Thomas Was Alone (Xbox One, 2014)

Thomas Was Alone
Developed by Mike Bithell
Published by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (11/2014)
Also on Android/iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Vita/WiiU

Thomas Was Alone is a 2D puzzle/platformer originally released on PC & Mac in 2012. In 2013 the game would see a release for the PlayStation 3 and Vita. The Xbox One port would arrive in late 2014, this same year the game would also release on mobile devices, the PlayStation 4 and the WiiU. Thomas Was Alone has the player taking control of various shapes in order to navigate them to the exit, move on to the next screen and do it all over again. The puzzles ramp up in difficulty along the way.

Graphically, Thomas Was Alone is a very simple looking game. The graphics are all composed of squares and rectangles, giving the look an almost Atari 2600 vibe. There are some minor background details and lighting effects that help the game feel a bit modern, but overall the game looks incredibly simplistic. The sound effects match the old-school graphics and many of the sounds reminded me of the Bit Trip games, which also sported a throwback Atari aesthetic. The shapes you'll take control of each have a name and voice attached to them, and you'll frequently hear a voice actor narrating the thoughts and back-stories of the characters as you play. The story in the game has a lot to do with friendships and loneliness. It's decently written and the voice actor does a good job reading it. If you tire of hearing the narration, there's an option to turn it off.

When you first begin in Thomas Was Alone, you'll take control of the rectangular titular character Thomas. There will be an outline of your character in each stage and once you've lined your character up you'll progress to the next screen. There are 11 total chapters, or scenarios as the game calls them, with each scenario containing 10 screens. As you play through, new characters will be introduced. Each have their own shape, name and characteristic. The big blue square can float on water while the pink flat rectangle can be used as a trampoline. You can switch between the available characters on the fly and you'll have to work together with them to pass each stage.

There are collectible pickups scattered throughout the campaign. Each scenario is composed of 10 screens and each of the first 9 scenarios feature 2 collectibles hidden somewhere within. The final 2 scenarios were released as DLC for the first releases of Thomas Was Alone, but here we see it included in the base game. These final 2 scenarios definitely stand out from the rest of the game and feel more like an entirely different game, featuring far less emphasis on puzzles and more on difficult platforming sections with lots of spikes. It feels more like Uncraft Me than it does the first 9 scenarios. These final two episodes aren't bad, they just offer a different and more difficult challenge than anything you've faced up to this point.

There is a frequently reported save bug, with many players stating that when resuming their game it would set them back, sometimes as many as 60 screens! While the game is short, this can become annoying quick. I was lucky enough to not encounter the bug, but I completed the game within three play sessions so I didn't give it much of a chance to glitch out on me. Another thing to watch out for is when starting the game up the menu option for new game is always selected and accidentally pressing this will clear your progress and restart the game. It's something we take for granted that most games start off at the resume game option by default.

Those who dig a good puzzle game and/or retro-style platformers will find something to enjoy in Thomas Was Alone. Throughout the original 9 episodes, there's a nice variety of puzzles you'll encounter and the developer did a nice job keeping it from getting too difficult or frustrating. The final 2 episodes crank up the challenge quite a bit and while they feel a bit out of tune with the rest of the game, but it's not enough to drag the entire game down.

Final Verdict: Thomas Was Alone is a short but enjoyable 2D platformer/puzzle game with some very blocky pixels as its stars. Recommended for genre fans or anybody who wants a quick and relatively easy game.

Purchase Links:
Buy Thomas Was Alone - Microsoft Store

Related Links:
Thomas Was Alone - GameFAQs
Mike Bithell's Games - Official Site
Curve Digital - Official Site

Strategy Guide/Walkthroughs:
Thomas Was Alone - True Achievements
Collectible Pickups Guide - True Achievements
Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements

The Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360/One, 2014)

The Walking Dead: Season Two
Developed by Telltale Games
Released for XBLA/Xbox One (10/2014)
Also on Android/iOS/Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Vita

The Walking Dead: Season Two continues shortly after where the original game left off. You'll be following Clementine as she struggles to survive in the midst of a giant zombie outbreak. The game looks and plays largely the same as the first game, featuring a mixture of point & click, dialogue and quick-time event segments. Much like with any Telltale Games title, the mostly story-driven gameplay won't be for everyone, but those who enjoyed the first game will definitely find something to like with this second installment.

The voice-work is top-notch and one thing that remains consistent among Telltale Games. Even if the written dialogue isn't always the best, the actors do a very convincing job delivering their lines. The sound design is decent but feels a bit lacking in some areas, but the excellent voice acting makes this easy to overlook. The music does a good job of adding some mood while usually staying in the background, but does a good job conveying emotion especially in the more dramatic moments.

The following paragraph will feature spoilers, so if you haven't played the game yet and wish to do so you may want to skip ahead. Story-wise, the second season installment is a solid follow-up to the original game, though not quite as good for a few reasons. Personally I didn't find the cast of characters as good as the original, but I mostly chalk this up to the absence of Lee. Running into Kenny shortly into the game was quite emotional, despite the fact I didn't even particularly like the guy in the first game. Shortly after uniting with Kenny he brings up Lee and even though it'd been at least half a year since I'd played the original title I found myself tearing up instantly. That right there goes to show how they did a great job establishing Lee as a stand-up dude that was easily likable in the original release. I didn't really get that kind of feeling from any of the characters this time around unfortunately. I feel like I could have liked some of the characters introduced here, but nobody is really given enough development to really get the player to care. Kenny is a bit war-torn by previous events and it only gets worse as you continue through the story, so you'll end up fearing him more than you will liking him.

As with most titles released from Telltale Games, the game is linear and though you are able to make some decisions throughout, the end result is usually the same. What's here is enjoyable if you like cinematic point 'n click games, though once you've completed the game there won't be much as far as replayability. It's worth a play but I'd advise waiting for a sale or searching for a cheap physical copy since you likely won't get a whole lot of play time out of it. Though with Telltale Games recent shutdown, it's only a matter of time before the license of this game causes it to be removed from the marketplace, so if you want a digital copy you may want to go ahead and get it while you can.

The Walking Dead: Season Two was originally released in late 2013 for Android and iOS devices. On October 14, 2014 the title was put out for XBLA and PSN. Just a week later on October 21 the game would receive a release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is more or less the same on the 360 as it is on the One, with the One version running a bit smoother, looking a bit sharper and loading a bit faster. The Walking Dead titles are easily among Telltale Games best work and one of their more stable games as well. I didn't run into any freezing or glitches and it's clear that a bit more time and effort went into this series than many Telltale games that would follow.

Final Verdict: The Walking Dead: Season Two is a worthy follow-up to the original. Fans of the first game will find something to like here.

Purchase Links:
Buy Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox One Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360 Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Search Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox One Disc) - eBay
Search Walking Dead: Season Two (Xbox 360 Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Telltale Games - Xbox Overview
Point & Click Adventures - Xbox Overview
Telltale Games - Official Site
The Walking Dead: Season Two - Metacritic
The Walking Dead: Season Two on Xbox 360 - GameFAQs
The Walking Dead: Season Two on Xbox One - GameFAQs
The Walking Dead: Season Two Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
The Walking Dead: Season Two - True Achievements

Hue (Xbox One, 2016)

Hue
Developed by Fiddlesticks Games
Produced by Curve Digital
Released for Xbox One (8/2016)
Also on Linux/Mac/PC/PS4/Vita

At a quick glance it's easy to make the mistake of writing Hue off as just a Limbo wanna-be due to the similar monochrome graphic-style. Within a few minutes of playing you'll see that even though both titles do feature similar 2D platforming, the color-based puzzles in Hue give the game a flavor of its own.

When the game begins, everything is seen in gray and black. Your character awakens to find his mother missing and it's up to you to go looking for her. You'll learn about the research she's been conducting at the university via narration in certain rooms along the way. As you progress through the campaign in Hue you'll unlock additional colors while also learning of your mother's efforts to view the different colors of the spectrum and how she perceives seeing them for the first time. Using the right stick brings up a color wheel, allowing you to change the color of the background. When you select a color, any objects that are the same as the selected color will disappear. The puzzles in Hue revolve around using the various colors to make objects disappear and reappear as needed.

Once you get a little ways into Hue you'll have the whole spectrum of the rainbow at your disposal. Some of the later puzzles will require some tricky timing, but luckily if you fail you'll load right back up at the room you were last in. The game never gets too frustrating, but the last handful of screens will leave you scratching your head at first. When switching colors, the game slows down while making your selection, giving you ample time to adjust colors in some of the trickier spots, such as changing colors while in mid-air to make a platform appear in front of you. Like most 2D puzzle/platformers, from time to time there are boxes you can move around. Later stages involve paint blasters that will color your box when splashed, making for some unique box-coloring puzzles. Overall, the puzzle design is solid throughout the game and there's a decent variety to what you'll encounter along your journey.

Hue features collectibles scattered through the game in the form of beakers. There are 28 of them in total to be found and some of them in the earlier sections will require some backtracking after you've obtained more colors of the spectrum. This helps in adding at least a little replay value if you wish to go back and collect all of the beakers, though there is nothing other than an achievement for doing so. That being said, going out of your way to find the beakers can add an additional challenge to the game as some of them are very well hidden.

While the visuals aren't going to blow anyone's mind, the simple graphic style works well in Hue. Everything has a minimalist look and the sound design matches this. The music has a nice relaxing vibe and the sound effects are never obtrusive. Depending on your sensitivity to color, you may encounter some issues while switching colors on the fly. I found myself frequently mixing up the yellow/orange and purple/pink colors, but this may be more of a personal problem and you might not have an issue with it. There is also an option for colorblind folks that has symbols for the colors that can be found on both the objects and your color wheel.

Hue is an enjoyable 2D puzzle/platformer that should only take you somewhere between 7-10 hours to complete. While a bit on the short side, the game is a good time for those who enjoy a nice puzzle and doesn't overstay its welcome. There's a steady ramp to the challenge and by the end of the game the puzzles will really test your brain. My playtime with Hue was around ten hours and in all that time I didn't experience a single crash, bug or glitch, which is something you can't take for granted in this day and age. Having a story is a welcome bonus and the game would have still been fine without it, but having it helps give the player another incentive to push on. If you're the type who loves solving puzzles, I'd highly recommend giving Hue a look!

Final Verdict: If you enjoy puzzle games, especially of the 2D-platformer variety, Hue is worth a look. It's short but worth your time and an enjoyable little game.

Related Links:
Buy Hue - Microsoft Store
Hue - GameFAQs
Hue - Official Site
Henry Hoffman (Developer) - Official Site
Curve Digital - Official Site

Strategy Guide/Walkthroughs:
Hue Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Hue Beaker Locations - Xbox Achievements
Hue - True Achievements

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Xbox One, 2016)

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter
Developed by Frogwares
Published by Bigben Interactive
Released for Xbox One (10/2016)
Also on PC/PS4

Sherlock Holmes and video games have quite the history, going all the way back to the early '80's. Developer Frogwares have been pumping out Sherlock games for the PC since 2002, as well as being the developer responsible for all the Sherlock games released for Xbox consoles. This is my first experience with any of the Sherlock games, but seeing that Frogwares are veterans at these games I'm hoping for an enjoyable experience.

The Devil's Daughter is setup somewhat similarly to the Telltale Games, but instead of episodes the game is broken up into 5 cases. Each of the cases are unrelated to one another, though they do contain characters and story elements that carry over into the main story. Cases involve the type of stuff you'd expect from a detective game, such as revenge, betrayal and there's even some supernatural stuff thrown in for good measure.

Sherlock Holmes is a good-looking game featuring detailed environments and decent character models, though the frame-rate fluctuates quite a bit especially during some of the action sequences. The graphics should look good, because the loading screens are abundant and feel like they take an eternity! Each time you have to fast travel somewhere, which will occur frequently, you're greeted to a lengthy loading screen while watching Sherlock sitting in his wagon en route to your destination. As one could imagine, this gets old incredibly fast and made getting through a case in a single setting impossible for me.

There is a decent amount of variety found within Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter with several different game-types mashed into one title. Certain mini-game style events work much better than others, but the game is definitely at its best when you're actually doing detective work. Fortunately there is quite a bit of this found throughout the game, though at times the required actions to progress the story can be a bit vague. If you'd like to minimize some frustrations with the game, there are some great guides written on the game which I'll provide links to down below.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a game with many ups and downs. The detective segments are usually enjoyable and rewarding to figure out, but some of the minigame and other sequences bring the game down a bit. The excessive and lengthy loading screens also hamper the fun. If you're a patient person who enjoys either detective or point & click adventures then you may want to give it a go, but I'd say it's an easy miss for anybody else. There's a small niche audience who this game will appeal to.

Final Verdict: Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is an above-average point and click style game that will appeal to those who enjoy detective action.

Purchase Links:
Buy Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Digital) - Microsoft Store
Search for Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter (Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter - GameFAQs 
Frogwares - Official Site
Bigben Interactive - Official Site
Devil's Daughter Walkthrough - True Achievements
Devil's Daughter Walkthrough - Game Pressure
Devil's Daughter Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Devil's Daughter Achievements - True Achievements

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (XBLA/Xbox One, 2013/2015)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Developed by Starbreeze Studios
Published by 505 Games
Released for XBLA (8/2013) & Xbox One (9/2015)
Also on Android/iOS/PC/PS3/PS4

Brothers: A Tale of Two Suns was developed by Starbreeze Studios, best known for their work on The Darkness and Chronicles of Riddick games. The game follows the journey of two brothers as they search for a cure to their fathers sickness. Brothers is unique in that you control both siblings simultaneously. Each brother is assigned to their own analog stick and the corresponding triggers allow them to interact with various objects and people.

Brothers is a beautiful game to look at in many aspects. The fantasy world feels unique and well-realized. Every so often you'll come across benches, where you can take a seat and soak in some of the lush backdrops. Visually, Starbreeze really did a fantastic job here and everything from the characters to the levels look great. The lighting and shadows are also well done, especially for a title released in 2013. There are also some nice little details such as your characters leaving footprints in the snow as they walk.

There's a bit of dialogue in Brothers, but the characters speak in gibberish you'll have to take in the story by watching and you'll be able to get a sense of what the characters are talking about by the tones used while speaking. Along your journey you'll encounter several puzzles you'll have to solve in order to advance. None of these are too difficult but they make smart use of both brothers. The game is short and will be over before you know it, but it's nice in that it doesn't overstay its welcome. The control scheme is interesting and will feel like it's racking your brain moving around both brothers some times, but the game does a good job of not demanding too much from the player in this regard. For the most part you'll have time to control each brother individually in order to get where you need to go.

During my playthrough of Brothers, I did encounter one of a few commonly reported glitches that made it so I couldn't complete the second chapter. Fortunately after restarting the chapter and going through it again I was able to progress further. It's worth noting that this was on the Xbox One version of the game and I don't recall encountering this glitch on the 360 version of the game.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is totally worth your time, especially when taken into consideration that the game only asks for 3-5 hours of your time. The game doesn't have the highest replay value, but I'd still easily recommend anybody who enjoys more relaxing video games to give it a play. Brothers provides a distinct and unique experience without the frustration of failure so many games have.

Brothers was originally released for XBLA in August 2013. The following month after it was released on PC and PlayStation 3. Then over the following years it would receive ports to a few other platforms, including the Xbox One in September 2015. While the game was available as a digital-download only for the 360, Brothers received a physical-disc release in addition to being available digitally on the Xbox One.

Final Verdict: Brothers is a short but enjoyable adventure/puzzle game where you control two brothers simultaneously using an analog stick for each. Recommended for a nice laid-back single player experience.

Purchase Links:
Buy Brothers (Xbox One Digital) - Microsoft Store
Buy Brothers (Xbox 360 Digital) - Xbox Marketplace
Search Brothers (Xbox One Disc) - eBay

Related Links:
Brothers for Xbox 360 - GameFAQs
Brothers for Xbox One - GameFAQs
Starbreeze Studios - Official Site
505 Games - Official Site
Brothers Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Brothers - True Achievements

ABZU (Xbox One, 2017)

ABZU
Developed by Giant Squid
Published by 505 Games
Released for Xbox One (1/2017)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch

ABZU is an underwater exploration game developed by Giant Squid and released for multiple platforms in 2017. ABZU is a rather brief experience, but the beautiful visuals and intriguing story make it worth a play through.

The story in ABZU is told to the player through visuals and the game contains no spoken dialogue. While the story is a bit vague and leaves quite a bit to be interpreted by the player, I still remained interested to see what would happen next as I played. Swimming through each area in ABZU is a joy thanks to the game's beautiful visuals helping to make the ocean waters feel crowded and alive. The game makes great use of colors and the graphics are rendered in a cel-shaded fashion that fits the game appropriately. The music accompanies the visuals well and helps add to the ambience.

The controls are simple and work well once you get the hang of them. You can invert the camera if you need to so everybody should be able to find something they're comfortable with. There are a few parts where your character gets out of the water and moves around on land. These sections tend to control a bit clunky, though the game doesn't really ask you to do anything too hard so it's not that big of a deal. Along your journey there are several types of collectibles scattered about. There are fish pools, hidden shells and meditation statues for you to find. When you find a fish pool and activate it, you'll unleash a new variety of animal into the environment. You can sit on top of meditation statues and observe the fish, complete with the ability to switch between multiple cameras each assigned to a different fish type. You can also choose to meditate from the main menu if you just feel like watching some fish swim around. If a player manages to collect all of the hidden shells you can unlock an alternate suit for your character.

The entire game can be completed in anywhere between 3-6 hours, depending on how much time you spend exploring. While a bit on the short side, ABZU is definitely still worth experiencing, especially if you're in the mood for a relaxing game as it can be an almost zen-like experience at times. Also if you enjoy unlocking achievements ABZU's are all quite easy to obtain. In addition to being released digitally there was also a physical release for ABZU.

Final Verdict: ABZU is a short but enjoyable swimming exploration title. If you enjoy a relaxing gaming experience this is for you!

Related Links:
Buy ABZU - Microsoft Store
ABZU - GameFAQs
Giant Squid Studios - Official Site
505 Games - Official Site

Strategy Guides/Walkthroughs:
ABZU Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
ABZU - True Achievements
ABZU Video Walkthrough by Maka - YouTube

Kakuto Chojin: Back Alley Brutal (Xbox, 2002)

Kakuto Chojin
Developed by DreamFactory
Published by Microsoft Game Studios
Released for Xbox (11/2002)

My first reaction upon seeing Kakuto Chojin was that it was just another generic fighting game from a Western developer. I was surprised to discover that the Japan-based developer, DreamFactory, was founded by Seiichi Ishii, who was a designer for Virtua Fighter and one of the creators of Tekken. DreamFactory would go on to create the Tobal games on the original PlayStation and the arcade fighter Ehrgeiz, so they definitely do have some experience under their belt when it comes to fighting games. Kakuto Chojin was released exclusively for the Xbox console and has never received backward-compatibility support for either the 360 or the One, so it can only be played on Microsoft's original console.

Kakuto Chojin allows you to select from 12 different fighters, each represented by a different fighting style and from various countries. By this point in the timeline of fighting games, none of these characters really stand out and they all feel a bit cliche so while they do look nice, they're just not that memorable in the end. There's a decent range of fighting styles which include karate, jeet kune do (complete with Bruce Lee knock-off), capoeira, tae kwan do, a pit fighter, ninjitsu, hakkyoku-ken, pro wrestling, muay-thai and two fighters who use kung fu. Several of these have very odd countries of origin in regards to their fighting styles, for instance the capoeira chick is from Japan rather than Brazil like one would expect. When you complete the game with a fighter you unlock an alternate move set that can be selected at the character select screen. If you beat the game with all 12 characters you'll be able to select the boss character, making for a grand total of 13 characters to choose from.

Graphically Kakuto Chojin has some nice visuals for a game released in 2002. While the arenas are enclosed squares in design, they at least look nice and there is a unique stage for each character. There are some good details, like the rainy rooftop which features reflective surfaces. There are also a few stages that offer a chance to ring-out your opponents which does help add a little variety. While the stages and characters are both well-rendered, the characters have a strange shine to them which I suppose was intended to be perspiration but it ends up looking a bit cheesy. The game features some nifty particle effects on certain stages with rain or snow. The shading and lighting is also very well done for the time. There's even some battle damage depicted on the fighters as they take a beating, making for a very nice overall presentation.

The controls are a bit different when compared to your standard fighting game. You have low, medium and high attack buttons which works okay. There is a dedicated button for special moves, which when used will turn your health meter yellow. You are unable to use this move again until your meter fills back up and is completely red, which I assume was done in an effort to prevent you from spamming your special move. The triggers are used for blocking and running, which needlessly over-complicate things, especially considering you can dash by tapping forward twice. I've never been a fan of fighting games that have block assigned to a button and it feels just as awkward here as it does in any other game that does this. By holding block and pressing up you have the ability to jump, though you'll rarely need to use this to win.

In addition to the story mode, the Kakuto Chojin single player modes also include survival and practice mode. There are also a few multiplayer modes that allow up to four players to compete in battle royal, capture the crown or standard versus games. I've heard the game is quite enjoyable with up to four players but I never had four pads for my Xbox so I couldn't tell you personally, though it does sound like a good time with the right friends. There's not much else to say about the fighting in Kakuto Chojin other than you punch, kick, throw and occasionally use a special move to deplete the health bar of your opponent. Everything works fine, though the game just really doesn't do much to set itself apart from other fighting games of the time.

The main menu also has an option to access some game demos. There are interactive demos featured for NFL Fever 2003, Shenmue II and Quantum Redshift. There are also non-interactive movies for Xbox Live, Blinx the Time Sweeper, Fable, Tao Feng, Kung Fu Chaos and MechAssault.

Kakuto Chojin was met with some controversy, particularly in America, due to the Somalian character named Asad. The fighter is a Muslim which is apparent by his stage's theme, which contained phrases from Quran being chanted in the background. Bear in mind this game was released in 2002, not long after 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers, so Americans were still very sensitive to anything referencing Islam. Due to this the game was recalled by Microsoft in the United States and was only available for a very limited time in Japan and was never released at all in Europe.

In closing, Kakuto Chojin is a nice-looking game and the fighting is serviceable, though it's definitely not up to par with the heavy-hitters at the time. When it comes to 3D fighters of this era, the Soul Calibur, Tekken and Virtua Fighter franchises are still several steps ahead of this one. That's not to say it's a bad game, so if you're a fighting junkie just looking for something new for your old Xbox it's worth a look. The game never really picked up in value and is still quite easy to find despite being recalled from stores. The full title of the game on the cover is Kakuto Chojin: Back Alley Brutal but I honestly just didn't feel like typing that throughout the whole review.

Final Verdict: Kakuto Chojin definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it's a decent 3D fighter that remained exclusive to the original Xbox.

Purchase Links:
Buy Kakuto Chojin - eBay

Related Links:
Kakuto Chojin - GameFAQs
Kakuto Chojin - Wikipedia
Kakuto Chojin - Hardcore Gaming 101

Japanese Cover Artwork

Late Shift (Xbox One, 2017)

Late Shift
Developed by Wales Interactive Ltd
Released for Xbox One (11/2017)
Also on Mac/PC/PS4/Switch

 

Late Shift is an entry into the often forgotten full-motion video (FMV) genre, meaning the entire game is comprised of real footage with live actors. Gameplay is comprised of making key decisions for your character throughout, each affecting the outcome in different ways. While I'm sure there are still FMV games being produced at least to some extent, it's rare to see one released on a home console.

The story involves your character, Matt, who works the late shift in a parking garage. While on the job he gets dragged into a robbery attempt to steal a precious Chinese rice bowl. I'm not going to go into any spoilers here, but things escalate in a hurry and the story wraps up in roughly an hour, depending on which decisions you've made along the way. There are a total of seven different endings to see, so there's some decent replay value. The actors all do a great job and the dialogue is well-written. There are a few things here and there that require some suspension of disbelief, but isn't that the case with the majority of movies? Overall Late Shift does a good job keeping the player engaged in the story and is somewhat reminiscent of the old Choose Your Own Adventure books with its branching storylines.

Modern technology allows Late Shift to look and play vastly superior to the FMV games of the old days. Back in the day when the FMV genre was first realized and most popular, the only media format that had the capacity to store the data were compact and laser discs. After entering your input there would always be a delay as the game accessed the disc to load the result. This has mostly been eliminated in Late Shift, though there were spots where I could tell it was loading the next screen but even then those moments were extremely brief. For the most part the scene transitions are seamless. The video quality in Late Shift looks great and I felt like I could have been watching a major motion picture release on Blu-Ray.

While Late Shift is a rather brief experience, the multiple endings and different outcomes available help add some replayability. If you enjoy FMV games in general this one's easy to recommend. Many gamers likely won't care to play a game that mostly consists of watching, but if an interactive cinematic experience involving a heist gone wrong sounds interesting to you then Late Shift is worth a look.

Final Verdict: Late Shift is a short but enjoyable attempt to make in interactive movie. Different outcomes and multiple endings help add some replayability.

Related Links:
Late Shift - GameFAQs
Late Shift for Xbox One- Microsoft Store
Late Shift for PC - Steam
CtrlMovie - Official Site 
Wales Interactive - Official Site
Late Shift Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
Late Shift - True Achievements

Chronoblast (XBLIG, 2013)

Chronoblast
Developed by n0rtygames
Released for XBLIG (2/2013)

Chronoblast is a vertical shmup, meaning you view the action from a top-down perspective shooting everything coming at you while flying forward continuously. The game boasts that it's the first on XBLIG to support tate, meaning if you have a vertically-oriented monitor you can tilt the image on its side to take up the whole screen. On a normal horizontal monitor the screen will be heavily cropped on both sides, so having the option to tilt the image is very nice and is a feature often overlooked by developers. The game also included networked high scores which was another nice bonus. Chronoblast definitely takes a lot of inspiration from classic Cave arcade titles in pretty much every aspect of the game. You can really tell the developers love their shooters and they've done an admirable job capturing the Cave-style shmup.

There are four characters to choose from, each sporting a different ship, pilot and shot pattern. While selecting between your pilot (all females), you have the option to select between three different skill levels: autobomb, normal and hell. Autobomb will provide a safety cushion and will automatically use a bomb rather than kill you upon taking a hit.  Normal mode is exactly as it sounds and hell mode is for those who want a real challenge. In a nice little touch, the easier the difficulty the more attire you'll see her wearing in her profile pic. The ship you pilot will have two modes of fire: laser and shot. The ship's speed decreases a bit in laser mode to help with precision dodging. You're also equipped with bombs and can build up a super-meter to unleash a temporary power boost to your attacks. Your ship is represented by a large sprite, but the little circle in the center of it is your hitbox, making it manageable but far from easy to dodge the onslaught of projectiles the enemies will send your way. Enemies will also drop score coins as you mow them down and instinctively you will want to collect as many as possible.

Chronoblast offers ranked, unranked and practice modes at the main menu. In ranked mode you'll try to rack up the highest score possible on a single credit. High scores are saved locally and there's a table for each difficulty. Unranked mode allows you to continue while practice mode lets you select a particular stage or boss to play. The game allows up to two-players to play simultaneously and having a buddy always adds to the fun. There are five levels, each with a mid and final boss. Each level is well-paced and enemies are diverse enough to have you constantly alternating between laser and shot modes. For those who can master the game and clear it on a single credit there's a true final boss you'll encounter at the end. Chronoblast is very similar to many of Cave's offerings and in my opinion that's a good thing; you can never have enough quality shmups, especially when it comes to XBLIG. It's really a shame that Chronoblast apparently hasn't been released for anything outside of XBLIG, though I've seen some links that talk about a PC version of the game but never found a legit download link for the game so I'm not sure on this.

Final Verdict: As far as XBLIG shmups go, Chronoblast is a superb effort and has everything you could want from this style of game, especially if you love Cave shooters!

Related Links:
Chronoblast - GameFAQs
n0rtygames - Official Site

The Maw (XBLA, 2009)

The Maw
Developed by Twisted Pixel Games
Released for XBLA (1/2009)
Also on PC
Backward Compatible on Xbox One

The Maw was the first release from developer Twisted Pixel Games. In the game you play as an escaped alien convict named Frank roaming around with his pet, the Maw. Each level has you working with the Maw in order to eat everything up and escape to the next stage. The presentation is solid with bright colors and a nice cartoony look to the graphics. The game is light on story but there are some brief cutscenes scattered here and there as you progress. The Maw is not a very difficult game, making it ideal for younger players or those just wanting to play something a bit more laid-back.

During play you have no direct control over the Maw, but you can activate a leash to keep him near and have it follow close by. If the Maw gets too far away, you can call it back to you with a simple press of the X button. The basic idea of the game is to feed your Maw and once it's eaten enough the exit to the stage will open up where you'll repeat the process on the next. In addition to growing in size from eating, the Maw will also take on traits of certain creatures he eats. These can range from gaining a shock ability, floating or even firing lasers. Each stage offers a different ability for the Maw to obtain and completing the level will require use of whatever special move the Maw has gained.

The Maw is a mix of action and light puzzles with some platforming bits thrown in here and there. The puzzles are all simple and will always involve using whatever ability your Maw just acquired. The action involves getting your Maw to eat the creatures around you. In addition to being able to put the Maw on a leash, you can also use your tether to grab objects. After grabbing something, you can either slam it, throw it or feed it to the Maw. Occasionally you'll be able to hitch a ride by grappling onto an object being carried by a flying creature. The occasional platforming segments are all easy to line up your jumps and the camera is adjustable with the right stick to help, so any frustration commonly associated with 3D platforming is pretty much nonexistent here.

Overall the Maw is an easy game and is definitely a solid title for younger gamers or older gamers who don't mind a fun but simple game. It's also quite short and you'll complete the main story probably within 2-4 hours. There are collectibles in the form of creatures called Snuffles that the Maw will need to eat. There are one of these on each level. In order to obtain 100% on a level you'll need to eat all of the creatures within that stage. So there is at least a small amount of potential replay value in going back to find the Snuffles and eating 100% on each stage. The Maw definitely packs that Twisted Pixel charm you'd see in their later releases and I'd say it's worth a play, especially if you can find it on sale or on Game Pass.

There were also three additional levels released for the Maw in the form of DLC. They are each sold separately and retail for $1.25 a piece. These are called "Deleted Scenes" and will be placed in their appropriate spot in the campaign if you have them unlocked. I haven't purchased these at this point but if I do I'll come back and update this review. These really should have been included in the base game with it being as short as it is, but what can you do...

Final Verdict: The Maw is a short but enjoyable action/puzzle/platforming game where you get to feed your alien pet and watch it grow larger with each level.

Related Links:
Buy The Maw - Xbox Marketplace
Twisted Pixel Games - Xbox Overview
The Maw - GameFAQs
The Maw for PC - Steam
Twisted Pixel Games - Official Site
The Maw Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
The Maw - True Achievements

Shoot 1UP (XBLIG, 2010)

Shoot 1UP
Developed by Mommy's Best Games
Released for XBLIG (2/2010)
Also on PC/Windows Mobile

Shoot 1UP is a vertical shmup with an interesting mechanic: every time you collect a 1-up, rather than just add it to your livestock the ship appears next to yours and there seems to be no limit on how many you can gather. You can contract and expand your fleet of ships using the triggers, and the farther apart your ships are the more massive the laser beam they generate will be. They'll also be more prone to enemy fire of course, creating a nice risk/reward mechanic. The graphics are all done in high-res art that looks very good for the most part. The boss designs are unique and the levels themselves never really feel like they overstay their welcome. The stages have sections in them where the path branches off and you're given the choice to select between the regular path straight ahead or to veer off to the side for a more difficult route. These are very unique in that your ship will turn and the game will temporarily turn into a horizontal shooter until you eventually change course and revert back to vertical orientation. The game has its own built-in achievements you can unlock as you play. Overall Shoot 1UP is a very admirable effort to do something fresh with the shmup genre and is absolutely worth the dollar asking price.

Final Verdict: A fresh take on the vertical shmup, Shoot 1UP is definitely worth a look for fans of the genre.

Related Links:
XBLIG Shmups - Xbox Overview 
Mommy's Best Games - Xbox Overview
Shoot 1UP - GameFAQs
Shoot 1UP on PC - Steam
Shoot 1UP on Windows Mobile - Microsoft
Mommy's Best Games - Official Site
Shoot 1UP Review - XBLA Fans
Shoot 1UP Review - Indie Gamer Chick

Pester (XBLIG, 2013)

Pester
Developed by Flump Games
Released for XBLIG (1/2013)
Also on Ouya/PC

Pester is a vertical shoot 'em up with a retro-arcade feel. The graphics look like something from the early to mid-80's, the screen is cropped like it was natively a vertical game (though there is not tate option) and there are scanlines emulated to make it seem as though you're playing on a CRT monitor. While the action looks like an older arcade game, you have bullet patterns to dodge inspired by the more modern bullet-hell shooters. Your ship has the ability to toggle your movement speed holding the left trigger when precision dodging is needed. Coins are dropped by defeated enemies that when collected will help build up your hyper shot meter, which will give your firepower a temporary boost when activated.

The graphics in Pester are a mixed bag, with the ships looking like something out of Galaga while the backdrops look like something that would have come out a decade later. There seems to be a lack of sound effects, for example the coins don't even make a sound when picked up. The enemy explosions fail to impress both in graphics and sound. While Pester definitely isn't the prettiest shmup available on XBLIG, when it comes down to the gameplay there is still a fun and challenging shooter here. There are quite a few modes to unlock, the game keeps tabs on your high scores and there are some settings to customize as you play. You can select the background, music, overlay and ship design. This all helps add a nice amount of replay value. In arcade mode you can play classic mode or boss survival. There are also survival, asteroid belt and boss modes that can be unlocked for achieving certain scores on particular modes. There's also another mode called Tempus which is a timed mode. There's a number next to your ship that is constantly ticking away. Instead of lives, dying will take ten seconds off the clock. Enemies now drop clocks instead of coins, and each clock you pick up adds an additional second to your clock. It's a fun and unique mode and rounds out what was already a nice package.

Pester is definitely a good effort as far as shooters on XBLIG are concerned. The full version features an appearance from one of the ships from Chronoblast which is neat. There's thousands of worse ways you could spend a buck! The game was also ported over to PC and the Ouya. It's currently on Steam for $0.99 just like when it was up on XBLIG!

Final Verdict: Pester is an enjoyable and challenging vertical shooter. While not the best on the service, it retailed for only a buck on XBLIG and is worth a look for genre fans.

Related Links:
Pester - GameFAQs
Pester on PC - Steam

Streets of Fury (XBLIG, 2009)

Streets of Fury
Developed by Cyrille Lagarigue
Released for XBLIG (8/2009)
Also on PC

Streets of Fury is a beat 'em up title featuring digitized graphics. The game plays like a 2D beat 'em up with three different planes you can move between, much like the Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes (also available on XBLA). The controls are surprisingly responsive for a game using digitized actors. You have a punch, kick, special attack and jump mapped to the face buttons. Left trigger is used for blocking and the right trigger is used to switch planes. You have a "fury" meter that fills as you attack your enemies and once filled holding the triggers together and pressing an attack will unleash your fury move. The gameplay is actually pretty deep for a game of this nature, allowing for moves to be linked together to build massive combos.

Streets of Fury offers support for up to four players local. The digitized graphics are pretty detailed and the backdrops look sharp, but I know there are a lot of folks out there that don't like digitized graphics so it won't appeal to everybody, plus the game uses lots of palette swaps which is something of a staple of digitized fighters. There are two main scenarios to play through, in addition to survival and versus modes for extra replayability, plus there are a few hidden characters you can unlock for progressing through the game. Overall, Streets of Fury is easily the best beat 'em up title that would come out on XBLIG. The game would see an enhanced port, titled Streets of Fury EX, released for PC in 2015 and is considered to be the definitive version of this game.

Final Verdict: Streets of Fury is an excellent 2D brawler and shows a level of polish that you rarely see on XBLIG. Definitely recommended for beat 'em up fanatics.

Related Links:
Beat 'Em Ups - Xbox Overview 
Streets of Fury - GameFAQs
Streets of Fury EX on PC - Steam
Streets of Fury - Official Site