N+

As a general rule, taking a freeware game and converting it into a 800 point XBLA game is not going to be taken well - or at least that was the thought until N+ came around. Originally a freeware PC game, N+ translates exceptionally well to its new format and has enough meat in it to justify its price tag.

N+ is a physics game with equal parts action and puzzle. The game itself has several hundred levels where you guide your character, appropriately a ninja, through obstacles filled with deadly robots, ingenious traps, and the harsh mistress we know as gravity. The only goal of the game is to survive and make your way through each stage and to the exit by flipping a switch and leaving through the door that opens. Of course, its almost never as simple as it might sound. While the controls are very simple--essentially left, right, and jump--it takes some skill to pull off the dramatic wall jumps and other acrobatics that are required in the most challenging levels, along with a good sense of timing.

When things go wrong, you're at least treated to another of N+'s great selling points, which is its excellent rag doll physics. The developers really went to town in this area, as for every time you die there are different ways that your ninja's body can be sliced, fried, and otherwise mutilated into tiny chunks--and trust me, you'll be seeing those giblets quite often. That said, while N+ is frequently challenging, it never devolves to the level of senseless head gripping difficulty that has been seen in similar games, as it strikes a nice balance in difficulty.

Besides the large assortment of single-player levels, N+ also has a varied multiplayer component which includes elements of co-op with up to four players, as well as survival and race modes. The only caveat that must be raised with these forms of play rests with the fact that the two non-co-op modes have an inexplicable prevalence towards repeating levels if engaging in longer contests.

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