X06: Mini-impressions -- THP8, Lumines, Fuzion Frenzy 2
A quick round up of some of the other games at Microsoft's X06 party tonight:
Tony Hawk's Project 8: The marquee new feature, already well-known, is the ability to slow down time to perform individualized tricks, using an analog stick to control each leg. The timing takes a bit of getting used to, but after a few minutes you'll be busting out some ridiculous combos -- and actually understanding what goes into the tricks to boot. Besides that the game seems like the same old Tony Hawk, though being able to choose the desired difficulty of each goal on the fly is a nice improvement.
Lumines Live: The Xbox Live version of the PSP puzzler is actually significantly harder to control -- neither the analog stick nor the digital pad are precise enough for quick moves. Playing on a big screen is nice, but it actually makes it harder to take in the whole playfield with one quick glance. And the new mission mode seems intriguing, but there are only five levels available unless you purchase an additional mission pack. Yikes!
Fuzion Frenzy 2: Only three mini-games were playable, though there were 43 listed in-game. My favorite was Sumo Paint, featuring rolling, bumping spheres battling for position and control of floor space. Seems like a decent enough drinking game with friends in the room, but not as appealing over Xbox Live.
Look for more impressions from the X06 show floor soon.
