One of the most oft-delayed Xbox
games, next to Half-Life 2, I honestly didn’t have much faith in Xyanide
actually being released. Well, Xyanide is finally out and after getting my feet
wet with the preview build, I’ve got a final copy in front of me, so read on and
find out if it was worth this long wait.
Believe it or not, Xyanide has a
story, yes a simple 2D game like this has a story. Before even getting into the
game, a lengthy, but visually appealing seven-minute cutscene vaguely fleshes
out the story of the game. A basic summary of the story is that you play as
Drake, a space pilot who is selected to escort a witch named Aguira to a black
hole when things go wrong. An asteroid made up of xyanide collides with the ship
and Aguira is now full of power thanks to the xyanide, and she plans to make
your life as difficult as possible.
Xyanide is a dual-stick shooter, so
for fans of games like Smash TV and Geometry Wars, Xyanide is right up your
alley. The game offers two main weapons, which you can easily switch by hitting
R; one is a mechanical machine gun, while the other is a biological spread gun.
Knowing when to use which weapon is part of the challenge, as some weapons will
work better for certain enemies as opposed to others. Hitting L, will allow you
to aim and shoot a missile, but doing this will cause you to not be able to
control your ship, which requires you to learn how to aim quickly.
The level design of the game is
unique thanks to the game’s blending of 2D gameplay with 3D environments, but at
times it can be cumbersome. Sometimes my play was hindered, as I wasn’t sure if
where I was going to move would kill me or not. The environments don’t have much
variety and do tend to feel a bit on the similar side. The ability to pick up
powerups (which are assigned to the face buttons) and upgrade your weapons adds
a healthy bit of depth to the game.
Also part of Xyanide’s appeal is the
fact that it’s a very challenging game. Strewn throughout each of the game’s six
stages are a myriad of enemies, minibosses and an end boss, whom will definitely
take some time to defeat. The game is easier to play through if you play with a
friend, because like any good shmup (shoot ’em up), Xyanide supports co-op play.
Xbox Live support is here in the form of Scoreboards, in addition to Xbox Live
Aware.
The graphical look of Xyanide is
hard to pinpoint or relate to any other game precisely, but it definitely has a
futuristic/sci-fi flavor to it. The visual effects won’t wow you, but they’re
not ugly by any means. The environments are different enough to work, but some
more variety couldn’t have hurt. One odd omission is 480p support, which is
supported by around 98% of all Xbox games, but not Xyanide. Surprisingly, even
without any sort of HDTV support, the game sports a slick widescreen
presentation, (hey Microsoft, this title just begs to be playable on the 360,
make it happen!) The graphics of Xyanide make the music an expected, but fitting
choice of techno. The techno music is not something that you’ll be paying
attention to, so as background music, it works pretty well. Custom soundtracks
are supported as well if the techno music isn’t your cup of tea.
Xyanide isn’t the best shmup I’ve
played, but it does something different and it does it well, so props to
Playlogic there. Blending 2D gameplay with 3D worlds. As one of the last Xbox
games, this one stands out due to the genre it’s in; it’s simple to pick up and
play, but difficult to master. Unlike other genres, Xyanide literally has no
competition unless you import, making it all that much more approachable. It’s a
fresh take on a genre that seems all too stagnant sometimes and it’s a fun romp
that should keep you busy for a while, not to mention being at $20 pretty much
makes it a must-buy.
Review Scoring Details for GAME NAME |
Gameplay: 7.8
There’s nothing we haven’t seen here in
past iterations. The combat is pretty repetitive, but the strategy elements are
easy and intuitive.
Graphics: 7.2
Nothing here really stands out, but
Xyanide isn’t a shabby looking game by any means. No 480p support is a
disappointment.
Sound:
7.1
Generic techno music and explosions are
about all that’s going to be found here. The music is alright for “background
noise”, but at least custom soundtracks are supported.
Difficulty: Hard
Xyanide is a very challenging game, the
game’s difficulty adds to its replayability, requiring multiple playthroughs to
achieve a higher score. People with short tempers should probably avoid Xyanide
for the sake of their controllers.
Multiplayer: 6.7
The pretty much standard two player co-op
is here, but alas, there’s no online play for this title.
Concept: 8.4
It’s the only game of this genre the Xbox
is going to see, unless you can play import titles. It’s a healthy, welcome
addition to the Xbox library.
Overall: 7.7
Xyanide is a good title and it’s got the
odds in its favor as it’s only competition is in the form of Japanese-only
games. Xyanide’s unique take on the shmup genre and the fact that it’s not only
fun, but the only one of its kind make it very approachable. At only $20, you
could do a lot worse, so do yourself a favor and pick up Xyanide, it’s one of
the last worthwhile Xbox games there will ever be.
