When the Xbox Live Arcade initiative was just being rolled out back in 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360, a genuine neon-emblazed classic came out day one on the service, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Fast-forward three years and we finally get a sequel for it; is it worth your 800 Microsoft points?
The short answer: yes. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is not only an upgrade to the first title, but a real step forward in accessibility, variety, and fun even if you weren’t a hardcore player of the first. Whereas GW1 let you putz around the game and easily blast a few of the geometric enemies for ONLY a few moments (before quickly dying after the barrage of enemies were released), GW:RE2 is a longer, more rewarding experience.
First off, the higher ticket price means you get new modes and added four-player support. The game is split up into six different modes and each one has its different leaderboards — the scores amongst you and your friends are prominently displayed at boot up — and each one varies the gameplay slightly.
A couple of the standouts modes are “Pacifism” and “King,” but the rest are welcome additions, as well. What once used to be an achievement in the first game, becomes a reality in GW:RE2 with the first mode mentioned as you’re stripped away from your power to shoot and have to, instead, traverse the map shot-less and hit “gates” that explode as you pass through them. The latter mode asks you to only shoot in designated “zones,” or circles, moving from one to the next weaseling through the numerous baddies.
Faithful fans of the first game shouldn’t fret though, as the original “Evolved” mode is included along with a few other great modes. Fundamentally, Bizarre Creations has made a few significant changes with this iteration that introduces a “geom” system to the original gameplay. Geoms are specks that the enemies leave behind after shooting them and each one adds to your overall multiplayer. Before, when you died that’d be the end of your multiplier, but GW:RE2’s geom system keeps it going when you’ve respawned. Expect even higher scores this time around.
Multiplayer in Geo Wars 2 comes in two flavors: co-op and competitive. You can play with up three of your buddies and take on every mode that’s available in single-player. Unfortunately, you can’t upload the scores that you acrue with your team of crackshots, but its still an entertaining diversion for when you have company over. Online is noticeably absent, but for a game that relies on split-second reactions and decisions its understandable why it was omitted; sometimes unreliable net lag would’ve killed the experience. Make sure to play multiplayer on a bigger screen than the 13-incher reserved for the kids’ table, though, as the camera pans out far enough to make your ship look like a distant star.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 does so much with the single “map” that it easily warrants the 800 Points ($10) price of entry without going into Geometry Wars: Galaxies territory and adding tons of levels. The six different modes (including the meaty, 20-level “Sequence” mode) are more than enough game for this DLC marvel. Log into your Xbox Live account and download it now.
written by Carlos Macias
\\ tags: Evolved, experience, game, Gameplay, geom, Geometry, Live, Map, mode, multiplayer, price, Retro, Review, system, Xbox
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