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View Full Version : 360 Xbox Live Arcade: Battle of the shooters


Glockstar
02-26-2006, 05:48 PM
Robotron 2084 vs Geometry Wars Retro Evolved vs Mutant Storm Reloaded

Left-thumbstick controls your movements, right-thumbstick is used for multi-directional firing... enemies swarm and surround you, there's a non-stop hail of bullets, and color... and madness... it is totally psychodelic.

Which game am I talking about? All three. (All four if you want to count Geometry Wars Retro seperate from Geometry Wars Evolved.)

So which one to get? I mean, if they all play the same then you only need one, right?

Well, aside from their cost, there are differences between the three games:

The classic Robotron 2084 (400 points ($5.00)) - from which the others are undoubtedly based on - might still be the best, actually. If you can get past the fugly graphics. It's the only one that supports two-players - including co-op! - the other two are 1-player only. And, there's more to do than just shoot things - there's a family that needs saving!

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved (400 ($5.00)) tho'... having played the PGR2 version, I thought this game was one of the must-have 360 games. :p You can't beat the price. And you get both versions. I think GW is one of the maddest games ever made. Unlike the other two (where after you clear the room, there's a pause in the action while the next challenge loads) the action is non-stop!

Mutant Storm Reloaded (800 ($10.00)) is easily the most psychodelic - and visually and aurally fantastic - of the three. Gameplay wise, I'd say it's right in between Robotron and GW. It's level based (80+ rooms to clear); with power-ups to collect. Three big differences tho': 1) full graphics - they're not archaic sprites or vector-like at all; 2) there's in-game music (with the other two, it's just sound effects) - which is mostly techno (and mostly good - from what I could tell); 3) and finally, the bad guys actually shoot back at you - they don't just come at you and try to crash into you. This is the only one of the three that I haven't played the full version of tho'. Two reasons: 1) the price - it's twice as much as the other two; and 2) because the developers bugged me with their constant hounding of trying to get me to download/unlock the full game. :mad: There are seven levels to the demo, and after every one they had to stop you and ask you if you want to buy the full-game yet. Even at the very end, when you try to exit the game and go back to the XLA main menu! Effin pain in the azz.

But what am I babbling about, you can find all this out for yourself - the demos are free on Xbox Live. (Although the Robotron demo is a piece-of-*bleep* - it's a timed demo, and one that lasts only a few seconds at that!)

So which one do you like?

Fivespot
02-26-2006, 08:01 PM
Lately I've been liking Mutant Storm Reloaded although Geo Wars is probably still the best in my opinion.

I like the way Mutant Storm Reloaded allows you to start further in the game allowing you to resume where you left off (kind of). Geo Wars starts over every time and is more arcade like that way.

Cuddly Knife
02-26-2006, 09:24 PM
Gemoetry Wars Evolved is the game that I can always go back to, since it's perfect for a quick eight-minute session. Although Mutant Storm Reloaded has it so you can play either the Adventure mode or the Tally mode(I'm ranked in the top twenty on Tally, and top fifty on Adventure). Tally is cool to get down the levels, since it's all about the high score. Plus there are a lot of difficulties in the form of different colored belts. Also, Geometry Wars follows a kind of pattern that you can get into to get the big scores, and Mutant Storm's levels and enemies are widely varied. The seven levels on the demo don't even touch on the variety of enemies you'll find in the final version.

As for Robotron 2084. After playing through GW and MS for a while, going back to Robo is like seeing Van Damm movies after watching nothing but old Jackie Chan movies for a while. It's just so primitive. Only eight directions to shoot?! Give me total analog control over that bad boy! Also, once I get to wave five, I start getting smoked like the bubonic chronic.

To sum up, they're all good, but I prefer the modern shooters to the old-schoolers. Don't even get me started on Crystal Quest. Bleh.

Glockstar
02-28-2006, 09:44 AM
Also, Geometry Wars follows a kind of pattern that you can get into to get the big scores...

Oh yeah? You are going to have tell me what that is, because I SUCK at this game (now).

Does GW Retro seem different to you at all from the PGR2 game? I could swear I didn't suck this bad before. :confused:

Cuddly Knife
02-28-2006, 01:16 PM
Oh yeah? You are going to have tell me what that is, because I SUCK at this game (now). Well, it's only useful when you get to a certain point. But the main thing is to try and avoid being near the walls and to not stop moving, because enemies will do a respawn trap that can be tricky, especially if they throw the red dudes that break up into smaller pieces. Don't stop moving, even if there are only two enemies on the whole screen.

But anyways, the pattern is to keep circling in any direction, always shooting in the general area of where your'e going to go next. It might also seem like a good idea to get rid of the black holes as soon as they pop up, but it's better not to since they will suck up a few of the baddies that might be on your ass, and you get more points if you destroy them when they are full. Also, try to get rid of the snake-ish things asap, because their extensions block all bullets from hitting anything else. And don't forget to use your bombs!

Does GW Retro seem different to you at all from the PGR2 game? I could swear I didn't suck this bad before. :confused :
Actually, to me, it seems easier than the one on PGR2. I just went in after player Evolved, and I got a monster score after about three tries. The only thing that blows about retro is that they don't just switch between two guns, they also included slow as hell seeking bullets. Boo.