GEOMETRY WARS 2
http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/rev ... try-wars-2EDGE Review: Geometry Wars 2[img]
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For three years, Geometry Wars has been the star of XBLA, the poster child for download gaming, and a title responsible for grinding millions of thumbstick sockets down to a fine white powder. It was Retro Evolved that reminded us that games don’t have to be bulky to be epic, nor do they need to be brutal to be sadistic. A reminder that games could be atom-sized chunks of pure digital malevolence, flinging sound and fury at the player for less than a minute at a time.
Full of bright flashes and sharp surprises, Geometry Wars always looked a bit like a magic trick. Now, with the release of its true sequel, it feels like one, too: even though Retro Evolved 2 cribs extensively from series stepchild Galaxies – and gives you far less to play with when all’s said and done – it still manages to feel more essential in every way.
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It’s not magic, of course. This is just the in-built judiciousness of a classic in the hands of its original creators. And in among the spark and fizz, it’s that same judiciousness that may be the sequel’s defining quality. Six modes would normally seem like a recipe for gimmickry with a game this simple, but Bizarre Creations refuses to descend to the level of quirky mazes or unlikely boss fights. Instead, it offers up a careful deconstruction of the game’s inherent qualities, as if the original had been put through a separation chamber, with each of its individual components then sounded out for their specific potential.
So alongside the classic Evolved mode and electronic chicken run of PGR4’s Waves, we have Deadline, which gives you infinite lives but just three minutes to rack up points; King, which divides the map into fragile bubbles of invincibility floating in a sea of extreme vulnerability; Pacifism, which robs you of your guns entirely; and Sequence, a rousing mechanical ghost house filled with delicately weighted rooms which must be beaten one after the other. In among this are a handful of new enemies and considered thefts from earlier versions, such as the return of Geoms, expelled by destroyed foes, which boost the multiplier and force you to play in a far more risky manner.
Not everyone will be happy, however. There’s something slightly scandalous about the way those Geoms allow you to rack up previously incredible scores fairly quickly, and the decision to allow you to retain your multiplier when you die means that strategic, last-second smart-bombing is no longer as crucial a skill as it used to be. Equally, many will be unable to forgive the lack of online multiplayer alongside the local variety. But this final issue at least may be yet another sign of Bizarre’s confident stewardship, as the slightest hint of imprecision or lag in a game as laser sharp as this would be a betrayal.
Retro Evolved 2 may refine rather than rewrite, but it also boasts the effortless self assurance of a mini masterpiece. As a suite of strong releases suggests downloadable games are finally making good on their promise, it’s only right that Geometry Wars should be leading the charge. It may be pulled together from no more than shards of light, but few games manage to be both a science and an art, and almost none have the power to be so cruel and yet so kind.
9/10
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