The current-generation fascination with twin stick shooters may have lived and died with Geometry Wars many years ago, but the genre existed long before the now defunct Bizarre Creations put their hand to it and will do so long after. Hexodius is a new title that shows there is much more that can be accomplished simply by looking backwards.
"Sometimes taking a trip back in time to the days of leaderboards, powerups, and an incentive to show off as you wield weapons is the breath of fresh air that the game industry needs among all the moral dilemmas, side quests, sharing buttons, and effects that cause studios to go completely bankrupt. Even though these old style games were simple in design, they had to be designed with an equal amount of care as today's blockbuster titles."
Hexodius is what seems to be the first game to be released by new developers Brain Slap Studio, eventually picked up for distribution by Namco Bandai. Geared off your basic dual-stick shooter, the title takes on the concept of rebuilding your own ship to fight against an evil A.I. that is trying to take over.
There has always been a diehard niche in the video game world that revolves around top quality twin stick shooter titles. There have been iconic staples from the past such as Geometry Wars that have long since set the standard for those to follow. Recently Brain Slap Studio and Namco Bandai Games have taken a PC title over to the Xbox Live Arcade called Hexodius in an attempt to see if their twin stick shooter can top the competition. The story is fairly straight forward and involves a robot named Fred who builds your character, B.O.B. and the two of you set out on a fast paced, action packed adventure to stop the evil robot forces. Yup that’s pretty much all there is to say about the story. While priced at only $9.99, Hexodius already won't put a dent in your wallet, but is it worth a purchase right now, or is this a budget game that should be picked up during a sale? Time to find out.
