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"[GAME] Xbox Live Arcade – Splosion Man"

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Wed 11/11/09 at 14:04
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
[GAME] Xbox Live Arcade – Splosion Man

I have not really been one to download much from the Live store, mainly due to where I live 1mb is the best broadband I get and can take a while to get a game lol. But i had some points left over a while back and looked about the store and saw this little platform game was getting very good ratings. Eager to check things out i purchased it at 800MS points and waited a few hours before i could play!

After the waiting was done the game loaded up and I jumped right into the action. There is a single player and multiplayer option. I opted for the single player to get to grips with things. Well there is not too much to learn, you run and you explode (jump). Make your way through the level avoiding various traps and if your able to then find the sometimes well hidden piece of cake, you will earn a nice little points bonus on completing the level. The game is set as a side scrolling platform, with slight 3-d graphics. It looks nice and the controls are the simplest you will ever use. X,Y,B and A are all jump. The only other action you can do is self destruct. So in terms of simplicity this will be winning, but then when a game is that simple and with no story i tend to lose interest very fast.

Sadly this happened with Splosion Man. The first few levels are fun and enjoyable but i found after the 10th level i was not enjoying it any more, i was just going through the motion to try get an achievement or another level done. I know i am worse than most at getting bored easily but i struggle to see how anyone could be entertained for that long in the game. So it is sad to say but while the graphics looks nice and the controls are simple. It lacks substance and at 800MS points i felt very let down. I know plenty of people do enjoy the game and find it challenging at places and rewarding. Which is correct to an extent, the levels get much harder and you will find yourself trying a level several times in order to complete it. There are checkpoints in the levels which is good as if you had to repeat a level from the start I think it would become even more tedious.

So after my disappoint in the single player i thought i would try my hand at the multiplayer. I purchased the game about a month after it came out and i really struggled to join games. I am not sure if this is due to my connection or players not being online, regardless it was a rather frustrating experience to try get an online game. I did finally manage to find another game to join, but jumped in at level 20 or something, which when you have not played the multiplayer before can be a tad difficult. You have to make sure you and your friend are pretty well timed to open certain gates or aid in a specific way. The puzzles themselves are not too hard and can be figured out relatively quickly, but without a headset or someone wanting to play serious, you stand little chance of getting far and again, this leads to boring game play where some 10 year old is happy watching you die or themselves but not progressing in the game. With a friend it might be different but sadly no friends of mine had this and by the time someone had come over for them to play it alongside me, i had deleted it and would not bother waiting a few hours for it to download again!

As you can tell, Splosion man is not really my kind of game and i did feel that it was too simple and there needed to be more to keep anyone playing it long term. Maybe as a demo it will be fun but i would suggest leaving this one alone, of course if you enjoy a simple puzzle / platform game that will allow you to pick up and play with simplicity you might enjoy it, i still feel 800MS points is high but if it comes down to 400MS then it could be worth a look if your into that kind of game. I had most of my fun exploding next to a scientist and watching them turn into steak and other chunks of meat!

5/10
Wed 11/11/09 at 15:56
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
Cheers mate - yea i still have like 900MS points to spend but nothing i have seen really takes my fancy! Hope some good games get released soon.
Wed 11/11/09 at 15:32
Moderator
"possibly impossible"
Posts: 24,985
Good review again.

Saw this and didn't seem like my thing so i haven't played it. There seems to be a big gap on XBL between games like this and really good stuff like Trials HD.
Wed 11/11/09 at 14:04
Regular
"THFC"
Posts: 4,488
[GAME] Xbox Live Arcade – Splosion Man

I have not really been one to download much from the Live store, mainly due to where I live 1mb is the best broadband I get and can take a while to get a game lol. But i had some points left over a while back and looked about the store and saw this little platform game was getting very good ratings. Eager to check things out i purchased it at 800MS points and waited a few hours before i could play!

After the waiting was done the game loaded up and I jumped right into the action. There is a single player and multiplayer option. I opted for the single player to get to grips with things. Well there is not too much to learn, you run and you explode (jump). Make your way through the level avoiding various traps and if your able to then find the sometimes well hidden piece of cake, you will earn a nice little points bonus on completing the level. The game is set as a side scrolling platform, with slight 3-d graphics. It looks nice and the controls are the simplest you will ever use. X,Y,B and A are all jump. The only other action you can do is self destruct. So in terms of simplicity this will be winning, but then when a game is that simple and with no story i tend to lose interest very fast.

Sadly this happened with Splosion Man. The first few levels are fun and enjoyable but i found after the 10th level i was not enjoying it any more, i was just going through the motion to try get an achievement or another level done. I know i am worse than most at getting bored easily but i struggle to see how anyone could be entertained for that long in the game. So it is sad to say but while the graphics looks nice and the controls are simple. It lacks substance and at 800MS points i felt very let down. I know plenty of people do enjoy the game and find it challenging at places and rewarding. Which is correct to an extent, the levels get much harder and you will find yourself trying a level several times in order to complete it. There are checkpoints in the levels which is good as if you had to repeat a level from the start I think it would become even more tedious.

So after my disappoint in the single player i thought i would try my hand at the multiplayer. I purchased the game about a month after it came out and i really struggled to join games. I am not sure if this is due to my connection or players not being online, regardless it was a rather frustrating experience to try get an online game. I did finally manage to find another game to join, but jumped in at level 20 or something, which when you have not played the multiplayer before can be a tad difficult. You have to make sure you and your friend are pretty well timed to open certain gates or aid in a specific way. The puzzles themselves are not too hard and can be figured out relatively quickly, but without a headset or someone wanting to play serious, you stand little chance of getting far and again, this leads to boring game play where some 10 year old is happy watching you die or themselves but not progressing in the game. With a friend it might be different but sadly no friends of mine had this and by the time someone had come over for them to play it alongside me, i had deleted it and would not bother waiting a few hours for it to download again!

As you can tell, Splosion man is not really my kind of game and i did feel that it was too simple and there needed to be more to keep anyone playing it long term. Maybe as a demo it will be fun but i would suggest leaving this one alone, of course if you enjoy a simple puzzle / platform game that will allow you to pick up and play with simplicity you might enjoy it, i still feel 800MS points is high but if it comes down to 400MS then it could be worth a look if your into that kind of game. I had most of my fun exploding next to a scientist and watching them turn into steak and other chunks of meat!

5/10

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