Xbox 360 Community Games, Vol. 1

Holy shit, has anyone even gone to the Community Games section of the 360? While I found my first visit there to be pretty awesome, I can’t say it’s a treasure trove of indie games you’ve never heard of — not yet, at least. I’ve only played one game so far, and it’s called Weapon of Choice. It’s a duel stick shooter, but instead of manning a spacecraft flying through bullet hell, you’re running through levels on foot. It’s similar to Contra, but you have a lot more control over your movements and weapons.

You run around with the left stick and shoot with the right. The left trigger is your jump, and believe me, it takes some getting used to. I tried jumping with the A button or some such nonsense a few times and paid for it with my life. Other than the odd choice of jumping control, it plays quite nicely. You can modify your weapons with the right trigger, and with the default character, it can make you hover in the air for a few seconds or give off a more powerful blast. But one of the coolest things about the gameplay is the way you navigate the levels. Whenever you want to climb up a ridge or jump to a higher area, little robotic arm-thingies come out of your body and pull you along the terrain. It’s just a nifty little visual that adds a lot to both the aesthetics and general movement allowances.

Along the way, you’ll encounter downed allies that you’ll need to rescue by simply standing over them. They’ll then attach to you like a backpack, and the idea is that you should carry them to safety. The tricky part is that everything is a one hit kill. The developers did see fit to help you out a bit in that regard by adding a slow-motion mechanic that automatically kicks in when you’re about to get your ass handed to you. It basically gives you just a few moments to jump out of harms way, but if you get cornered, you’re pretty much screwed.

Once you complete a level, the downed ally you rescue will be unlocked and available to play through the rest of the game. Three characters are already available when you start the game, but I’m not sure just yet how many will eventually become unlocked. As I mentioned, you die in one hit. But when you die, you can instantly choose another character to finish the level with. Once you’ve died using everyone available to you, it’s game over. It’s pretty hardcore, and getting through a level without losing a comrade is damn satisfying.

There’s not much else I can say, other than the entire game was made by 8 people(very commendable), and you can find it in the Community Games section of the games marketplace. If nothing else, it’s definitely worth a look at the demo. It costs you nothing, so just go do it already.

Oh, and Wilford Brimley looks to be your commanding officer.