One Man Army?
Playing Geometry Wars 2 made me wonder about the state of video games at the moment. All in all, it's fair to say that the seventh generation of video games has come out as one of the best yet, with retro titles flashing back and forth as if they're suddenly in fashion, as well as they more modern-artique sort of games for anybody who finds themselves lifting their jaws from the floor at the sight of the lusciously erotic new graphics for whatever the hells in fashion this week (Batman: Arkham Asylum, for those wondering.).
Moreso to the point, video games really seem to have come full circle with games like Geometry Wars as we find ourselves back to the old Pac-man esque games where although the layout is the same and the premise never changes, you never find yourself playing the same level twice, feeling dumbfounded when the coloured ghosts (or in this case coloured...Geome-droppers?) appear exactly where you didn't expect them to (or want them to...)
Having never played Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved I was somewhat taken aback by this dubiously simple yet somehow enticing game. Although it's a simple point and fire game, the exotic colours really do hit home as they thrash out the mugginess that seems to have latched onto all gamers thanks to the inane foggy haze that seems to have taken over every single current-gen video game known to man. The enemies spawn left right and centre and explode into bright firework-like rifts that time after time, you'll find yourself gazing at the implosion and not at everything else you're supposed to be looking at. See this is where the developers, Bizarre, have been somewhat clever; rather than making a game that is dumbfoundingly difficult, they make a fairly standard game with an absurd level of distractions so that in the end the only person to blame when you fail miserably is yourself for not concentrating.
Oh how many gamers will hark that this trickery can be immediately unappealing, probablyturning as many patrons off as it turns on, but after 15 minutes or so, you might actually have the incredible luck of succeeding at the game. The learning curve isn't too steep and often once you find even the slightest level of improvement within yourself, each time you return for a quick 5 minute doss, you'll more than likely see that you're progressively moving up the ranks, to not only your own amazement but also to a certain level of pleasure that is both enormous and kind fo creepy. Yes, you will feel godly playing Geometry Wars 2 and unless you have friends that are better than you, it's likely that you'll end up with a Hitler complex and start trying to make the world perfect and yours.
The gameplay is the sort that really takes some time to get your head around but it can be picked up quite easily. It's like the old (and remarkably frustrating) phrase goes "10 minutes to learn, a lifetime to master". It's with a limited amount of sorrow that I make such a remark but that is discounted mostly by the fact that it's true. Mostly.
The tunes on the game are pretty catchy, they really do invoke the sort of retro feel the game is obviously aiming for (and for anyone who missed that, the clue is in the name...Retro Evolved). However, it has to be said that unless you grew up around arcade games, they might not do much for you and at more than one occasion I did find myself turning music off on the option menu and pluggin my own tunes into my iSpeakers (for a truly epic feel, I reccomend the soundtrack to The Dark Knight. My scores rocketed when I put that on.)
One qualm you may find yourself with is that after a day or two, when you've spent two nights with your hands clammy with sweat, and your eyes sore from sleep deprivation, you may find your scores dipping which can instantly have you blaming the game. Trust me, this isn't the game, this is your lack of energy and focus. Get some sleep and try again tomorrow and you should be on top form.
On the whole the game is certainly an achievement, whether you want to try and top your high scores (might want to get the caffiene pills ready...) or just spend 5 minutes quick-playing it. The achievements are fun to try but infuriating to complete on occasion, so it might be best to save them until you're either very confident or a die-hard fan.
So as a game as retro as this is bound to toss up some feelings of nostalgia, is it fair to say that GeoWars might have some people wishing we were back in the golden age of arcade gaming? Possibly. Although for anyone feeling that urge might I suggest a bit of wondering around your city to see if there are any old arcades lying around or even a browse of Xbox Marketplace? There's certainly enough out there for your coin-slotting needs if you ever get tired of keeping up to date on next months super-flashy-exploding First Person Shooter.
