Yay

Decimation X - 80 MS points. Space Invaders Extreme released a while back for XBLA, and brought new intensity to the classic gameplay formula. Decimation X brings that same intensity at a tenth of the price. There's co-op for up to 4 players, but more players lessens the challenge. If you're playing single-player or with one other person though, then Decimation X is pure arcade alien-shooting bliss. Blood on the Dance Floor - 80 MS points. Honestly, I'm getting pretty sick of zombie-themed twin-stick shooters, and wasn't expecting to give Blood on the Dance Floor a high rating. But you know what, it actually has a great gameplay hook that similar games don't, and is a better game because of it. Taking a cue from survival horror games, every weapon in Blood on the Dance Floor has limited ammo, and when you run out you need to ditch the gun and find another or you'll be zombie chow. And there are dozens of weapons, each with its own distinct stats for damage and reload speed. It's not a perfect game. It's sometimes difficult to distinguish between enemies and background objects, and the music isn't up to the quality implied by the title, but the gunplay is solid enough to make up for those missteps. As a side note, Blood on the Dance Floor is the only game that I can think of that lets you shoot children. They're zombie children, but children no less, carrying teddy bears and hungry for brains. Office DisOrders - 80 MS points. Office DisOrders is actually a re-release of an Xbox indie game from a few weeks ago, Office Politics. The original game was pulled due to copyright issues with the title (oh the irony) but has returned with a new name and is just as hilarious and fun as the original. Rather than retyping my review from a few weeks ago, I'll just use this space to say that this is probably the closest we'll get to Office Space: The Videogame. It's an excellent office parody that will have anyone who has ever worked in a cubicle smiling long after the credits. Princess Baker Palace - 240 MS points. If there are two things that princesses love, they are baking and industrial machinery. Or at least that is the case in Princess Baker Palace, which puts you in control of a baking-obsessed princess as she builds ever-increasingly elaborate assembly lines to bake delicious treats. It is an excellent puzzle game, challenging you to think not only about the proper order in which to use ingredients, but also planning your assembly line so that there is enough room for each necessary machine and so that ingredients arrive at the oven at the same time. The graphics are fairly subpar, but don't let the game's looks fool you, Princess Baker Palace is a gem of a puzzle game for the Xbox 360. Hoyle Texas Hold 'em - 400 MS points. Now here's a shocker, an officially licensed game in the Xbox indie games. There is already a Texas Hold 'em game on XBLA (2 actually) but I may actually prefer Hoyle's indie version. One nice feature it has over the XBLA competition is full Avatar support, which makes Xbox Live matches that much more personal. It also has much lower bidding options, which some may object to but it's always seemed ridiculous to me how high bidding can get in XBLA Hold 'em. This indie release includes both single matches and tournaments, so there's definitely enough game here to keep you coming back. That is, assuming you actually like Texas Hold 'em. Graffiti LIVE! - 240 MS points. Graffiti LIVE, on it's own, isn't really that spectacular. It's a painting program with fairly complex controls, but with a little practice they work surprisingly well. Once you've finished your virtual painting, you can submit it to the online art gallery where any other Graffiti LIVE player can see your work. Not only can they see what you painted, but they can also watch a sped-up replay to see exactly how you painted it. And this is where Graffiti LIVE really won me over. There is so much potential for a community to build around this game with artist sharing their work, or even sharing tutorials to help others improve. The game just released, so there isn't a whole lot in the online gallery as of yet, but as the gallery grows Graffiti LIVE will hopefully become a force to be reckoned with.

Ay?

Plucky's 3D Adventure - 80 MS points. Plucky's 3D Adventure is a fun little 3D platformer in the vein of Mario 64. The game's 20 levels offer decent length, but the challenge just isn't there making Plucky's Adventure probably more appropriate for the younger crowd than gaming veterans.

Synth Jam - 400 MS points. Synth Jam isn't really a game, and is much more of a music creation tool. You are given three grids that act as a timeline for a loop in the song, and by placing dots on the grids you can create notes and beats to fit the music. There are also more tools at your disposal on either side of the screen that expand the notes you can add to your music creation. There are four base tracks to choose from, and from those there are nearly limitless variations you can create by adding your own beats, making Synth Jam a very enjoyable and rewarding musical experience.

Dreams of Witchtown - 80 MS points. Dreams of Witchtown, unfortunately, has nothing to do with a certain H.P. Lovecraft story with a similar name. Instead it is a fun side-scrolling platformer with some light RPG elements for your witch to get stronger along the way. I encountered a few odd glitches in my experience with the game. Nothing that impacted the gameplay, but little things like sound cues (specifically the jump sound) occasionally springing on me out of nowhere or failing to sound when I jumped. It's little issues like that that make Dreams of Witchtown just feel like it's lacking a certain level of polish, even if it doesn't change how the game plays. Which, by the way, the game plays quite well, and with the proper update would be bumped with to the Yay games.

BACTERIO - 240 MS points. Bacterio is an odd little puzzle game where you move blocks around each level to reach the level's goal. This would be a simple task, except that you are controlling a snake-like creature that moves block by eating them then... releasing them from the end of its tail. Maneuvering so that the blocks come out of its backside in the proper place is a real challenge that will test your sense of spatial relations. But with a challenge comes a great feeling of accomplishment, and Bacterio will definitely deliver in that respect if you put in the time for it.

Hypno Vol. 1 - 400 MS points. Hypno Vol. 1 is an interesting game that has your character hypnotizing just about everyone in town to do her bidding. There's a very dark tone to the game, with most of that "bidding" involving gruesome ways to make innocent bystanders to commit suicide. I can't say that I was actually having fun while I played, but I was definitely intrigued enough that I wanted to see what the game was building toward. I highly recommend checking out the trial version first, but it is certainly a unique experience.

Bible Navigator X: HCSB - 400 MS points. I'm torn regarding how I feel about Bible Navigator X. I typically prefer word-for-word literal translations of the Bible. The HCSB translation is one that tries to combine literal translation and translation of meaning. This means that the HCSB authors took some liberties to translate some passages as what they thought the passages meant rather than what the passage actually says. This isn't something I'm personally a fan of, but I can't discredit the HCSB translation solely from my own personal bias. Then again, I kind of like some of the interpretive translations in the HCSB. Most notably, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 only say that "sleeping" with another man is a sin. Basically, according to this version of the Bible, everything you do with another man is a-ok so long as you don't get any sleep. And even then, sleeping is still fine so long as you sleep differently than you would with a woman.

You Will Die - 80 MS points. Few names are more appropriate for a bullet hell shooter. You Will Die is set up as a series of boss battles, with each one adding more guns and parts to the evil, taunting alien ship. How much fun you have with it will depend in part on your tolerance for frequent, and sometimes unfair, deaths.

Asphalt Jungle - 80 MS points. Asphalt Jungle is a fun Pipe Mania clone that has you guiding a car along roads instead of water through pipes. It's a bit different from the typical formula in that you don't have a set goal that the car is being led to, with you instead guiding the car for as long as you can to keep it from crashing. Road tiles that the car has already driven over disappear leaving large gaps in the level that must be avoided, adding an extra level of challenge to the task of keeping the car running. On the other hand, the game isn't easy on the eyes, sporting MS paint quality graphics. But if you are a believer in gameplay before graphics then there's a fun puzzle game waiting for you.

Rubble Muddle - 80 MS points. Rubble Muddle is a puzzle game where you need to clear the game board of rocks and gems by destroying groups of 2 or more adjacent stones of the same color. You can also move stones around to create groupings, but the game's timer encourages you to try to find existing groups first. In my experience with the game the timer was always either running out or almost running out before I finished a level. I don't know if this was because I'm not very good at the game or if the timer is just not quite long enough, but it created a barrier to really getting in and enjoying the meat of the game.

Nay

ToyBorgs - 240 MS points.

Pan-Global Racing Syndicate - 80 MS points.

ARC Viking Edition - 80 MS points.

SOS - 80 MS points.

Football League Simulator - 80 MS points.

House of Cockroach - 240 MS points.

Canno-Blast - 240 MS points.

Xmas Defender - 240 MS points.

Merry Inc. - 80 MS points.

Musicus2 - 400 MS points.

Updated Games
Flash Cards for Kids
SFG Soccer
Home Run Challenge
Starbase Epsilon
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Twin Blades
Ultimate Arcade Chat Rooms
Lotus - Stellar Combat
Flytrap
Mind's Eye of Jupiter - 01
Powa Volley
DESTRUCTION TANK
Banana Split
RadRiverRun
A Bomb's Way