro" look.

In addition to a variety of devious new enemies, the player also has greater control over building the score multiplier though the collection of glowing, green "Geoms" that enemies drop when destroyed. Of course, having to quickly snag these items while dodging enemies -- and their gunfire -- adds an extra element of chaos to an already hectic game. Another great element is the mini-leaderboard that shows you which person on your friends list is currently ranked ahead of you as you play. It's a great motivational tool to get you to continue playing.

Of the six different modes in the game, Evolved plays the most like "classic" Geometry Wars. Deadline gives you three minutes to rack up the highest possible score; and Sequence takes you through 20 short (but tough) levels. Waves mode was an unlockable in Project Gotham Racing 4, and in it, you must dodge and destroy an endless stream of orange missiles.

Perhaps the two most interesting modes are King, where you can only fire while hiding with small (and rapidly disappearing) shield bubbles, and Pacifism, where you can't shoot any weapons. The only way to destroy the countless enemy ships is to pass through explosive gates and hope that they're caught in the blast radius.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is simple to play, incredibly addictive and extremely challenging. It's easily worth the 800 MSP. The only problem with it is that the multiplayer mode only supports local play. The lack of online play is very frustrating. Even so, you'll have a good enough time beating your friend's leader-board scores to worry too much about it.

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alt="Braid"/>

Braid

Developer: Number None Inc.

Publisher: Microsoft

Price: 1,200 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

If Halo 3 is a game that inspired a new flavor of Mountain Dew, Braid is a game that would inspire a fine wine. With its gorgeous, watercolor-style graphics, beautiful score and simple-yet-innovative gameplay mechanics, Braid feels like as much like a work of art as it does a game.

At its heart, the game is a platformer with heavy puzzle elements. The main gimmick of time manipulation may not be terribly original (it's been in games ranging from Blinx to Full Auto), but it's used with considerable thought here. Each world you move through has different rules as to how the time control works and they all result in some devious and brilliant challenges.

At first, the time control is simply used to undo mistakes such as bumping into an enemy or falling into a pit. As you progress, new variations appear, such as glowing objects that are impervious to the effects of time reversal, "safe zones" that prevent you from being rewound along with the world, and levels where time only advances as you move right and reverses when you move left. In addition to getting to the end of each stage, you're also tasked with collecting puzzle pieces along the way. These are not simply pointless collectables; the puzzles that you build from the pieces are also creatively integrated into the overall gameplay.

At 1,200 Microsoft Points (about $15), Braid is a tad pricier than the average XBLA title. Even so, it's a quality game that deserves to be played. And it goes great with a variety of cheeses.

alt="Bionic Commando Rearmed"/>

Bionic Commando Rearmed

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Originally Appeared on: N/A

RECOMMENDATION:
Buy It

Out of all of Capcom's recent remakes of its classic games, this is the one that people seemed to be looking forward to the most. The original NES Bionic Commando still has a devoted legion of fans that have been itching for the chance to replay the game with a coat of shiny new graphics and an awesome remixed soundtrack. The wait has been worth it, as Bionic Commando Rearmed is an outstanding tribute to this great game and a perfect way to introduce the series to those who didn't get to try it on the NES.

Although it may seem like a standard action game, Rearmed stands out due to the fact that the main character, Radd Spencer, can't jump. What seems like a tremendous inconvenience quickly gets forgotten as you master Radd's bionic arm, which allows him to swing over pits and scale vertical platforms (among other functions). Controlling the arm's aim can be a bit tricky at first, thanks to the Xbox 360 controller's questionable d-pad, but you'll get the hang of it after a level or two. An extensive training mode also helps you get adjusted to the gameplay mechanics.

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In addition to the fairly lengthy (and quite challenging) single-player adventure, there is a multiplayer mode, as well. The multiplayer mode doesn't support online play, though it's not really a big deal. The multiplayer stuff is essentially bonus goodies to enhance the outstanding single-player game. Adding even more value to the package is the 50+ challenge rooms that put your bionic-arm-handling skills to the test.

After playing Rearmed, newcomers will wonder why they never bothered to play the game before, and longtime fans will be reminded of why they loved the original. This remake even has a few sly jokes that reference the original game that the fans will get a kick out of. Hopefully this is the start of a trend that results in the release of all sorts of modern-day interpretations of NES titles.