A look at Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

[thunderhero4]

This is my review for the Xbox Live Arcade game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.



Name: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Platform: Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade)
Genre: Arcade Shooter
Developer: Bizarre Creations
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
ESRB: E
Retail: 400 Microsoft Points ($5.00)
Also On: PC (Retro edition), Wii (Galaxies edition), DS (also Galaxies edition)
Input: Xbox 360 Controller
Release Date: November 21, 2005

Ok, lets get started ^_^

Story

There is no story since this is an Arcade style shooter, and no points will be taken off...

X/5

Gameplay

As in all arcade shooters, gameplay is the main, and only focus of the entire game! Lets investigate!

You control a tiny white "shape" and must go around a small box shooting off other multicolored shapes trying to get you. Don't let the name fool you, there is NO math involved.

You control your ship via left thumb stick. To fire, use the right thumb stick to shoot from all sides of your "shape". It's alot easier and better designed than by shooting from the front, and you would never survive this game for very long if that were the case.

The game will start out with the simple purple wheels (a purple shape consisting of 4 right triangles). All they do is sit there and act more like obsticles. Then light blue diamonds come, and they chase you at a very slow pace. No problem, right? Next comes green boxes that chase you at a much faster speed, and are very good at avoiding your bullets. There is some nice AI designed into those boxes. Then comes these boxes called magneta boxes, which when shot, let out 3 smaller versions of the origional. You must then kill those 3 to completely finish it off. Eventually, big red circles appear. These move very very slowly and can help you, or lead to your doom. Shoot them, and a giant black hole shaped object will emit from them. It sucks in all close enemies, and you if you're close enough. To get rid of it, keep shooting into it's core, and it will disapear and you get all the points for the enemies it consumed. However, if you do not kill it, it will explode and send out about 10 tiny circles that aggressively chase you at a high speed. If you are cunning enough to kill them before they get you, then you are fine, but it's hard to survive them with so much enemy traffic.

If you can survive for a long period of time, you will encounter white snakes, aphids, and red claws. White snakes are long, white shapes with a yellow head. they swarm and wiggle around you to corner you. Shoot them in the head ASAP to finish them. Aphids are the most annoying of all the enemies. They are tiny and come in swarms of about 50 at a time and can be a real ninny to handle. Just keep firing to get rid of em. Then you have the red claws. They seek you out and charge at you at crazy speeds. When they charge at you they create a sheild on their fron to block from firing, so just get out of the way. These are the enemies of Geometry Wars.


Some enemies in Geometry Wars. This shows the blue diamonds, purple wheels, green squares, and magnetica boxes. That white thing up above is you.

Once you get going in a game, the enemies wil start to overwhelm you and appear at each and every turn. They are everywhere. Fortunetely, thanks to the versitile controls of your shape, you can manuver through these crowds with ease, letting out supressing fire as you go by them. If you feel that there are far too many enemies for you and you are just about to get killed, let out a bomb. You have 3 bombs from the start. They wipe the screen clean of enemies, so that you may relax for the meantime. Be careful though, only use them if you NEED to, for if you waste em quick, you wont last very long.

If you continue to play, your gun will change from basic blaster, to machine gun, to fusion. This gun changes depending on the situation. For example, you may be using the basic blaster, and all the sudden a swarm of 20 enemies each comes at you from all directions. It will change itself to the machine gun so you can make it out.


This game can, and will get crazy

This is the new version of the game. Retro is also included in the package. It's essentially the same thing, except it has worse graphics, and it's generally harder.

Play this game once, and you will LOVE it! It's everything you want from an arcade shooter. The gameplay was done perfectly. It's also fast paced and gets your adrenaline rushing.

How long can you survive?

This is great! gets a 5/5

Replayability and Fun Extras

You may have noticed I changed the name of this section. Personalization is pretty much explained in gameplay.

Anyway, this is by far the most addicting game I have ever played. I thought it might have been Dr. Mario Online Rx, but this game easily beats it. It's so much fun, that if you got the demo, you wouldn't be able to stop playing that either! This game has excellent replayablilty!

As for fun extras, there are the leaderboards for tracking your friend's high scores an comparing them. That is essentially it, however.

This gets a 4.5/5, it will not get old.

Graphics

This game has the best graphics for it's genre. After all, it IS an Xbox 360 game. Everything you fight looks like it ws made with neon gas. It looks so colorful and great! Plus the background will wave and dillude with your gunfire. Seeing it all together in motion in HD is a real eye treasure!


Look at all that color! :O

This game has the best graphics for it's genre, again... 5/5

Sound

The sound in this game is also great! Everything seems to fit perfectly! From the firing of your guns, to the explosions, to the other cool noises, it sounds great.

Also, the BGM is absolutely perfect again. It's so catchy, you could listen to it for hours and hours without losing intrest. It has a nice futuristic theme and suits the situation.

Sound is great, and music is just about perfect. 4.5/5

Controls

Just when you thought I couldn't compliment this game any more, the controls are smoothed to perfection. They are also very responsive and make it easy to do something that looks hard to do. Shooting is the other side of this. You have just about pin-point accuracy with the Right Thumb Stick, and it's easy to plow down 100's of enemies within 5 seconds.

Control is excellent and simple! 4.5/5

Multiplayer

Unfortunetely, such a great game has absolutely no multiplayer :( It wont take away from the score, but I would have been great if it were here. However, there IS co-op multiplayer in the Wii and DS editions of the game, but they are sold as retail instead of as download.


Geometry Wars: Galaxies, the console retail version. It has multiplayer and online.

Wish it was there... X/5

Overall

This is a pretty darn good deal for just $5.00. It has great everything, but has no story or multiplayer. You will come back for more multiple times and it wont get old!

It gets an overall 9/10 excellent for being the ideal arcade game for such a great price!

If you have a 360, get it and enjoy it. If you have a Wii or DS, get it if you really want to try it. It is great, and deserves to be played by everybody!

Gameplay Movie (new)

I have added in a section for a gameplay movie. If you would like to see the game in action, watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpkoKSIxLI&feature=related

[Tupin]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

[thunderhero4]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

Thanks. What versions do you own? And I just added some more pictures.

[Tupin]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

Thanks. What versions do you own? And I just added some more pictures.

I own the DS version, and I have the demo on XBLA.

*looks at pictures*



I still can't believe they made a downloadable game look THAT good.

[thunderhero4]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

Thanks. What versions do you own? And I just added some more pictures.

I own the DS version, and I have the demo on XBLA.

*looks at pictures*



I still can't believe they made a downloadable game look THAT good.

You have XBL?! Whats your gamertag? I gotta add you. And i played the demo for about 3 hours and I had bought the game already. I NEEDED it :P

[Tupin]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

Thanks. What versions do you own? And I just added some more pictures.

I own the DS version, and I have the demo on XBLA.

*looks at pictures*



I still can't believe they made a downloadable game look THAT good.

You have XBL?! Whats your gamertag? I gotta add you. And i played the demo for about 3 hours and I had bought the game already. I NEEDED it :P

My gamertag is Tuppyluver.

I have so many games I want to download, but not enough MS Points.  :(

Here's just a few games I want:
Geometry Wars
DOOM
Ikaruga
Rez HD

I have the demos of all of them, but only 800 points. D:

Ah well, at least I can play CoD4 with you.  :)

[thunderhero4]

I love this game, the DS version captures all of the frenzy in a portable system.

Good review, Geometry Wars is an awesome game.

Thanks. What versions do you own? And I just added some more pictures.

I own the DS version, and I have the demo on XBLA.

*looks at pictures*



I still can't believe they made a downloadable game look THAT good.

You have XBL?! Whats your gamertag? I gotta add you. And i played the demo for about 3 hours and I had bought the game already. I NEEDED it :P

My gamertag is Tuppyluver.

I have so many games I want to download, but not enough MS Points.  :(

Here's just a few games I want:
Geometry Wars
DOOM
Ikaruga
Rez HD

I have the demos of all of them, but only 800 points. D:

Ah well, at least I can play CoD4 with you.  :)

aye. Lets play now and stop spamming so that others can comment! ;)