Generally there is very little pomp and circumstance surrounding a titles launch on Xbox Live Arcade. Even when it's a title that people have been chomping at the bit about, we usually don't hear about it's pending release until a week or so before it hits. Even in this typically humble atmosphere though, the quiet surrounding the launch of Assault Heroes was eerie. The title was announced this past Tuesday, less than 24 hours before it's midnight launch on XBLA. Nobody knew a damned thing about it. The whole thing was downright spooky. Despite the mystery surrounding its arrival, Assault Heroes does exactly what it needs to; it proves that XBLA can deliver on its "the most bang for your buck" promise that Microsoft made only one short year ago.

Assault Heroes plays an awful lot like a hybrid of Total Carnage and Jackal with a little Ikari Warriors thrown into the mix. If you have no idea what I'm talking about right now, then chances are you slept a little too long in your mommy's tummy and missed the second explosion of the arcade scene in the late 80's/early 90's, back in the day when games like Lethal Enforcers and Super Off-Road Challenge ruled the scene. Total Carnage and Jackal were of that oft-loved but mostly forgotten genre, the top-down shooter. If you've played Smash TV on XBLA, you've got the right idea. Even Geometry Wars is just a variation on this theme. So now that you've got a basic idea of the genre, let's get to the important stuff - how does Assault heroes play?

To be honest, pretty damned good. For the majority of the game you'll find yourself in control of a dune buggy type vehicle. Right from the start of the game you'll notice is how well it controls. The movement is smooth and reliable which is definitely a plus in a game where twitch shooting and constant dodging of enemies is your main focus. You'll find yourself facing wave after wave of foot soldiers, tanks, suicide bombers (affectionately dubbed "kamikazes,") and well-armed assault structures as you make your way through 5 distinctly different environments. For all the variety though, the core gameplay remains the same throughout which may lead some gamers to get bored rather quickly. It's a shame, because if these same gamers could make it to the end of a zone before giving up they'd find some of the best boss battles this side of early Treasure games. The boss battles are other chunks of gameplay that break from the mold are really what make this game worthwhile. By the end of the game you'll be destroying train cars one by one while avoiding their falling cargo, coming face to face with a giant mobile wall that has tanks fold down from its sections, and going toe to toe against the worlds largest mechanical crustacean. Not too bad for 800 points, eh?

You can easily blow through this game in one afternoon, though if you do you'll probably want to do it with a friend. The repetitiveness of the core gameplay may start to grate on you in single player after a few hours, but when blasting through mechs and giant bees either locally or through Xbox Live with a friend, it'll be damned near impossible to put down.

As one of the few truly original top-down shooters in more than a decade, Assault Heroes brings the fun of early-90's arcade style shoot-em-ups to the front of your mind and the center of your living room. Mindless repetitiveness aside, this game is definitely well worth the 800 points they're asking.

7 out of 10

Comments (1)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment