Grid Runner running to the XBLA

Jeff Minter has let slip his next game headed for the 360 on his Live Journal. Following hot on the heels of Space Giraffe, Gridrunner++ is now in development and going pretty well for the Arcade.

The game is already up and running, as Minter explains:

"Work-wise, I’m now into the redesign of GR++ for XBLA. I already have it running modified for the different aspect ratio and working off the x360 pad as opposed to the mouse, and I’m changing and extending the gameplay; it’ll be a much more involved game than the PC-only predecessor. I’m getting all the gameplay working first then I’ll overhaul the graphics; we’ll likely go for algo generated 3D shapes rather than the hand-drawn sprites of the PC original."

For those not familiar with the game, the player controls a spacecraft, and it is the player’s job to destroy everything that tries to attack the ship. As you’d expect, if an enemy touches you, kaboom goes your ship.

It’s an intriguing concept, although one we are now fairly familiar with on the Xbox Live Arcade. Can it compete with the likes of Geometry Wars? Chances are it can when Jeff Minter is involved.