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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Puzzle Developer: Strawdog Studios Ltd. Publisher: Eidos |
Many games rely on flash and presentation to save a game that would otherwise be mediocre in order to make players forget how shallow and boring it is. Other times games are so addictive and have such simple
game play mechanics that gamers will be so addicted to the game that they won’t be able to put down their controller. “Geon: Emotions” tries to hit both the flash and addictive qualities that gamers have grown to adore
and unfortunately misses the mark on both accounts. This puzzle game is fun and exciting for the first few hours, but the addictive qualities that many games need to possess to hold players’ attention is lacking.
The game may look a lot like a glamorized version of “Pac Man” in which opposing players race around a board to collect as many pellets as possible which are scattered around a 3D board as fast as they can. After
collecting a set number of pellets, players are required to flip the board over and move to the opponent’s side of the board and race towards the goal to score a point. Though this breaks up the action, it creates a small
amount of strategy that makes the game a little acceptable. After scoring a point, players are taken back to their original starting point on their side of the board which makes the order in which they collect pellets fairly
important to the overall game play. An extra element of difficulty is added with the power balls that allow players to do such things as speed up or attack opponents which are sprinkled throughout each level. Players can
also stack up power balls in order to create a more powerful attack against opponents or simply carry them for a slight speed boost. Sadly, that is as deep as the overall game play gets.
At the beginning of each match, each player selects a specific emotion that will work as their little cube main power. Players are able to choose between rage, fear, envy, melancholy and more, each of which has their
own little flashy icon. The trouble is that the whole emotion concept is so loosely applied to the game that it doesn’t play much in the game and makes it seem like a worthless addition to the game overall. The only
difference between one specific emotion and the next is that each is aligned with a specific type of power ball. For example, the emotion of Passion makes the Power Slide power ball more effective. The emotions don’t
really have anything to do with feelings at all but the only real reason to choose one emotion over another is to be based on which power ball each player prefers to use the most.
Sadly the emotions aspect breaks down even more when players leave the dual mode and venture into other options that are available in the game. Time attack requires players to finish each level within a set time
limit. The opposing AI player is still present, but there really wouldn’t be any reason to select an emotion aligned with attacking the opponent when all players are trying to do is finish the level quickly. When players
complete enough of the time attack challenges they will unlock some mini-games. These don’t require emotion selection at all because the goal is to simply collect all of the pellets while avoiding some obstacles that
are moving around the board as quickly as possible.
Where “Geon: Emotions” does succeed is in the way that is presents an otherwise poor game. There are a total of 24 different levels that players can play in duels or time attacks. The levels range from very basic to
extremely complex. The menus, and most of the game, have a modern look that is well executed for an Xbox Live Arcade game. The techno soundtrack isn’t the greatest ever put into a game, but it does fit into the style
of game that is presented.
Once players have either mastered or grown tired of the single player mode, there are a few Xbox Live modes that allow players to test their skills against more suitable opponents than the AI. Sadly there are a small
number of players who have downloaded the game, making it difficult to set up an online game, but for those who can set up a match, it is much more exciting than the single player game. The overall game play of
“Geon: Emotions” is saved by the inclusion of offline split-screen dual matches for all of its multiplayer modes. Along with the standard duel modes are a team duel and a last man standing match for four players.
“Geon: Emotions” has the look and feel that can be expected from a $10 game on Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately players will hope that they would get something a little more engaging for that amount of money. The
original game design was obviously aiming for a game that is easy to pick up and play, which was successful, but in the end the game is too easy to set down and walk away from. The level designs will prove to be
solid and everything within the game is well designed, with a good list of features and an attractive visual style. Sadly all of this doesn’t save a game that had good potential. It lacks the emotional connection players are
looking for in a game.
game play mechanics that gamers will be so addicted to the game that they won’t be able to put down their controller. “Geon: Emotions” tries to hit both the flash and addictive qualities that gamers have grown to adore
and unfortunately misses the mark on both accounts. This puzzle game is fun and exciting for the first few hours, but the addictive qualities that many games need to possess to hold players’ attention is lacking.
The game may look a lot like a glamorized version of “Pac Man” in which opposing players race around a board to collect as many pellets as possible which are scattered around a 3D board as fast as they can. After
collecting a set number of pellets, players are required to flip the board over and move to the opponent’s side of the board and race towards the goal to score a point. Though this breaks up the action, it creates a small
amount of strategy that makes the game a little acceptable. After scoring a point, players are taken back to their original starting point on their side of the board which makes the order in which they collect pellets fairly
important to the overall game play. An extra element of difficulty is added with the power balls that allow players to do such things as speed up or attack opponents which are sprinkled throughout each level. Players can
also stack up power balls in order to create a more powerful attack against opponents or simply carry them for a slight speed boost. Sadly, that is as deep as the overall game play gets.
At the beginning of each match, each player selects a specific emotion that will work as their little cube main power. Players are able to choose between rage, fear, envy, melancholy and more, each of which has their
own little flashy icon. The trouble is that the whole emotion concept is so loosely applied to the game that it doesn’t play much in the game and makes it seem like a worthless addition to the game overall. The only
difference between one specific emotion and the next is that each is aligned with a specific type of power ball. For example, the emotion of Passion makes the Power Slide power ball more effective. The emotions don’t
really have anything to do with feelings at all but the only real reason to choose one emotion over another is to be based on which power ball each player prefers to use the most.
Sadly the emotions aspect breaks down even more when players leave the dual mode and venture into other options that are available in the game. Time attack requires players to finish each level within a set time
limit. The opposing AI player is still present, but there really wouldn’t be any reason to select an emotion aligned with attacking the opponent when all players are trying to do is finish the level quickly. When players
complete enough of the time attack challenges they will unlock some mini-games. These don’t require emotion selection at all because the goal is to simply collect all of the pellets while avoiding some obstacles that
are moving around the board as quickly as possible.
Where “Geon: Emotions” does succeed is in the way that is presents an otherwise poor game. There are a total of 24 different levels that players can play in duels or time attacks. The levels range from very basic to
extremely complex. The menus, and most of the game, have a modern look that is well executed for an Xbox Live Arcade game. The techno soundtrack isn’t the greatest ever put into a game, but it does fit into the style
of game that is presented.
Once players have either mastered or grown tired of the single player mode, there are a few Xbox Live modes that allow players to test their skills against more suitable opponents than the AI. Sadly there are a small
number of players who have downloaded the game, making it difficult to set up an online game, but for those who can set up a match, it is much more exciting than the single player game. The overall game play of
“Geon: Emotions” is saved by the inclusion of offline split-screen dual matches for all of its multiplayer modes. Along with the standard duel modes are a team duel and a last man standing match for four players.
“Geon: Emotions” has the look and feel that can be expected from a $10 game on Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately players will hope that they would get something a little more engaging for that amount of money. The
original game design was obviously aiming for a game that is easy to pick up and play, which was successful, but in the end the game is too easy to set down and walk away from. The level designs will prove to be
solid and everything within the game is well designed, with a good list of features and an attractive visual style. Sadly all of this doesn’t save a game that had good potential. It lacks the emotional connection players are
looking for in a game.
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