Xbox Live Arcade Serenade

By Tristan Clark

Welcome to Arcade Serenade, your one stop shop for Xbox Live Arcade game reviews!

Every month, we pick three Arcade games – chosen by the highly scientific method of blindfolding Shaun and getting him to point at random titles – and put them through their paces, letting you know whether they’re worth your time and (more importantly) money. Hurray!

This time round, we focus on soft-bodied invertebrates, eclectic world warriors, and positively insane extra terrestrials. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!


Street Fighter II’: Hyper Fighting

Everyone seems to be in the business of rehashing the same game over and over again these days, but few do it better than Capcom. I have no idea how many different versions of Street Fighter II are around these days, but you certainly wouldn’t be able to count them on your hands.

This particular port of Hyper Fighting was highly anticipated – after all, online Street Fighter matches had never really been done that well before, so maybe this time Capcom could get it right? Unfortunately not, as it turns out. The game shipped with online features that were both buggy and laggy – and that lag is especially bad in New Zealand, where you can expect games to run at a fifth of the usual speed.

This is coupled with the 360 control pad, which just isn’t suited to this style of game. Some of the obstacles can be overcome, but neither the d-pad nor the analog stick can compare to controllers of old. Still, if you’re a huge Street Fighter fan, you’ll probably get this regardless of its shortcomings. For everyone else, I’d recommend waiting for the HD remix of Super Street Fighter II, coming to Live Arcade sometime this year.




Alien Hominid HD

Are today’s games coddling you too much, with their helpful tutorials and adjustable difficulty settings? Fear not! Alien Hominid, previously released on the older set of consoles, will make you work really hard for any sort of progression through the levels.

The game is a good old fashioned side-scrolling brawler, with some great cartoon graphics and extremely chaotic gameplay. Two players can jump in and take on the role of a pair of aliens, who must blast their way through hordes of secret service agents and their various contraptions. The game is fast and frenetic, managing to stay fun throughout with its excellent pacing and challenging boss battles.

Of course, you could replace the word ‘challenging’ there with ‘maddeningly difficult’. If you’re not a fan of repeating levels over and over again, you’re going to be put off by Alien Hominid before you even get past the first stage. But if you have a healthy dose of resolve and stubbornness, there’s a lot to enjoy in this game.




Worms

I’ve been a big fan of the Worms series for many years. Ever since the original came out, my friends and I have had an insane amount of fun blowing each other up in multiplayer battles that would degenerate into a barrage of verbal abuse before we even began playing. So when it was announced that Worms would be coming to Live Arcade, I was naturally pretty excited.

Upon firing up the game, however, I was struck by the lack of content available. Maybe I was spoiled by the choices available in the PC versions of the game, but surely it wouldn’t have been all that hard to include more weapons or options. Hell, more than three stage types would have been nice as well (although you can now download map packs for 150 Microsoft points each).

Of course, you do get to play against opponents across the world, which can be pretty satisfying, but doesn’t beat getting a few mates together in the same room. Grab this game if you think you can look past the relative lack of content – despite being somewhat crippled, it’s still the Worms we know and love.

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