Xbox Live Community Watch - 4/17/09

This was a particularly good week for community games, including one that could possibly be my new favorite game available for the Xbox 360.

Yay

• Aria - 200 MS points. Imagine Geometry Wars with custom soundtrack support. Now imagine that enemy spawn rate and aggression is determined by the rhythm and tempo of the music. That is Aria, and it is amazing. I've played through the Persona 3 soundtrack a dozen or so times now and loved every second of it. I suppose there is the downside that music could take up a large portion of your 360 hard drive, and the simple graphics don't have quite the vibrant glow that is seen in Geometry Wars, but I still cannot recommend this game enough. Oh, and did I mention that it supports up to 4 players that can drop in or out of the game at any time?
• Xeno Arena - 200 MS points. I would call Xeno Arena a top-down horror shooter. Visibility is limited by a "fog of war" effect keeping a high level of tension even when you aren't fighting enemies. Levels are also randomly generated for added replay value.
• Hexement - 400 MS points. Hexement is a highly original puzzle game where you are given falling blocks of land, water, or volcanoes and place them on a hexagonal play field. If water isn't enclosed by land then it will spill off the board, potentially causing a game over if enough is lost. Enclosed water causes the land to grow trees earning you more points, but those trees can be burned by the volcanoes. It's hard to describe, but a lot of fun and involves a lot of strategy. There's also a 2-player mode so you can share the unique experience with a friend. If you're looking for a puzzle game that is truly original, then Hexement is the game for you.
• Bullet Trap - 200 MS points. Bullet Trap is an intense shooter where you can move your single turret between a few spawn points to defeat the waves of enemies. The name comes from the fact that your bullets can be used to bounce off walls to defeat enemies, but they can just as easily bounce off walls and come right back at you. There's also a 2-player mode that can get even crazier with bullets flying in every direction.
• VirusWar - 400 MS points. VirusWar is a standard vertical shooter that takes the genre out of space and into a human blood stream. Shoot viruses and pathogens while collecting red blood cells to increase your energy. It can get very fast, so you need quick reflexes to play this game.

Ay?

• Pwned - 400 MS points. It's chess. It's very well done chess, with detailed 3D chess pieces (or the option for a 2D board) and a wide selection of boards. My main problem with the game is that it is 2-player only with no opponent A.I. option. Luckily there is Xbox Live support for multiplayer, but that doesn't guarantee you'll always be able to find someone to play against. If you could play against A.I. then I'd easily recommend it for any chess fan, but as it is I can only strongly recommend it for people with long-distance chess buddies.
• Rabid Gophers - 200 MS points. Essentially, Rabid Gophers is a game of whack-a-mole. The art style adds a lot of much-needed personality to the game though, and there are gameplay variations in the bomb detonation and sniper modes which adds some replay value. It's simple, quick, excessively violent fun.
• Patterns of Light - 200 MS points. Patterns of Light is a simple reaction-based game where a button and direction are shown on the screen and you need to press them in sequence before time runs out. What is intriguing about the game is that there is an abstract story going on in the game with images appearing both between and during levels that hint at a possible plot. The most fun I've had with the game is trying to figure out what exactly is going on with the images. It's definitely not for everyone, and I can't say if the pay-off of the plot is worth it since I haven't managed to figure it out yet, but I will say that it is at least a very interesting game.

Nay

• Terwilliger - 200 MS points. I think it's fair to say that this game was designed for a younger audience than myself. It's a very simple game where you control a cat and collect mice that walk slowly around the levels. If you have young children then you might want to give this one a try, but it won't hold an older gamer's attention for more than a few minutes.
• Time and Tune - 200 MS points. This one is only for musicians. The first part of this "game" is a metronome, which can go from 1 to 1500 beats per minute (though that seems a bit excessive to me) and make a wide range of sounds for the beats. It also counts in either 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 time. The second part is a note tuner for your instrument. Though since I'm not musically inclined I cannot say how accurate the notes are, but I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.