Yay

Radiangames Fluid - 80 MS points. Radiangames is known for its intense arcade shooters, some of the best on the 360, so it was quite a surprise to see their latest game, Fluid. Oh, it still lives up to the high level of quality we've come to expect from Radiangames, but it's also unlike anything Radiangames has done before. Fluid, in some ways, is quite similar to the classic Pac-Man. You control a tadpole-like fish through 30 levels, eating all of the pellets to clear a level. But instead of the four ghosts of Pac-Man, in Fluid you have the ghosts of every pellet you've eaten bent on revenge. Once you eat a pellet, a shadow pellet forms in its place with the single-minded goal of crashing into your fish. The constant danger of your past path mixes with a timed element of the gameplay to excellent effect. Some levels will require you to use a power-up that makes your fish temporarily immune to enemies, but it's a double-edged sword as the power-up also slows you down. You're rewarded with up to five stars for each level, depending on how long it took you to complete it, and there seems to always be that one perfect path that will net you a top score. It's the challenge of figuring out that perfect path and actually having the skill and quick reflexes to pull it off that makes Radiangames Fluid so much fun. Then on top of that there are bonus levels unlocked once you've attained at least three stars on every level, and these bonus levels will truly test your skills. If you like a gorgeous but simple art style and quick gameplay to match, then Radiangames Fluid should already be on your Xbox Live download queue.

Blazin' Balls Xtreme Edition - 80 MS points. Blazin' Balls Xtreme Edition is the sequel to Blazin' Balls, and is pretty standard as sequels go. It gives you 20 new levels to roll and bounce through, collecting coins and shooting for the high score along the way. And as silly as that capital X Xtreme is, the game manages to earn it. Levels this time around definitely offer more of a challenge, with more jumping and lane changes required than I remember in the original. Areas of the track that change how the ball controls also make a return, like speed and slow zones, jump zones, and the ever-challenging zones that reverse the controls. Blazin' Balls Xtreme Edition also adds a two player mode, which is a lot of fun as you and a friend knock balls together in a race to the finish. The graphics aren't anything special, but the gameplay is the right blend of Super Monkey Ball and drag racing to keep players hooked for a long time.

Ay?

Bluebones Curse - 80 MS points. Bluebones Curse is a platformer starring a skeletal pirate out to get his body back. There's a brief story about retrieving Davey Jones' treasure on Halloween night, but considering that I spent the entire game on floating platforms in the sky, I'm not sure how crucial that story really is. What is crucial is that this is an excellent platforming game, with lots of timing-based jumps and some small puzzles to discover along the way. The art and animation in the game is also superb, with Bluebones and his enemies coming to life on the screen. In fact, Bluebones Curse would have been above in the Yay category if not for one small detail: it's a very short game. I beat the game in just under 20 minutes, and that included finding all but one of the hidden pumpkins scattered throughout the game. I loved every minute of it, but there just weren't enough minutes in it to love. If you're a platformer fan then definitely give Bluebones Curse a try. Just don't expect it to occupy a whole afternoon.

LEUCISTIC WYVERNリューシスティックワイバーン - 80 MS points. Leucistic Wyvern, or however you pronounce it, is an arcade style rail shooter from Japan. It reminded me a lot of the classic Space Harrier games, which is good because I'm a huge Space Harrier fan. I was all prepared to give this game a Yay, except for one small issue: it uses inverted controls. Now, maybe some of you out there like an inverted Y-axis, but it just doesn't work for me. And as best I can tell, there's no options menu to change the controls. If you like inverted controls then definitely give this game a shot, it's nine levels of arcade goodness. But if you're like me and get completely mixed up when up is down and down is up, then you might have to pass this one by.

Chaos Gateway - 240 MS points. Chaos Gateway is a visual novel game about a not so distant future thrown into turmoil. I was pleasantly surprised that the story was a much longer one than I expected, and held my interest the whole way through. Well, maybe not the whole way. The game begins right in the middle of the action, so I found myself a bit disoriented and feeling like I was playing catch-up to the characters. But once they reached an old military bunker, where the majority of the game takes place, the story started to take shape and I was urged on by a genuine need to see how everything played out. That being said, it's not a perfect visual novel. Visual novels are generally fairly linear, but this one is about as linear as it can get. There are a few times when you can explore the bunker, but there is seldom anything to find, with the only real rewards for exploration coming too late in the game. The writing is also not among the best I've seen in the genre. The story is engaging, but I can't say that I ever really cared about most of the characters, and the characters I found most interesting were the ones who spent the shortest amount of time on screen. There was also an odd tendency for the game to have dialog boxes displaying a character's name but then inside the box would have exposition from the perspective of a third-person narrator. Visual novels are already a niche genre, but if you're a fan of that niche then Chaos Gateway is probably the best that the 360 has to offer. Unfortunately, if you live in the US at least, it's also the only one that the 360 has to offer.

Fear the Dronx - 80 MS points. Fear the Dronx is a truly unique and challenging puzzle game. Each level has an emitter for blocks and an emitter for bombs, with a limited supply in each. Your task is to place guiding arrows and stop points around the level to maneuver the blocks into position Chu Chu Rocket style. Ultimately, your goal is to use the bombs to destroy the Dronx, creatures that resemble neon Pac-Man ghosts. Capturing the Dronx in a small enough block cage so that a bomb will destroy them is very challenging, even on the early levels, and only builds from there. This puzzle game is probably a bit too hard for most gamers, I know that I've been having a very difficult time with it, but puzzle fans looking for a game that will really test their wits should give it a try.

Ripple - 80 MS points. Ripple is a twin-stick shooter that goes for retro-styled visuals without the neon effects that so many tack on. It also has a unique gameplay hook. Shooting an enemy isn't enough to defeat it, as bullets only drain the enemy of its color. To defeat enemies you need to unleash a bomb, which sends ripples out in every direction and destroys all colorless enemies it comes into contact with. You have unlimited bombs, though there is a brief cool-down period of a second or two before you can use another bomb. Enemies also spawn into the arena in time with the music, which is a nice touch, though the first minute or so is rather barren as the music begins to pick up. The only question is whether you have interest in bringing another twin-stick shooter into your gaming library. If yes, then Ripple is definitely above average, but there is also better to be found.

Nay

Lab Rabbit - 80 MS points. Lab Rabbit is a platformer starring a silhouette rabbit and absolutely horrible controls. Jumping requires both the jump button and aiming with the analog stick, though it is overly sensitive to your movements and usually results in the rabbit landing on spikes. I honestly have not been able to complete the third level because I spent 20 minutes trying to jump over two small spiked pits to no avail. Challenging platformers live and die by their controls. The best of them go on to be hugely successful, like N+ and Super Meat Boy. The worst of them are called Lab Rabbit.

Oh Noes!!1 - 80 MS points. To its credit, Oh Noes!!1 doesn't seem to try to be a good game. It tries to be ridiculous. You control a giant chicken shooting lasers out of its eyes at helpless civilians and military vehicles alike. Killing enough victims builds up the chicken's bloodlust meter to unleash three levels of special abilities. The problem is that actually controlling the chicken and shooting is just, well, boring. The chicken's health bar is so ridiculously large, and the enemies so ineffective, that the humor wears thin quickly and it just becomes monotonous.