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By Rod, January 8, 2010 4:44 am

Guardian – Action & Adventure – 240 Points – Download

As I watched the 3D blue planet spinning patiently on the nicely presented intro screen waiting for me to press Start, I had high hopes for Guardian from Willow Ridge Software. The subsequent menu unfortunately looks and feels like so many other XBL Indie Games out there but starting a new game yields a neat touch as the camera zooms back and the spinning planet becomes the centre-piece of the gameplay area for you to defend in glorious 2D.

The gameplay is a twist on Atari’s 1979 classic, Asteroids, with the twist being that you are unable to move and are instead stuck in orbit, hurtling around your home planet. You are able to aim though and it is your job to defend the planet by blasting waves of asteroids, comets and aliens hell-bent on breaching your planet’s shields, punching holes in terra firma and destroying your centrally located base. If your satellite is shot down or destroyed in a collision, a new one is launched from your base with the game only ending when your base is exposed and destroyed. There are 4 levels of difficulty (Easy, Normal, Hard and Legendary) and for those of you who have friends, there is also a 2-4 player local co-op mode where you each control a weapon mounted to the same satellite.

The rather sluggish aiming cursor takes a bit of getting used to and it is a reasonably fun challenge leading your shots so that they connect with a nasty piece of space rock with a satisfying explosion. Blow up an alien ship and they will drop a power-up which can be collected by utilising your base’s tractor beam giving you access to more powerful weapons and shield boosts to help defend your planet. The main problem is that you don’t get much time to position your cursor and get your shots off before the planet gets in the way and receives the full brunt of your wrath. This can be particularly dangerous if you are employing the rail gun which has the potential to destroy your planet with one shot.

Your base also has a couple of tricks up its sleeve and can launch guided missiles, unguided nuclear missiles and an energy pulse which will clear the screen if things start to get out of hand. Although it is possible to wipe out your planet (and base) with a single shot from the rail gun, it seems immune to the effect of nuclear missiles so any nuclear incidents pass without punishment. The tractor beam can also be employed to group together nearby asteroids which can then all be taken out with one carefully placed shot.

The sound effects and graphics are reasonable at best, although the explosion effects are well done with larger explosions creating a nice shockwave effect on the screen.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad game; it’s just not a great game and, with little variety on offer, gets repetitive very quickly. Definitely give it a try though as it may appeal to any wannabe Russians who want to save the world from space debris and don’t mind shelling out 240 Microsoft Points for the privilege.

Guardian isn't terrible but quickly becomes very repetitive.