When the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, one game was king. Even though there were good games like Kameo and Project Gotham Racing 3, a little $5 Xbox Live Arcade game proved to be one of the most played. Now, almost 3 years later, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved is back on XBLA and better than ever.
The first Geometry Wars worked so well because it is just so fun. The objective is simply to fly around a grid and shoot enemies in an attempt to rack up a high score. You control a ship with one analog stick, and shoot out of it with the other. A limited number of bombs can be detonated by hitting the right or left trigger. Multipliers that give you more points can be collected when you blast away ships. It may sound simple, but it’s highly addictive.
Geometry Wars 2 has all of the fun from the first one, but includes more game modes to make the experience feel meatier. In fact, the first Geometry Wars is just one of the 6 game modes of Geometry Wars 2. All of the modes are actually really good and match the addictiveness of the basic Evolved mode. Amongst the modes are the standouts King and Pacifism. In King you can only shoot inside of safety zones. The safety zone quickly disappears when you are inside of it, so you’re forced to go to another one fast while trying to collect Geoms that increase your score. In Pacifism, you can’t shoot and only have one life. You have to quickly fly through gates to destroy your enemies.
If you’ve played the first Geometry Wars, it’s safe to say you’ve memorized that simple techno tune that played over and over. In Geometry Wars 2, there is even more catchy music and even the original tune has even been remixed. The game looks just like the first one and pops out of the screen with bright colors rendered in 1080p.
If you loved the first Geometry Wars, you’re going to adore Geometry Wars 2. A ton of people already paid $5 for just one of the modes in this game, so the fact that you get 6 modes for $5 more is really a bargain. While you wait for great holiday 360 games like Gears of War 2, start playing one of the best XBLA games released. You might just spend more time with it.
