Xeno Assault 2 Review

Game developers have a challenge. That is to create an original game, with an original style of gameplay, or, to create a game with a new twist to a pre-existing style.

Apparently, Jugged Blade Software did not realize this, and failed, by creating a game using almost identical gameplay to a game I played, ohhh back in 96 or there about; Tyrian.

Xeno Assault II may as well have been named Tyrian II. The gameplay, UI and feel of the games where almost identical... but Tyrian was better.

Besides this apparent lack of imagination from Jugged Blade Software, the game doesn't even measure up anywhere near as good as it's counterparts. This may be attributed to the following. Lack of good music, lack of plot, lack of balance and lack of entertainment.

The music is repetitive and quite annoying, especially when you are alt-tabbed out. If they are going to create a clone of a 1996 game, they might as well clone the music; at least it was good back then!

Lack of plot, now this might sound odd; because it is an arcade shooter where all you are meant to do is get to the end of the level. Right? Yes that is right, however, on games fitting in the same category as this, I at least get an 'Aliens have invaded, Destroy their mothership'. All Xeno Assault said was, killing humans doesn't solve problems, but killing aliens does. And that was in the loading screen!

The game is horribly balanced. The first enemies you see take 3 shots to kill, and while coming at you in a single file line, you can’t kill them, there just isn't enough time. This may not have been a bad thing, in many games it isn't, but in this game, it just sucked, I was forced to let my energy charge up, so I could use a super laser, which took out 30 little alien ships at once, whereas normal lasers, well, 3 shots to kill one. when you have 30 coming at you in a line it's impossible to kill 3, let alone 30.

After all this, it really did lack any entertainment value. When I want to play a cool arcade game, I want something new and flashy and filled with foreign styles of gameplay, or something old and classic which is what I have come to love, not something new and boring.