Note: Be sure to also check out our review of Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, which was recently released on Xbox Live Arcade.

Exit 2

Developer: Taito

Release Date: Feb. 25, 2009

Originally Released On: PlayStation Portable

Price: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)


Recommendation: Try It

Exit 2 starts with a pretty strong core design: As a "rescue specialist" you have to guide a variety of different archetypal people out of an unsafe building before time runs out. This generally means solving some short, simple spatial puzzles by guiding the rescuees around, using their distinct abilities and items like ladders, boxes and fire extinguishers to create a safe path to the exit.

The game is a joy to watch, full of sharp, stylish angles and fluid animation for everything from running leaps to simple climbing. It's too bad, then, that the game's controls make it much less than a joy to play. The problems start with an unnatural button layout that will leave you struggling to remember how to perform basic tasks like opening doors. The situation is made worse by the fact that the game doesn't respond to new input until the current animation is complete, meaning that an action might take place whole seconds after you've hit the button. These problems might be forgivable in a stop-and-start, turn-based game, but in an action-packed puzzler with a strict time limit, they're nearly unforgivable.

If you can get past the control issues, there are some engaging if relatively straightforward puzzle action to be had in Exit 2. For most players, though, it's just not worth attempting the leap over that significant hurdle.

Peggle

Developer: PopCap

Release Date: March 11, 2009

Originally Released On: PC, Nintendo DS

Price: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)


Recommendation: Buy It

The deceptively deep, horribly addicting PC game makes an excellent transition to the television screen in this Xbox Live Arcade release. All the characters and challenges from the 2007 original are here in pixel-perfect form, and bouncing those steel balls around fields of brightly colored pegs feels just as fun and natural with a controller as with a mouse. What's more, it all looks better than ever blown up onto a big, living room-sized HDTV display for the first time (of course, your living room mileage may vary if you don't have an HD set).

This alone is enough to make the game an unqualified recommendation for those who somehow missed the addictive action of the PC original. PopCap hasn't forgotten the original PC players who feel pooped out on Peggle, though. This version of the game adds online competitions, a first for the series made possible by Xbox Live. In addition to an online version of the traditional two-player Duel mode (where competitors take turns shooting balls on a shared playfield), the compelling new Peg Party mode allows up to four players to enjoy simultaneous, parallel competition on the same stage. Watching the wild back-and-forth scoring swings, as you compare your shots and skill to those of players from around the world, adds new competitive life to what was threatening to become a slightly tired single-player experience, and should be enough to hook that lapsed Peggle addict in you yet again.

Crystal Defenders

Developer: Square Enix

Release Date: March 11, 2009

Originally Released On: Mobile phones, iPod/iPhone

Price: 800 Microsoft Points ($10)


Recommendation: Buy It

Long a master of role-playing games and tactical strategy, Square Enix makes a lateral move into the burgeoning tower defense genre with this release. The basic gameplay doesn't differ much from other examples of the form -- it's still all about careful placement of defensive units so that they can hold off waves of regimented, marching enemies. Learning which units to use in which situations, as well as when and how to best utilize your limited resources to increase their power, provides a fun and engaging strategic challenge.

The Square team puts its distinctive stamp on the genre with exquisite hand-drawn characters straight out of Final Fantasy Tactics. The game also sets itself apart in execution, with lots of little touches that free it from the frustrations of other tower defense games. For instance, the action can be paused at any time, allowing you to place units strategically without having to worry about your reflexes being fast enough to catch the next enemy. The developers has also included an incredibly handy fast-forward option that lets you speed through waves of enemies once it's clear your defense can handle them. Add in a gently sloping learning curve that progresses almost imperceptibly to near-impossible difficulties and a well-designed bonus system that rewards you for using minimal resources, and you have a prime example of how to do a tower defense game correctly.