Xbox Community Games: Where’s My Beret? Edition

Community Games; it’s not the most exciting thing you can find on the Xbox Live Marketplace but it’s certainly one of the most unpredictable. From 2D platformers to old school adventure games, pretty much every gaming genre in existence is represented here. However not many sites will tell you what’s worth your money, this is a new weekly series where I will let you know which CGames have been made with effort and which are lazy cash-ins.

Strikeforce-Psi
2D Shooter/Platformer – 200 Points

The first game in this new series and it’s an unforgivable stinker. My rule with Community Games is that if I could have made it in The Game Factory (remember that?) it’s not worth my time. Strikeforce is a horribly generic 2D run and gun shooter that has had no thought put into level design or enemy placement. I’d honestly be surprised if this festival of stock graphics had taken any more than an hour to make.

Leave to Die

Blueprint Racer 4D
Racing – 200 Points

Lazy level design and stock graphics is one thing, but laying a new graphical skin over an existing game made to teach XNA skills and releasing it as your own game? That’s disgusting. This is XNA Racing Game with a blueprint skin laid over it, that’s literally the only change made. The tracks, menus and even the cars are unchanged making this a pathetic cash-in beating even the likes of Fireplace and Clock 24/7.

Leave to Die

Retro One: Part 2
Shooter – 200 Points

I’ll admit it, my first impression when seeing the ‘boxart’ for this game was ‘Dear God, not another Geometry Wars clone’. I like Geometry Wars and appreciate Biology Battle but I’m not going to spend 800 points on a clone when I can spend 800 on the real thing. Anyway Retro One isn’t a Geometry Wars clone, it’s much closer to R-Type in it’s pure side-scrolling mechanics. However it does have interesting added feature where your shots forwards and backwards can be sped up or slowed down. The added or reduced bullet spread caused as a result gives the game a extra layer of strategy. However it is insultingly easy so hardcore shooter fans should look elsewhere.

Try It

The Great Easter Egg Hunt
Puzzle/Platformer – 200 Points

First of all, about a week late but the effort is appreciated. However it’s described as a “Physics-based platformer” which as marketing phrases go is right next to “quick-time events” when it comes to running fast in the other direction. There are not really any physics on show here unless you count stuff falling when pushed over a ledge as physics. The most annoying thing about the game however is that your character’s arms can and will get stuck on scenery, to the point where it’s mentioned in the tutorial. If you’re putting that in as a feature then at least make it useful in the trial version otherwise hack videogame writers will call you out for lazy design on small blogs. That said, there are far worse puzzle platformers on CGames.

Try It

Jigdoku
Puzzle – 200 Points

Oh god, not another Sudoku game. However this one’s something of a weird anomaly in its space as it’s more of a puzzle game than most Sudoku games. You’re given a selection of varying-sized puzzle pieces and using the basic rules of Sudoku (no same digit in any column, row or square) have to slot them into their spaces to form a completed Sudoku grid. It’s actually a surprisingly decent puzzle game, depending of course on how much you like Sudoku as a base.

Try It

Wordzy
Puzzle – 200 Points

I’m all for word games, but combining word games with trial and error logic puzzles isn’t really something that works well. You know the way it works, spell a 5 letter word and the game tells you what letters are right leading up to you guessing the word the game is thinking of. If you’re a true word game fanatic it may be worth it but casual word fans should look elsewhere.

Try It

Bomb Disposal Expert
Puzzle – 200 Points

Have you played Simon? That memory game that was popular in the 80s? Yeah, this is that. Granted there’s been effort put into the graphics but put a cherry on a turd and it’s still a turd.

Leave To Die

Time Flows But Does Not Return
Artfag – 200 Points

I think this is the first Community Game that could be described as a full blown art game. Complete with 10 page creator’s statement this is a pretentious art game in the truest sense of the word. Basically it’s not fun, overly simplistic and gets boring very quickly. However if you have an interest in art games I would say you should lay down the points, it certainly seems to have the depth.

Try It (If you like art games)

It’s a tough decision to name a game of the week here, nothing is particularly astonishing but I’d say if you only buy one of these games then buy Retro One: Part 2. Worst game of the week award goes without any doubt to Blueprint Racer 4D, you just don’t try and pull something like that.

If you’re looking at this and thinking “I could do that” then prove it! You’ll find all the info and tools you need for free over on XNA Creators Club.