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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Shooter Developer: Bizarre Creations Publisher: Activision |
For those who have played “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved,” they will pretty much know what they will get from “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2.” For those who haven’t played the original, players pilot a ship in a small,
rectangular arena. The left thumb stick moves players and the right thumb stick fires the ship’s weapons. This time around there are two changes that make a big difference in the game play. Multipliers are no longer
earned by killing enemies, instead when players destroy an enemy; it leaves behind tiny green orbs. Collecting the orbs increases the player’s multiplier which doesn’t reset, even if the player dies. There are also no
weapon upgrades this time around; the guns that players start with are the ones they will die with.
While “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved” has a single mode that was deep enough to hold a player’s attention for quite some time. “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” comes with six modes, mostly because none of them
have quite the same level of depth to match the original on their own. The three modes that will hook players are King, Sequence and Pacifism. The three modes that will leave players wanting more are Evolved, Waves
and Deadline.
King is a spin on classic King of the Hill multiplayer. There are protective bubbles spread throughout the map. Enemies can't enter these areas and players can only shoot when they are inside the bubble. As soon as
they enter a bubble, it begins to deteriorate, forcing them to leave shortly after entering and make it to the next bubble. The catch is that the green orb multipliers spread out across the areas where players can't shoot at
enemies. It's very fun, but it can be very stressful since players have only one life.
Sequence is a series of levels that each has their own specific enemy pattern. Those patterns won't change no matter how many times players make your way through the sequence. Getting all the way through more
than 20 levels is not easy. If the player dies, they are pushed to the next sequence and aren't credited for beating the area in which they died. Of course, as they progress through the sequence, the enemy layout
becomes more difficult to handle. To beat the final four sequences takes a true master.
Pacifism is by far the best new mode. For those who played the first game, they may recall that there was an achievement called "Pacifism," which rewarded players for starting and not shooting enemies for a short
period of time. This new mode is inspired by that Achievement. Players have no guns and no bombs. To combat the swarming enemies, they must pass through small gates which appear every few seconds. Passing
through a gate causes it to explode and destroy nearby enemies. If players touch the ends of the gates, they will die. With their focus only on piloting their ship, they may find themselves pulling off some incredible flying
moves that players wouldn't try in the other modes.
Evolved is the original game, but with some of the new enemies imported from other modes and the new multiplier rules. While it's fun, it's also a game that's more than two years old and it isn’t anything overly
enjoyable. Waves mode comes straight from “Project Gotham Racing 4.” This mode is designed to prevent gamers from playing against the walls of the arena, while horizontal and vertical lines of enemies fly back and
forth across the playing field. Finally is Deadline mode. This mode plays like Evolved mode, only this time players have a five minute timer. Players need to score as much as possible, with unlimited lives, in five
minutes. It is very simple, just not very fun.
There is one other addition to the game that will please fans. Players can now play cooperatively or competitively with up to three other people. Unfortunately this is an offline feature. The lack of Xbox Live game play is
very disappointing. Also, the multiplayer mode has a lot of issues. Bizarre Creations ahs added loads more particle effects for the sequel making it a splashier game. This also means that with four people playing,
there are colors splashing across the screen at all times. It gets difficult to tell what is going on at times. The camera in cooperative mode is a little awkward. As players spread out across the map, the camera pulls
out, making it really hard to make fine navigation movements since everything on the screen is much smaller. Also, if the player’s friends die, the camera often gets stuck in this wide view, instead of switching back to
the single player camera. Co-pilot mode, where one person steers and the other shoots, is just a gimmick for people who have gotten bored with the main modes.
“Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” is a solid sequel. Three of the six modes are a lot of fun with the other three modes being okay. This is a game and a series that is starting to show its age. These modes are not
much more than alterations to the rules for the same game that players have been playing for years. With such a large number of shooter style games, this game hasn’t taken the step it needs to make in order to be at
the top of a player’s want list. This game seems more like a greatest hits offering than a true sequel. When players are trying to determine if the game is worth the $10 price tag, yes it is. Is it the best game to ever
make its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade? Not at all.
rectangular arena. The left thumb stick moves players and the right thumb stick fires the ship’s weapons. This time around there are two changes that make a big difference in the game play. Multipliers are no longer
earned by killing enemies, instead when players destroy an enemy; it leaves behind tiny green orbs. Collecting the orbs increases the player’s multiplier which doesn’t reset, even if the player dies. There are also no
weapon upgrades this time around; the guns that players start with are the ones they will die with.
While “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved” has a single mode that was deep enough to hold a player’s attention for quite some time. “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” comes with six modes, mostly because none of them
have quite the same level of depth to match the original on their own. The three modes that will hook players are King, Sequence and Pacifism. The three modes that will leave players wanting more are Evolved, Waves
and Deadline.
King is a spin on classic King of the Hill multiplayer. There are protective bubbles spread throughout the map. Enemies can't enter these areas and players can only shoot when they are inside the bubble. As soon as
they enter a bubble, it begins to deteriorate, forcing them to leave shortly after entering and make it to the next bubble. The catch is that the green orb multipliers spread out across the areas where players can't shoot at
enemies. It's very fun, but it can be very stressful since players have only one life.
Sequence is a series of levels that each has their own specific enemy pattern. Those patterns won't change no matter how many times players make your way through the sequence. Getting all the way through more
than 20 levels is not easy. If the player dies, they are pushed to the next sequence and aren't credited for beating the area in which they died. Of course, as they progress through the sequence, the enemy layout
becomes more difficult to handle. To beat the final four sequences takes a true master.
Pacifism is by far the best new mode. For those who played the first game, they may recall that there was an achievement called "Pacifism," which rewarded players for starting and not shooting enemies for a short
period of time. This new mode is inspired by that Achievement. Players have no guns and no bombs. To combat the swarming enemies, they must pass through small gates which appear every few seconds. Passing
through a gate causes it to explode and destroy nearby enemies. If players touch the ends of the gates, they will die. With their focus only on piloting their ship, they may find themselves pulling off some incredible flying
moves that players wouldn't try in the other modes.
Evolved is the original game, but with some of the new enemies imported from other modes and the new multiplier rules. While it's fun, it's also a game that's more than two years old and it isn’t anything overly
enjoyable. Waves mode comes straight from “Project Gotham Racing 4.” This mode is designed to prevent gamers from playing against the walls of the arena, while horizontal and vertical lines of enemies fly back and
forth across the playing field. Finally is Deadline mode. This mode plays like Evolved mode, only this time players have a five minute timer. Players need to score as much as possible, with unlimited lives, in five
minutes. It is very simple, just not very fun.
There is one other addition to the game that will please fans. Players can now play cooperatively or competitively with up to three other people. Unfortunately this is an offline feature. The lack of Xbox Live game play is
very disappointing. Also, the multiplayer mode has a lot of issues. Bizarre Creations ahs added loads more particle effects for the sequel making it a splashier game. This also means that with four people playing,
there are colors splashing across the screen at all times. It gets difficult to tell what is going on at times. The camera in cooperative mode is a little awkward. As players spread out across the map, the camera pulls
out, making it really hard to make fine navigation movements since everything on the screen is much smaller. Also, if the player’s friends die, the camera often gets stuck in this wide view, instead of switching back to
the single player camera. Co-pilot mode, where one person steers and the other shoots, is just a gimmick for people who have gotten bored with the main modes.
“Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2” is a solid sequel. Three of the six modes are a lot of fun with the other three modes being okay. This is a game and a series that is starting to show its age. These modes are not
much more than alterations to the rules for the same game that players have been playing for years. With such a large number of shooter style games, this game hasn’t taken the step it needs to make in order to be at
the top of a player’s want list. This game seems more like a greatest hits offering than a true sequel. When players are trying to determine if the game is worth the $10 price tag, yes it is. Is it the best game to ever
make its way onto the Xbox Live Arcade? Not at all.
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