Rumble Massage

Use the rumble to

release the stress, don’t forget

the happy ending!

This has to be one of the most interesting uses of the rumble functionality in game I’ve seen thus far.  You’re able to set the pulse and strength of the rumble and there’s also a setting that allows you to control someone else’s controller’s rumble for interactive massaging that can be done over Xbox Live or while in the same room .  It blows my mind simple yet inventive this game is because it has functionality that spans not only massages and stress relief but could also function as a way for adults to have some personal fun which is quite innovative.

RC-AirSim

Fun RC plane sim

that gives you a backyard to

perform your tricks in.

This game is fairly simple but is definitely a fun time waster.  You get to choose from a good sized list of RC Airplanes and you’re immediately thrown into a huge backyard to fly your plane in.  While the game will most likely grown stale after an hour or so of play it is well worth the 200 Microsoft Points price tag (about $2.50).

Groov

Groov-y  tunes created

from the shooting I’m doing

and I’m loving it.

I’m glad to say that the gentleman that made this game is a member of the boards on 1Up.com and I have to say that he did an amazing job on this game.  Yes it is a bit of a throwback to Geometry Wars and Everyday Shooter but at the same time it has its own flavor that is a fun experience.  Groov is a game that could easily be on the regular Xbox Live Marketplace and is an absolute steal for 200 MS Points.

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Real Time Strategy games have had quite the difficult time attempting to come over to consoles.  I’m not sure if it’s the constant moving around the battlefield that is the difficult thing to compensate for due to the limiting controller on consoles or whether there are too many commands and too little button real estate.  From what I’ve seen of Halo Wars it seems to be a solid attempt by Ensemble Studios (unfortunately closed prior to releasing the game) to focus the overall feel of an RTS into a tighter package that may outrage the hardcore but in a lot of ways is a more streamlined experience because of the changes.

One of the major places Halo Wars moves away from its RTS brethren is restricting the player in where they can build bases.  Yes this can be limiting in some ways but at the same time it is good to know that whenever I need to I can quickly get to my base and start cranking out units at will rather than searching around to see exactly where I placed my barracks.  I think the fact that you’re also limited on how many buildings you can make around your home base only adds another layer of strategy to the game.

The control scheme can get some getting used to but draws a lot of parralells to the Command and Conquer 3 and the Battle for Middle Earth II games that came out for Xbox 360 awhile back.  Halo Wars is simplified enough that it allows you to bypass the minutia that was originally associated with using controllers with RTS games and allows you to enjoy the pure dumb fun of sending your troops to attack the enemy.  The one major problem I noticed is the fact you couldn’t group certain squads together to better attack situations from multiple sides.  I’m not sure if this will become a greater problem when faced with the full game but as of right now in the demo it seems to be a deficiency that can be a headache at first be serviceable.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed the Halo Wars demo.  My feelings of the game went from a title that I was slightly interested in because it was based on the Halo universe to one that I’m really looking forward to getting a copy into my hands.  Halo Wars doesn’t seem to reinvent the RTS wheel with it’s mechanics but it does provides you with an experience specifically geared towards consoles and should be judged solely on that fact rather than how “dumbed down” it is compared to PC RTS games.

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2. Netflix can be directly streamed from your Xbox 360 to your TV as an added feature that Microsoft and Netflix have offered to their mutual subscribers.  Man of the titles have HD versions that you can Watch Instantly with more being added on a regular basis.

3. Your Xbox 360 also has the ability to connect to Xbox Live which is the premiere way to play games online.  Through Xbox Live you have the ability to connect to your friends and have live chat while playing games together or even while wathcing TV.  It’s extremely easy to use and has a slick interface that allows for layers of customization that you can tweak to your tastes.

4. Some of the best HD graphics around can be found on the Xbox 360.  The Xbox 360 offers a level of realism that meets or trumps the competition in almost everyway.  Developers are also continuing to push what the Xbox 360 has under its hood so the best could still be yet to come.

5. Price tag…period.  For $199.99 you get a system that does all of the above and is slick piece of technology that can be utilized as the central hub for most of your family’s entertainment.  The Xbox 360 is a versatile piece of equipment that has the unique ability to be enjoyed by every member of the family.

When Microsoft first announced Microsoft Community Games at 2008’s GDC conference, I was amazed by the prospect but doubted whether I would ever see the platform come to fruition.  While not perfect, Microsoft Community Games was released into the world late last year with a wide variety of “home-brewed” games to try and/or purchase.  They ranged from artistic reinterpretations of older games like Groov to downright experimental craziness like Rumble Massage.

The simple fact that the people featured in the Community Games section of Xbox Live have a chance of getting their work seen and bought by gamers around the globe is a amazing in itself.  Because of the suite of product and services provided by Microsoft you also don’t have to be some programming genius to start making your own games.

Thanks to my rekindled love for Community Games I added a Haiku Preview for my standout favorite of the games I’ve downloaded so far:

CarneyVale Showtime

Simple game with charm

galore.  Makes me laugh without

realizing it.

I am not joking about the laugh part.  It escaped on its own as I saw my guy twirled through the air doing cart wheels as he made his way up the level.  CarneyVale Showtime is a simple physics game but can be an awesome time waster that is well worth the couple dollars it’s being sold for on Microsoft Community Games.

The Maw

Visuals out of

Lilo and Stich with just as

much fun to be had.

When I first fired up Twisted Pixel’s The Maw I was shocked by how cute this game looked and the fact that it was a really good looking game.  There are many stylized games on Xbox Live Marketplace that look gorgeous but The Maw is one of the first that look on par to late Last Gen graphical quality.  From the taste I got in the demo I would have to say that if the humor and quirkiness found there is held throughout the game it looks to be a fun action platformer that is easy to pickup and play.