One of the best XBLA titles to date.
Twisted Pixel made a name for itself when it released The Maw earlier this year. The Maw was a puzzle game more than anything else and at first glance 'Splosion Man looks like a completely mindless platformer where all you do is jump around with no purpose at all. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Gameplay wise, 'Splosion Man is extremely simple (in concept, anyway). You control 'Splosion Man by using the thumbstick to move and any one of the face buttons to 'splode. See, 'sploding is the main (and only) real mechanic in the game and it serves as your offense as well as your jump. The whole game is designed around this one mechanic making it easy to get into for casual gamers, but at the same time the challenge is there for hardcore gamers. That's another thing, this is NOT an easy game. While it may seem easy in the early levels don't be fooled, this game will chew you up and spit you out at some parts. However, unlike most games I never wanted to quit because it's just so much fun to play. It's incredibly addictive.
After your done with the five to six hour single player campaign there's a co-op mode for up to four players. It has just as many levels as the single player but I honestly didn't enjoy it as much. They make a big deal about the fact that you can 'splode off each other and this works fine if your playing local co-op, but online there's one problem: lag. Exploding off each is all about timing and if there's any lag, it can ruin the experience.
In terms of presentation, everything is superb. Everything about the entire game is extremely polished. From the menus, to the art design, to the character models, to the 'splosions themselves. It's also worth mentioning that the games runs very well. I noticed maybe two framerate drops throughout the entire game and that's saying something. The lighting and animation are also great too.
So, in case you haven't noticed, this game is awesome. And for only 800 points ($10) it's a steal. What are you waiting for? Go buy this game.
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