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Release Date: July 17, 2009

XNA Communal Shower, Vol. 22

Rise of the Pew Pew.


Where there are only one or two XBLA games released each week, there could be dozens of Community Games released in a single day. And all of them cost a little scratch. So how do you know which Community Games are worth a damn? Well, of course, you'll get by with a little help from your friends at IGN.

Each week we'll round up the latest batch of Community games. We'll give you our hot picks and offer special awards for every game we put under review. We recommend always downloading the trial version of any Community Game to make sure it meets your personal tastes.

Hot Pies

Cyborg Mice Arena
We can rebuild him... We have the... uh... cheese.
Developer: bioroid
Cost: 200 MSP

Fellow indie game developers, take note: if you're going to build a fairly basic concept (in this case yet another twin stick shooter), pack it with the kind of stuff that will keep things interesting where sheer graphical pizazz can't quite suck a potential player in. Cyborg Mice Arena is unquestionably basic; the music is a repetitive drone, the enemies and arenas alike are quaintly simple, but there's a fairly decent upgrade system, a quick-buy menu and controls that are explained in depth. No, it's not an amazing game by any stretch, but bioroid has made the most of what they have, and for that I've gotta give 'em props. Were it priced any higher, I would have passed, but those looking to give the rather staid twin stick shooter genre a few more goes should give the demo a shot.

Write your own review.

Fireworks HD
Boom Boom Pow
Developer: Squimball
Cost: 200 MSP

My hatred toward quick-n-dirty screensaver apps knows no bounds, but I have to admit that at least Squimball actually put some effort into their little fireworks app. The size, frequency and colors of explosions can be controlled to a degree, as can the backgrounds (bonus points for throwing in a pic of Sequim, WA -- it's pronounced like the first part of the developer's name). There's really not much else to things, but it beats the hell out of just a bunch of random pictures -- enough that I feel oddly compelled to give this a recommendation if you're in need of a light show instead of an actual game, but only if you need one.

Write your own review.

Get The Ball
Go on, get it. OR ELSE.
Developer: Clay Schubiner
Cost: 200 MSP

I'll be honest: on any other week, this probably wouldn't have gotten a Hot pick, but the basic concept is, amazingly, quite solid despite it just being you trying to beat an AI or human player to a bouncing ball. Predicting angles and getting out in front of the other player, plus a handful of decent takes on that same theme (Panic!, where you only have two seconds to get the ball is weirdly addictive) are all fun enough to overpower the game's clearly basic presentation. Nice work, Clay.

Write your own review.

Gold Medal for Promising Pew Pew
Developer: Dark Omen Games
Cost: 200 MSP

It might look a bit like a Geometry Wars clone due to the games sharing some aesthetic sensibilities, but Nebulon isn't really a twin-stick shooter. As soon as you move, you'll reset your guns to fire in the direction you're moving, so sitting still and fine-tuning your aim is more of the right stick's job. That leaves the rest of the game's upgrade system (funded by glowing circles dropped by some enemies) and careful movement to supply additional differences. The result? One of the most simple but effective concepts I've played on XNA in quite a while. If you haven't quite grown tired of shooters yet, definitely give this one a shot. Hell, do it even if you have.

Click on the nebulous void up there to see some good shooting.

Write your own review.

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Game Details

Published by: Independent
Developed by: Independent
Genre: Other
Release Date:
United States: July 17, 2009
Also Available On: