Comments (3)

By Sam, July 11, 2010 3:04 pm

Decimation X – Shooter – 80 Points – Download

Coming from the developers of hotly anticipated Duality ZF, Xona Games, Decimation X is a re-imagining of the classic Space Invaders formula with support for up to 4 players.

The basic premise of Decimation X, like space invaders, is to destroy waves of enemies gradually moving down the screen before they kill you. To aid you you have several buildings between you and the enemies that shield you from incoming bullets but are gradually are destroyed.

The gameplay is extremely simple, you essentially focus on two things; destroying enemies and collecting powerups. Powerups have a variety of effects such as shields, increases in power, rapid fire and also the ability to repair the buildings protecting you.

Where Decimation X seperates itself from Space Invaders is in it’s speed and the amount of bullets on screen at one time. In fact, as you get better at the game, Decimation X seems less like a homage to a classic arcade game and more like a modern ‘bullet-hell’ shooter. You must have great reflexes to make it past more than the first few waves.

With the visual style Xona Games has achieved a perfect balance between retro and modern gaming. Like Geometry Wars, the simple graphic design is complimented by modern particle effects to create both a nostalgic and impressive look.

So are there any problems? The biggest one is the lack on online scoreboards. Despite there being a message in the game saying ‘Online Scoreboards Coming Soon’ there has been no sign of them and we are nearing six months since release. Also slghtly disappointing is the fact that the music, whilst great, drowns out the sound effects and there are no options to adjust this.

These are minor issues in the grand scheme of things though. Decimation X is one of the finest, most polished and addictive games on Xbox LIVE Indie Games. At only 80 points everyone should own it.

Decimation X is one of the finest, most polished and addictive games on Xbox LIVE Indie Games.

Comments (2)

By Sam, January 17, 2010 5:06 am

Trial Impressions are back! The aim is to post trial impressions as close to daily as possible.

Note: These impressions are based off 8 minutes of gameplay and are not an accurate assessment of the full product.

Decimation X – 80 points – Shooter – Download

Fantastic Space Invaders/Bullet Hell shooter form the developers behind the forthcoming Duality ZF. One of the most fun and polished games on the service.

Blood on the Dance Floor – 80 points – Action & Adventure- Download

Zombie themed top-down shooter. The co-op may be fun but the controls are a little strange.

Plucky’s 3D Adventure – 80 points – Action & Adventure – Download

Solid controls and very pretty 3D. I hope the full game has much more of a challenge than the trial.

Comments (4)

By Sam, January 11, 2010 4:25 pm

Xona Games, creators of the fantastic looking Duality ZF, are releasing another game whilst work to possibly get Duality ZF released on XBLA continues. The game is called Decimation X and seems to be a cross between Space Invaders and a bullet hell shooter. As always from Xona Games, this looks fantastic.

Decimation X should be available later this week for 80 points.