Xbox Live Community Watch: Finally Some Good Games Edition - 2/6/09
I have returned with more sweet treats from the indie catacombs that is the Xbox Live community games, and this time with some really good games. I started this feature because there was some stellar content being released through community games (I cannot emphasize the quality of Groov enough) but since I started writing about the community games there really haven't been any standout titles released. Not so this week, with at least two games that rival most of the Xbox Live Arcade library.
Yay
- Miner: Dig Deep - 200 MS points. This is the kind of hidden gem that I started this feature to tell you about. Miner: Dig Deep tasks you with digging underground Dig Dug style for ore and riches. Sell your treasures to the store to upgrade your equipment, refill your kerosene lamp (which allows you to see where minerals are hiding underground), or build ladders and elevators to allow you to extend your mine deeper underground. After only a few minutes of play this game instantly became one of my favorites on the 360, and at only 200 MS points it's practically a steal. Definitely check out the demo if you're not convinced that mining can be fun, you'll be glad you did.
- Brain Deluxe - 800 MS points. An excellent puzzle game in the vein of classics like Chip's Challenge or the various Sokoban games. You push colored rings around the level to open doors and collect circuits to complete the level. Ok, it doesn't sound that great on paper, but it's a tremendously fun and satisfying puzzle game if you like working with logic puzzles and planning several moves ahead. The only downside is the price, which is pretty steep at 800 MS points, but puzzle fanatics may still find it a good investment with over 160 levels to decipher.
- Penga's Peril - 200 MS points. But if Brain Deluxe is too pricey then you might want to check out Penga's Peril, a very similar puzzle game that has you controlling a penguin pushing blocks to activate switches, create new paths, and defeat enemies. It comes at a quarter of the cost of Brain Deluxe, but also with only 50 levels. Still a great game in its own right, and it has a penguin, which instantly makes it 100 times better.
Nay
- A Game of Tennis - 200 MS points. A shameless Pong rip-off. It at least get's the classic look right, but there are enough Pong clones in the community games, many of which add new features to the game, that I just can't recommend this one.
- Slime Volleyball 2.5D - 200 MS points. I remember playing this game behind the teacher's back in middle school. It's fun for a few minutes, and that time is extended if you have someone else to play it with, but it's also available for free so there's really no reason to buy this version.
- BlockBUSTER - 400 MS points. Great concept, poor execution. It takes the classic Arkanoid formula and tries to put it in 3D. The only problem is that it's nearly impossible to see where the ball is going to land, which becomes a pretty big issue when the only gameplay revolves around moving the paddle under the ball.
Ay?
- Grid Chasers - 400 MS points. A multiplayer focused game where you destroy rows of a grid board to try and knock your opponents off. It can get pretty competitive with 3 other people playing, but the asking price is a little steep for what ultimately is a shallow, yet fun with friends, experience.
- A Wizard's Odyssey - 400 MS points. A fun Diablo-esque dungeon crawler makes this one of the more ambitious community games. But it does have its faults. It's ugly as sin and has questionable hit detection when fighting bats (which there are a fair amount of), but despite these setbacks it's still a pretty fun game. If you're the type of person that says gameplay is more important than graphics then give the trial version a shot, this is definitely a "try before you buy" game.
NaviFairy
Posted to Video Games on 6 February 2009
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: community games, Xbox 360, xbox live, XNA
Hey!
I just wanted to say I worked on Grid Chasers and would like to thank you for the honorable mention. We understand the game does have it's faults, but we're working to release an updated version with LIVE support and possible power-ups to add more depth.
Thanks again, it really is a dream come true for us to see people enjoying (or even hating) our games.
As I said, I enjoyed Grid Chasers, but it's great to hear that developers are working to improve their games.
I only have limited space in the actual article (since it's more an impression than a review) but for me the main thing keeping Grid Chasers down was the lack of level variety. More differently shaped boards (possibly with holes?) would add a lot of longevity to the game. Power-ups would also be a great addition, so it's good to see you were already thinking of that.
Good luck, and great work.