[[Xbox Live Arcade]]
When it comes to Xbox Live arcade games it ’s inevitable that Mutant Storm Reloaded is going to be compared to the popular and addictive Geometry Wars, and with good reason. Both games share a similar style of play and control system but there are many important differences, some good, others very very bad.
When I initially saw Mutant Storm, I thought great a Geo Wars type game with a two player option, just what I’ve been looking for. Unfortunately for Mutant Storm, being compared to Geo Wars was the beginning of the end. It’s not that the game is entirely devoid of a fun factor, but more that it lacks the fast pace and well balanced increase of difficulty that keeps Geo Wars interesting. Let’s be clear, Mutant Storm gets boring quickly.
The controls are very similar to Geo Wars and the freeware PC title Mono. This is a great way to play this style of game and would really challenge the players hand-eye skills if Mutant Storm was moving at a faster pace like the aforementioned titles. One of the most frustrating things about Mutant Storm is the enemy’s AI. For the most part the characters move too slowly and predictably around the game space, this causes boredom to slip in which results in a comatose like state in the player. Things do become more challenging in the later levels of the game but the increase in difficulty is so gradual you soon decided you’ve got more exciting things to do, like head out to the garden to race snails!
To add to the problems, the levels are extremely short. For example the first time I play Mutant Storm I completed the first level in under 20 secs (and that’s being generous). This constant change of levels just adds to an even slower game experience which seems to be the opposite of what arcade style shooters like this are all about, action.
The graphics in Mutant Storm are probably the high point of the game with a good combo of 2D and 3D objects making it one of the more graphically rich games in the Xbox Live arcade. Unfortunately this adds little to the game experience, but still there’s nothing wrong with a little eye candy, even if’it is’a little oddly coloured.
Just when you thought this review was getting all positive along comes sounds, it’s just plain awful. I’m not sure what the developers were going for but the sound, particularly the effects, are so annoying they actually cause me to wince between levels. They’re so bad even if all other elements of the game were of a high standard, the audio would bring it down to a negative review.
In conclusion the developers of Mutant Storm (PoMPoM Games) seem to have missed the point of an arcade action shooter, and despite bringing a two player option it really lacks any reason to want to play it. The game simply fails to bring any action to the player and what it lacks in action it lacks even more in re-playability. As a whole I would call this game a disappointing effort given it could have been so much more. My advice, save your gamer points and buy Geo Wars if you looking for an’action’packed’Xbox Live Arcade shooter.
Rating: 2/10