Title: ZP2K9
Developer: Jamezila / Ska Studios
Players: 1
Online Multiplayer: 2-10
Genre: Platformer
Price: 200 Points
Countries: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English

Developer Summary:

ZP2K9 is a super-crazy multiplayer sidescroller. Play Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill with 13 devastating weapons and 6 grenade types including Akimbo SMGs, the freeze gun, gas grenades, and the enemy-splattering MIRV.

What We Think:

ZP2k9 is an action platform game that is compatible with 2 to 10 players on Xbox live. The developer – Jamezila – has a several other game releases but today we are focusing on his multi-player destruction party: ZP2K9. You can play a varied of different game types like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and King of the Hill. With thirteen devastating weapons and six grenade types including Akimbo SMGs, the freeze gun, gas grenades, and the enemy-splattering MIRV.

The biggest problem in multiplayer is that there is only one map but it feels like it is three or maps put together; one part is all wooded then one is all white, making it sometimes difficult to find people because the map is so big and thus you don’t get many kills in a game.

The controls reminded me of a Flash game: there aren’t many buttons that you need to remember, and absolutely zero button combinations.  It sounds simple, and it is.  A simple control layout is always good as it offers quick, smooth game play without the hassle of trying to remember any tricky button combos during an intense fire-fight.

The music? If you guessed that it resembles that of a typical Flash game, you’re absolutely right.  The game just loops one techno style track over and over again. While this seems like it might get annoying after a while, you’ll be too caught up in the action to even notice the techno music.

Give ZP2K9 a shot (for 200 MS points its the same price as a new t-shirt for your avatar) and get a sense of what is going on with the evolution of online multiplayer in the XBOX Live Indie Game world.

Rating:  

Title: Chalked
Creator: rece
Genre: Action & Adventure

Price: 400 Points

Countries: Canada, United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English

Publisher’s Description
Save the city… or destroy it! Play as the hero and save the city by calling in tips, surrounding suspect buildings, and running down the bad guys. Or choose to destroy the city by avoiding the patrolling heroes and setting bombs inside the buildings – leveling the city building by building.

What We Think:
Chalked succeeds where so many other game developing upstarts have failed – the basics.  With simple and intuitive controls, wonderfully inventive and beautifully realized black and white visuals (the characters look like faceless Gumbys) and an awesome soundtrack, this seemingly simple take on Simon – that is, matching button combinations, is rather more challenging and multi-layered than it seems at first glance.

The game actually combines a variety of games – the Simon element, a puzzle solving element involving figuring out what buildings to topple in strategic sequence, and then the classic Pac Man – run from the ghosts element.  You see – you play the role of a miscreant with an insatiable lust for bombing buildings to the ground.  When destroyed, a building dissolves into the ground leaving a space where once it stood.  Then the “good guys” come after you for your misdeed.  It’s not an easy game at first, but it’s easy enough to navigate and fun enough to look at that it holds interest long enough to figure out some basic strategies.

We wish all community games merited the 400 points like Chalked does.

Rating:  

Have you played Chalked? What were your impressions?