Xbox 360 Game Reviews

Rating:

I figured I would just write something short and sweet to get into the swing of reviewing things in general. I have decided to review Galaga first because I believe it was the first game I ever downloaded from the Xbox Live Arcade.

When I purchased this I was pretty excited because there really wasn’t that many options available at the time. If you grew up in the 80’s playing games, this one was everywhere. Arcades, party stores, laundromats, you name it. I wish I knew how many quarters I’ve dumped into this machine throughout the years. Anyway, this game is a guilty pleasure for us old-school gamers out there.

Do I even need to explain this game? Just looking at the picture above, I would hope you grasped what is going on here. You move left to right shooting up at ships while they’re swooping down shooting at you. Simple stuff.

The game seems like an exact clone of the arcade version. They really didn’t do much to it, or leave anything out, that I can recall. The graphics are basic, the sounds are classic and the game itself is just good clean fun.

I’m giving this game a 3.5, mainly because I think it’s an above average port for the price, but it’s not a perfect release for this day and age. The biggest problem is the replay factor. There really isn’t one. Once you’ve unlocked all of the achievements, there really isn’t another reason to fire up the game ever again. Maybe some of you will want to break high scores or maybe you’re a fanatic, but for the majority of us out there, there’s just too many other things to play, and not enough time.

If you’re a fan of the arcade classic, in the mood for something casual that you can just pick up and play, and have the 400 points of Bill Gates Fun Money to spend, I definitely recommend making the purchase, even if it only entertains you for a day or two. Later.

This is just an observation I made the other day, but I would love to hear other people’s opinions if anyone else has noticed this, or am I making shit up?

Anyway, my 360 came with the standard controller that connects with a wire to the USB port. I eventually bought a second controller, the wireless one, because I just wanted to have it around in case I had company and we wanted to play whatever.

I coiled up the original controller, and began using the wireless one all the time… For no real reason other than wanting to get my money’s worth out of the purchase…I might as well use it right?

So, I started to notice that the batteries were starting to loose juice during the last couple of weeks. I figured I would play with it until they were completely dead before running out and replacing the batteries. The controller eventually started pausing whatever game I was playing, and told me to “Please insert a controller…” Once that started happening, I realized the batteries were dead.

Now here’s the thing, at the time, I was mainly playing Geometry Wars Evolved. If you are a fan of this game, you know that there is no room for error when it comes to blowing stuff up and staying alive. I also felt like I was having some sort of a problem with playing the game. Watching other people’s videos online, the game appeared to be easier for them, and I always felt as though I was missing something, or am I just mildly retarded?

The batteries died, I had nothing to replace them with lying around the house, so I dusted off the old wired controller, and got back to what I was doing. The game immediately (and almost magically) became easier and more responsive. I was destroying geometric shapes and staying alive longer than ever before, and I felt like a breathe of fresh air and a new feeling of hope was brought to the game. I am playing it more now than ever because those achievements no longer feel so far away.

Have you ever played a game with someone, they die, and they blame it on the controller? It’s pretty funny, and I know I’ve done it myself in the past. You yell, “I HIT THE FCUKING BUTTON!!!” But in reality, you simply made a mistake or you probably just suck.

There is definitely a lag issue with the wireless controller. Is the problem always there? Or, is it only there when the batteries are dying? I am interested in your thoughts.

To start things out…a friend tipped me off that Gamestop was having a buy two get one free used game sale yesterday. The guy working there was pretty helpful. He advised me against some games I had in my hand, and suggested some other things I was equally interested in checking out. I ended up walking out with The Orange Box, Condemned I, and Lost Planet. I will get back with whatever I think matters with all three games as soon as possible.