Mutant Storm Empire - Xbox Live Arcade review

Nov 5, 2007

Mutant Storm Reloaded was one of the launch games for Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service on the 360 back in 2005. But most people probably don’t even remember that, as the overhead shooter was sort of lost in the shadow of the ridiculously popular - and quite similar - Geometry Wars. Now just a couple of years later, Mutant Storm Empire hits Xbox Live Arcade with no major competition. This semi-redesigned overhead shooter finally has a chance to shine, and is a game every Live user should at least check out.

Controls are what everyone expects from a shooter in the current generation of downloadable games - dual stick action reminiscent of games like Robotron or Smash TV. But rather than complete each full-screen room only to transition to another room full of enemies, in Mutant Storm Empire you actually have to navigate your ship from room to room, fighting for every square inch of ground gained. The tweaked gameplay doesn’t make for an amazingly unique experience or anything, but it is enough to make Empire feel unlike the rest of the clones in this rapidly-growing genre.