Geometry Wow: Holy Snap!!!
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is a great game. Pure and simple. It has the same great controls improved visuals and an increased difficulty. While the first game had two modes(retro and evolved) its sequel triples that number and expands to six surprisingly different modes to choose from. Bizarre creations has managed to grow a simple concept into a varied rewarding and challenging experience.
There have been a number of changes to the formula but they add excitement to it all the way through. When you die your multiplier doesn't reset, meaning we're going to see some really high scores. Anyone who was never able to break a million or two in GWRE1 will be doing that in no time across all of the different game modes eventhough this games challenge feels higher than the previous games. Some of the added difficulty comes from the lack of an upgradable weapon. You won't be getting a spread shot this time around and in some cases you can't shoot at all.
GWRE2's six modes have to be unlocked by playing through the already unlocked modes and each newly unlocked mode introduces concepts and enemies that will be used in the succeeding mode, starting with deadline. Deadline gives you three minutes to get as many points as possible. You have unlimited lives so even if you have a hard time with GW you can use this as practice and make yourself better.
In King you can only shoot while inside circles that enemies cannot enter but weaken and shrink into nothingness after a short period of time. This mode is not only challenging but also easily the most frightening. While you are outside of the circles you can't shoot anything, so deciding where you need to go next and clearing a path to that circle is a must. There are also no bombs in this mode so don't expect an easy reprieve from the action.
Evolved is similar to the evolved mode in the original XBLA release with a few changes. First off, you don't get an upgraded weapon after 10,000 points. You're score will definitely be higher this time around since, although the game feels a little harder, your multiplier doesn't reset after you die.
Anyone familiar with the pacifism achievement in the original will be able to pick up on Pacifism the game mode right away. You can't shoot and you have no bombs but don't worry, those blue diamond bastards will still be no match for you because of, blue dumbells called gates. The challenge here is staying alive as long as you can and luring all the enemies as close as you can get them to the gates to blow them up. Even without a gun or bombs Pacifism still has more explosions than most full retail games.
Waves is the same game that was in PGR4 last year. You are attacked by pointy enemies in waves. As your score goes up the waves are covering entire sides of the screen and coming from all sides. Add in a few enemies from other modes and this is no slouch when it comes to difficulty.
Sequence is more like Mutant Storm than Geometry Wars but it's still fun nonetheless. You have to clear stages and collect as many geoms as possible. Each stage has you surrounded by four enemies to start with but after that all hell breaks loose and you're wondering how you'll defeat all of them in just thirty seconds. While it's good geometry fun this is the weakest of the modes. Stopping every thirty seconds just doesn't seem to fit in with geometry wars. It slows the action down and you're left sitting there waiting for the next stage to start.
Add in multiplayer and the replay value goes even higher. You can now hook up with four friends to take on the hordes of shapes. Playing with more than just yourself is a welcome addition, but it's only offline. At first, I thought that was a mistake, though if you were to play this online with friends any lag would completely ruin the experience and with this much going on there would be lag.
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 definitely expands on the original but doesn't have the simple pick up and play aspect the original did, in some ways that is a letdown, but only because that game was so wonderful. In other ways the new found complexity adds more replay value and trying to get higher scores in different games. The changes make the game more interesting and more rewarding. This is the best XBLA game to come out in quite a while, and if I'm not careful I may lose some sleep and some friends playing this fantastic follow-up.
