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By Sam, August 9, 2009 4:24 am

Cyborg Mice Arena – 200 Points – Shooter – Download
Cyborg Mice Arena is an isometric shooter featuring lots of weapons, stages, modes and options.

The core game plays more like the horde mode from Gears of War 2 than Geometry Wars (though a survival mode is able to be unlocked) and sees you fend off ever increasing waves of enemies that consist of cats and giant robots. It gives off a real retro feel similar to the arcade classic Smash TV.

One of the first things you’ll notice when playing Cyborg Mice Arena is how good it looks. The artstyle fits the game mood perfectly and as one of the only isometric games on the service it sets itself apart from all the other shooters. The whole package is superbly polished, the menus and hud all look great and there is no slowdown even when things are at their most hectic.

When you start out you are given just a shotgun and a pistol with one mode on one stage. With every enemy you kill you are given funds which you can then use to purchase upgrades (more ammo, increased speed, more damage), weapons (an uzi, a flamethrower, a plasma rifle), new stages and new modes. This gives the game a real sense of progression as after almost every game you’ll have something new to play with.

Despite there being a lot of shooters on Xbox LIVE Indie Games, Cyborg Mice Arena sets itself apart itself in the gameplay department by not just being about destroying everyting in sight. There is certain amount of strategy involved in it’s ‘cat-and-mouse’ gameplay and you need to move smartly and choose the correct weapons to succeed, especially on the higher levels and harder difficulties.

The shooting itself is fun. You choose two weapons before you start (shotgun and uzi was my favourite combination) and each trigger controls one weapon. The weapons each have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Uzi is powerful and has fast rate of fire but has a narrow range. Whilst the shotgun can slow down the faster enemies and has wide range but has a slow rate of fire. Ammo is limited too and you will need to destroy the spawning pods to pick up more health and ammo.

Cyborg Mice Arena has a multiplayer mode for up to four players. You can tackle any stage and mode and it’s really fun working together to find the best weapon combinations and tactics.

Overall Cyborg Mice Arena is one of the most polished game’s on the service. The gameplay is good fun, the presention great and I really enjoyed the way it was stuctured. And at only 200 points it is one of the best value games on the service.

Unique shooter with a lot of polish.