Downloadable Content Review Wrap-Up! (Page 3 of 3)

PixelJunk Monsters (PSN)

Simplicity gets a bad rap. Yet some of the greatest things in the world are simple - watching a sunset, flying a kite, or perhaps manipulating the Einstein-Rosen-Podolsky bridge to travel between alternate Earths. Gamers can now add playing PixelJunk Monsters to that list of enjoyable, yet ultimately simple activities.

In PixelJunk Monsters, you play as a chieftain who protects the tiny members of his village from beasts, baddies and certain doom. An odd assortment of monsters, from giant spiders to lumbering rock men, who advance in waves through a path of trees on the 2D map, are ready to go Terminator on your village. Gamers construct towers with different capabilities and defense mechanisms to ward off opponents, but the number and toughness of opponents increase as the levels progress. This requires some serious strategy and quick thinking. Towers have to be put up fast and sometimes changed to another type, depending on what kind of monster is coming next. All the while it's important to collect coins and gems dropped by defeated enemies to fortify your defenses. Even at its easiest settings, a level on PixelJunk Monsters is impossible to beat on one play through, yet it always leaves you feeling just on the edge of figuring things out. This process makes for some highly addictive game play.

While the 2D format is simple, the presentation is solid. The characters have a cutesy, retro appearance and the audio is first-rate, with catchy music and some humorous sound effects. PixelJunk Monsters's only drawback is the throw-your-controller-against-the-wall frustration found on some of its more difficult levels. Still, considering everything it does right AND the fact that it supports PSP remote play, it's certainly worthy of a download. -- Terry Terrones


Graphics: 4.0
Sound: 4.0
Controls: 4.75
Fun Factor: 4.5
(Editor's Choice)

Rez HD (XBLA)

Updates of older games ported to XBLA have largely been a mess, bordering many times on the farcical - that can't be said of Rez HD, an update on 2001's critically acclaimed rail-shooter which is arguably the front runner for 2008's best XBLA game.

Rez is a fast paced rail shooter set in a futuristic supercomputer just about to gain sentience, while questioning its own existence in the process. Naturally, viruses and other pesky things infest the system as you, an anonymous hacker, attempt to enter the system and restore order. Entering the system leads to a five-area rail shooter experience that has in all honestly some of the best rail shooting sequences seen so far. Each area has several sub-levels, followed at the end by a large boss fight. What sets the game apart is its great style in terms of graphics and sound. There have been few games with as much emphasis on style and fewer still that have actually managed to be successful when doing so.

Music in Rez is perhaps the most intriguing element of the game, as the game takes on an electronica inspired theme. Instead of sound effects for firing and hitting enemies, you'll hear these acts become incorporated with the soundtrack. Sound even goes so far as to be incorporated graphically, oftentimes you'll see the game world vibrate in tune with the music. Moreover, Rez strikes a very distinctive look by way of combining a virtual reality viewpoint with themes relating to ancient mythology - and if that sounds as intriguing to you as it did to me you'll undoubtedly have a blast. -- Andrew Dagley

Graphics: 5.00
Sound: 5.00
Controls: 4.50
Fun Factor: 5.00
(Editor's Choice)

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