Shred Nebula has been on the horizon for about nine months, but for whatever reason, it hasn't garnered the same kind of advance hype as many other Xbox Live Arcade releases -- this is especially notable since it's planned to be the first Live Arcade title released following Microsoft's blockbuster Summer of Arcade promotion. Some of this could be because of the confusion over what Shred Nebula is; even after last December's lengthy interview with CrunchTime Games president James Goddard, 1UP wasn't entirely sure how the elements of this fighter-inspired shooter would coalesce into a playable experience.
SlicedGaming:
"The sheer lack of variety across the missions, in terms of enemy and level design, is the defining thing that sinks the campaign mode. After half a dozen missions of doing the same thing, the magic wears off. As you progress you'll discover that the story is pretty basic; there's no real explanation for the disappearances or any real motive behind it all. Plus, the boss battles themselves are pretty pathetic. Most are dispatched in the same manner, which vastly cheapens the experience of taking them down."
We had the chance to talk to the CEO of Crunchtime Games about their title, Shred Nebula for the XBLA
SG: "As Xbox Live's fantastic Bionic Commando and Castle Crashers have recently shown us, engaging gameplay is still the most important ingredient in a game's mix. Shred Nebula is a new addition; a top-down shooter with a dash of adventure thrown in. Released to little fanfare, Shred Nebula aims to capture the magic of old-school classics like Asteroids. Saddle up for light speed as we go along for the ride. Punch it, Chewie"
