Sloppy Potatoes

Geometry Wars 2 rocks hard

Another gem on Xbox Live Arcade

I don’t think I’ve explained on these pages how awesome the original Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was. I logged countless hours of just-one-more games, long into the night. The game cost me many hours of sleep and I have a bad feeling Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is going to do the same thing.

I only played the game for about 45 minutes, but over that time unlocked four different game modes and every one of them enjoyable.

The basics

In case you did not play the original, enemies are several geometric shapes of different colors. They all move and attack in different ways and as the game progresses the enemies come in larger, more frequent waves. It’s like space invaders on steroids, even though you can move in any direction with the left joystick and fire in any direction with the left. Smart bombs on the right trigger.

What’s new

New enemies in Geometry Wars 2 are awesome, and I’m sure I have not seen all of them yet. One enemy, an orange arrow moves back-and-forth along a straight line and later in the game spawn in a line that moves across half of the game board. Another new early enemy is a red rectangle that slowly flops across the screen. It’s not terribly dangerous but adds another obstacle to an already hectic battle field. With the destruction of every enemy one or more gems is dropped. Collect these gems to increase your multiplier, a great addition to the gameplay. Gates are interesting too, allowing you to bounce your bullets off them and toward other enemies. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.

Game modes

I unlocked four game modes and still have not played the fourth. The first game-type is a free-for-all of sorts, with random enemies dropping in. There are no lives in this mode, but there is a 3-minute timer. The second mode, my favorite so far, has you jumping from safe zone to safe zone — where enemies can’t get to you. The catch is, you can’t fire unless you are in one of the zones, and the zones time out after a few seconds. You have to time your jumps from zone to zone to maximize multiplier pickups while also taking a safe path. The third mode is the standard mode I played for hours before, but with the new enemies and a crazy remix of the mesmerizing original’s music. By the looks of things, there are three more modes to try. I can’t wait to see what they’re like.

One complaint

As much as I like the game, I was a little irritated by one thing: With the updated graphics, constantly exploding enemies, multiplier gems and my shots flying across the screen it got a little too hectic to realistically see what was going on. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but the screen is far more crowded and complex than it was in Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. It is crazy enough it could turn off some players.

Bottom line: If you have Xbox Live Arcade, go buy this game. Don’t bother with the demo, just pony up the 800 points and enjoy.