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Rocketmen- Axis of Evil   A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games

Platform: XBOXLive Arcade

Cost: 800 Microsoft points

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For Starters-- A Space Shooter of a different mold. In most kinds of it's type, you control a spaceship. In this game, you control a "Rocketman" (or woman) of your own creation, choosing from about three races and three classes. None of which really alter gameplay by much, excpet that it's probably a given that an Engineer can access Consoles faster than Soldiers. Choosing what race is really up to the eye of the beholder. Women in this game, are really kind on the eyes, in a PG13 kind of way.

After creating your avatar of destruction, you're introduced to the story, which is told by Comic Book style panels. I personally really like the writing in this game, especially the jabs it makes at Shooter cliche's. The dialogue is personally a high point in this game. Anyway, the story begins with a ship bound for a peace treaty with the Martions being attacked...by Martians. So much more diplomacy. From there, it's all blasterfire and explosions.

Gameplay: If you've played Geometry Wars or Mutant Storm on Live Arcade, you know what to do. The left thumbstick controls your characters movement, while the right stick points them and opens fire in the direction you tilt it. Enemies often come in massive swarms...of the mere handful in the game. Along the way, you'll choose branching paths and can either lead to powerups or secondary objectives (when present), and as far as I know, you can die as many times as you want, all you lose is Experience, which is used at the end of a level to power up your guy. Hit detection by enemies seems off, as sometimes I totally sidestep a shot, but still incur damage. Another facet of gameplay are the Drop Items...special items you drop or throw to help the cause. Some are really useful...Like say the Turrent Drone, the Grenade, the Rocket, and the Homing Rocket...but more often than not, a lot of them are useless...like the Landmine. Very few times are present where you'll have a room not scrolling to actually make use of it. Often, I'll forget about the secondary weapons and stick to the heavy guns when available, as the pistol is a joke. The only gripe about the heavy weapons, is that if you don't use them, instead of a fixed ammo ammount, the weapons degrade, until you're back to pistol. So if you hit a gap where no one running at you to use your Chain Gun, valuable ammo use is being squandered.

Graphics: Character Models have a very cel-shaded look to them, however, very few of the level designs jumped out at me as "Oh awesome!". The Level on Mercury was my favorite because it had dragons...temples...a flying segment...But for every great level, there's a real stinker. The Mars City level...There's no decor, except the occasional train tracks...and no scenery but a static background image of the city, and thousands of Martians. And it lasts nearly a whole half hour, way too long for a level that features a total four set pieces.

Sounds: Voice acting is clever and funny, especially the banter between your character and the rest of the cast. As for the music...I hardly paid attention to it at all. Stock and store sci fi music.

Entertainment: You'll stick with it to the end, even if the run-and-gun gameplay gets a bit dull and smooth around the edges after a while.

Is it worth the price?: The price is currently set at 800 Microsoft Points on XBOXLive Arcade, a $10 download. If you like shooters, this will be a welcome addition to your hardrive space. For everyone else who might want a little more meat on them bones, may want to look elsewhere.

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