War World

Developer: Third Wave Games

Publisher: UbiSoft

Release Date: Oct. 1, 2008

Price: 800 Microsoft points ($10)

Originally Appeared On: N/A


Recommendation: Try It

What is it about large, mechanical walkers that makes them so delightful to pit against each other in battles to the death? Whatever it is, it's not quite there in War World.

All the required pieces seem to be in place -- competent high-resolution graphics, a wide variety of playable mechs (including the small, fast one; the large, powerful one; the long-distance missile launching one; etc.) and some suitably impactful weaponry. But these satisfying parts never really come together into a wholly satisfying whole. Part of it is the mechs themselves, which control like more like lightweight tanks than real, clanking mechanical beasts. Part of it is the sterility of the environments, which show great visual design but are not that interesting in terms of strategic level design. Part of it is the battles themselves, which invariably devolve into quick, circle-strafing firefights until one mech blows up.

Despite these problems, there is still some fun to be had in War World, especially if you play against a live human opponent rather than the easy-to-outmaneuver computer-controlled enemies. Still, fans of shooting stuff would probably be better served going back to Gears of War 2 or Halo 3 -- games that might not be known for mechanical walkers, but are known for quality shooting.

Beat'n Groovy

Developer: Voltex

Publisher: Konami

Release Date: Oct. 8, 2008

Price: 800 Microsoft points ($10)

Originally Appeared On: N/A


Recommendation: Fry It

A lot has happened in the world of rhythm games in the last 10 years, but you wouldn't know it from playing Beat'n Groovy. A lackluster port of popular Japanese rhythm franchise Pop'n Music, the core game involves pushing buttons in time with colored keys that fall from the ceiling towards a line at the bottom. The two selectable difficulty levels allow for only three or five columns of keys, compared to the seven- and nine-key modes available in the Japanese original.

The main problem with Beat'n Groovy is the awful control scheme, which uses the directions on the Xbox 360's horribly touchy d-pad for nearly half of the key presses. What's more, the unintuitive button layout makes it hard to remember which buttons correspond to each color-coded column on-screen. The songs are catchy enough (if you enjoy Japanese pop music), but the inclusion of only eight tracks means the tunes get old incredibly quickly. Not only that, the hardest song only ranks a "three" on the game's eight-point ranking scale, meaning the game won't provide a significant challenge to anyone with rhythm game experience.

Add in some ridiculously clich?d, choppily animated characters, a barebones interface and a tacked-on multiplayer mode and you end up with a rushed, sloppy product that would have been laughable even on the original PlayStation.


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Age of Booty

Developer: Certain Affinity

Publisher: Capcom

Release Date: Oct. 15, 2008

Price: 800 Microsoft points ($10)

Originally Appeared On: N/A


Recommendation: Try It

Age of Booty seems to exist in that odd place between strategy subgenres. It's ostensibly a real-time strategy game, with fast-paced action that requires you to keep track of the entire map constantly. But the map layout and game design seems more suited to a turn-based board game like Settlers of Catan or Carcassonne.

You control one of a fleet of pirate ships, sailing around a variety of well-designed maps with the goal of capturing ports of call before your opponents. There's some resource allocation involved in upgrading ships and town, but it's primarily a battle of positioning -- figuring out where to move next to make your incursion, cut off the opposing fleet, or protect your territory. An intuitive interface helps it all play out like a simplified, real-time game of chess, even though the somewhat random nature of combat can make it hard to plan effective strategies.

The single-player game pairs you up with some decent artificial intelligence allies, but it's tough to coordinate strategies with these mindless automatons. The game is much more satisfying when yelling out commands to a team with other human players, either on one console or on Xbox Live. In the end, Age of Booty lacks the depth of most real-time strategy games, but it also lacks the complexity that makes those games inaccessible to many players (this reviewer included). Consider it a strategy game for the board game set, great to pull out when company is over.

Portal: Still Alive

Developer: Valve

Publisher: Microsoft

Release Date: Oct. 22, 2008

Price: 1,200 Microsoft points ($15)

Originally Appeared On: N/A


Reccomendation: Buy It

If you somehow missed one of the best, most original games of 2007, well, now's your chance to get it on the cheap. This expansion pack to the original Portal contains the full version of the original first-person puzzle game, which centers on use of a wormhole gun to maneuver around deadly, tricky obstacles. A built-in tutorial and a gentle learning curve combine with an excellent, subtly twisted story to make a short but altogether satisfying experience that no gamer should miss. Plus, if you play it, you'll finally understand what everyone means when they keep saying "The cake is a lie."

If you didn't miss the original Portal, Still Alive there's still something for you in the form of 15 or so "Challenge" levels that put your portal-shooting abilities to the test. These new levels start off at "challenging" and quickly progress to "insanely complicated," meaning you may run into a few frustrating roadblocks along the way to completion. Still, the well-designed challenges make use of some new hazards to test both your brain and your reflexes in fun and interesting ways. The experience does lose something without the gentle voice of GLaDOS to keep you company, but there are medal challenges and new Achievements to keep the most skilled of you busy.

Whether you've played the original or not, there's no reason not to spend $15 on this update.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode 2

Developer: Hothead Games

Publisher: Microsoft

Release Date: Oct. 29, 2008

Price: 1,200 Microsoft points ($15)

Originally Appeared On: N/A


Recommendation: Try It

The second episode of the games inspired by the online comic strip continues the odd mix of genres and influences that made the original so hard to categorize. The core is a pure, turn-based role-playing game, but the battles are infused with a much-needed dose of action, thanks to some simple rhythm-based mini-games. There's a hint of adventure game in there as well, with the requisite odd puzzle-solving and fetch quests that have been known to drive some gamers (like this one) mad.

The real appeal here, for most, will be the art and writing, which are infused with the familiar styles, in-jokes and characters that have made Penny Arcade such a success. That said, the signature style seems a bit forced in the game's dark steampunk setting, which shares little with the games- and technology-obsessed universe of the comic. Still, it's a well-made game with a decidedly twisted outlook that's sure to bring a grin to your face at least a few times.

Vigilante 8: Arcade

Developer: IsoPod Labs

Publisher: Activision

Release Date: Nov. 5, 2008

Price: 800 Microsoft points ($10)

Originally Appeared On: PlayStation


Recommendation: Buy It

A remake of the stylish PlayStation vehicular combat game, Vigilante 8: Arcade is all about "driving and shooting ... you think you can handle that," as the in-game instructions put it. What this means in practice is peeling out around some sparse but well-designed arenas, trying to ram your car right into the broadside of your opponents' vehicles as you unload an array of cannons, missiles, mortars and an inexhaustible supply of machine-gun fire, all while avoiding letting them do the same.

Realistic simulation is decidedly not important here, as the floaty steering gives way to a lot of flying corkscrew jumps and flipped-over vehicles. There are a few occasional technical problems -- flickering graphics and cars getting stuck in walls, for instance -- but it's hard to care when the well-balanced weapons and vehicles make the core game pure destructive fun. Catchy tunes and a real sense of coherent design don't hurt, either. They just don't make 'em like this anymore.