Xploids Review





Developer: Little Giant Games Publisher: Tapwave
Release Date: September 2004 Also On: None

The Zodiac has suffered from a lack of titles, let alone AAA titles, since it launched last year. Xploids is one of a few games to have been released in recent months, including Duke Nukem Mobile, Orbz, etc. Xploids is a Zodiac take on the classic arcade title Asteroids, where you control a space ship and destroy flying space objects.

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Xploids puts you in an arena, where these X’s fly at your ship. When you hit them, they multiply into smaller X’s, until they’re all destroyed by your ship’s guns. Using the control stick, you can control your space craft. You can turn it, or with a push in one direction or another, you can speed it around the playing field.

Your ship’s defenses are replenished with items that you collect on the move. These items include keys, which unlock waypoints to the next level. The first level will have you collect a gold key, while following levels will have you collect a gold key, blue key, etc. Once the key is collected, you have to open the waypoint by going over it with your ship. Collecting items, while avoiding X’s, proves to be mighty challenging.

Aside from the addition of more waypoints, later levels will also expand the playing field. This gives you more area to roam, and perhaps, a higher level of risk to your space craft. These later levels will prove challenging for even the most experienced gamers. Heck, even the first few levels are hard enough on the first few plays.

The graphics in Xploids are simple, but get the job done. Your ship and the Xploids look fine, with different colored Xploids. The items fade as they drift in space, waiting for you to collect them. Eventually, they disappear, so you can’t collect them. As for the sound, a noise is made when you crash into Xploids, bounce off the arena boundary, fire, etc. Nothing advanced, but like the graphics, the job is done, and done relatively well.

Is Xploids a game to die for? Not really, but it’s a nice distraction from the shortage of Zodiac games at the moment. If you’re still looking for that AAA title, keep looking. Xploids wasn’t meant to be that, it was meant to be a quick fix for Zodiac gamers with a quick finger. If you’re a fan of Asteroids, you definitely need to look into this.

Graphics: 7
Sound: 7
Gameplay: 7
Creativity: 7
Replay Value/Game Length: 8
Final: 7.2
Written by Kyle Review Guide

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