RoboBlitz hands-on impressions
So, my 360 automatically downloaded the trial version of RoboBlitz this morning, and I finally got a chance to sit down with it around lunch time. The first thing you will notice about RoboBlitz is that it looks gorgeous. It looks like an original Xbox game and is even decent as a 360 title. Squeezing all this into 50 megs is a work of technical wizardry and other developers should pay attention. Once you're done marveling at the graphics, it's time to start the game proper.
Once you meet your robotic friend, Karl -- be sure to torture him in between levels -- you'll begin to understand the game's sense of humor, as he tells you that he'd come with you, except he's tied to the ceiling. Cute. So, grab your first weapon upgrade and head out. You're given access to three areas and may tackle them in any order you wish. Getting into the levels is actually a small puzzle in itself. After sticking a giant plug in the wall, I was granted access to a level full of lasers and rotating prisms. The object is to reflect the lasers using the prisms in order to unlock doors (similar puzzles appear in The Legend of Zelda and Prince of Persia series). Turn on a few lasers, configure the prisms properly, and the level is complete (it takes longer than you'd think).
You'll have access to a few different weapons in the trial version, and my favorite is definitely the firework launcher. Blast and enemy with a rocket, and in a few seconds he'll be shot into the sky and explode into colorful sparks. The combat is decent, and I'm curious about the planned multiplayer expansion. RoboBlitz seems as though it was designed first and foremost as a PC title. At least, that's what I felt, as the aiming sensitivity defaults a little too high. I initially found it difficult to zero in on enemies and take them out. After some adjustments though, it became easier. I imagine, though, that half of the fun will be in using the physics engine to torture baddies. The point-to-point beam -- sort of a portable tractor beam -- lets you do particularly cruel things.
Overall, I got a real kick out of my first stab at RoboBlitz and look forward to putting more time into it. Is it worth 1200 points ($14.99)? I'll save that for a more in depth review. Have any of you picked this up yet? What do you think?
