Army of Two - Co-op Carnage

Not had much time to play much gaming the past week on the consoles but I did get some time to co-op with Abbas on Army of Two.

The game has a mission based structure with some taking longer than others (especially if we die & have to respawn to the last checkpoint). There have been some nice gameplay moments which include a nice driving section with the other player on a mounted gun & a slide down a hallway with a building exploding (reminds of some gameplay I saw on Bulletstorm).

The game seems to have done away with the back to back feature from the previous game which had you taking out a large number of enemies whilst having your back to your co-op partner.

Earlier in the game there was a mission set in the past in which we rescued a hostage named Fiona who we now meet up five years later & she informs us of the cartel's hideout which is in a church.

Pocket Mine - New High Score

The app has now been updated to fix the gamecentre leaderboards & I managed to get a higher depth score of 267.

Stupidly wasted my rubies in the game to  get deeper when I should have used them to purchase more chest keys.

Next target is to get to 300.

Dust - Elysian Tail

Working my way through the many digital releases on XBLA & PS+ to see if anything bites. Disappointed by the checkpoints in Outland & scared witless with Outlast.

I really wanted Deadlight to be a metroidvania/shadow complex style of game but this is where Dust Elysian Tail ticks all the boxes. Lovely characters with great voice-acting & great gameplay.

You play Dust who wakes up with forgotten memories & his greeted by a sword & it's companion Fidget. They accompany you towards the nearest village which is infested by monsters. After you save the village the mayor asks you to go to another nearby village where the monsters commander is based.

You get given various quests from the town dwellers which open up more of the world map for you to explore.

The monsters leader Fuse is a Moonblood creature who are victims of a genocide by a man known as General Gaius. Fuse also tells Dust that he was a soldier in this war. I now have a quest to go to the northern mountains to find more information about the general.

I am waiting for more skills to unlock so I can revisit some areas which I can't at the moment reach.

Looking forward to seeing where the story evolves & what new skills unlock.

Outlast - Shredder

Just one too many scare for me to continue playing, the tense music & constant noises have you in the edge of your seat. Stupid reporter should have gone to the asylum armed with a gun, grenades, soldiers & new pants.

I managed to play Dead Space but Outlast just takes the horror to another level. I'm out !!

Shredder !!

Outland - Shredder

The checkpoints are too far apart in the game especially frustrating when you have managed to connect with a sequence of jumps only to die by an enemy.

This was one of those it's on sale & I have MS Points so lets buy it purchases & definitely one where I should have played the demo first.

Shredder Treatment

Ridiculous Fishing - Gnarwal

I managed to get to the bottom of Home Waters to catch the Gnarwal, now to collect some more cash & purchase more upgrades to see what lurks at the bottom of the Stormy Seas.

Pocket Mine - New High Score

Witty's post on UGVM has got me playing Pocket Mine again, the gamecentre leaderboards are not updating with the game stats but I now have 216 Metres & 286 Cash.

Deadlight - Completed

The game has quite a few sequences which you will fail on the first attempt like the helicopter sequence there are many similar which you will need to retry a few times before you have timed your jumps & actions perfectly to reach the next checkpoint.

The story continues after I save the RAT's son & you meet up with the remaining survivors to eventually take down the NEW Law militia. Whilst escaping from the ensuing chaos you eventually find out about your family.

Another game ticked off my XBLA backlog, time to return and complete Dishonoured whilst co-op gaming Army of Two 40th Day & Knack.

Knack - Assisted Co-Op gaming

The plan was to play co-op with my son but my daughter likes the cartoonish look of the game so I have given up my slot.

Occasionally she will get to a difficult section & this is when I jump in for some assisted co-op gaming.

Co-op play is odd in that Knack controls everything, the camera moves with him leaving the second player off screen, a countdown timer will then re-spawn the other player next to knack. If knack dies the game returns back to the last checkpoint, I think the second player implementation must have been an afterthought. Where is the split screen camera like the Lego games when the players split up? Why can't the second player continue playing the level & Knack re-spawn?

Putting these gameplay mechanics to one side it's a simple colourful game with the minimum of controls, X button for jump, Square for attack, Circle for special attack using sun crystal power & triangle for interaction. My daughter can just about manage the controls but to the annoyance of my son Knack keeps dying too often even with the difficulty set to easy.

Anyhow with my assisted help they have managed to make it to the goblin castle. Let's see what awaits inside.

Deadlight - Complex Shadows

Zombie Apocalypse 'check'

Search for family members 'check'

Limited Ammo 'check'

Simple Puzzles 'check'

Metroidvania 2D style 'check'

Except it's no metroidvania you have no map & you only keep going forward. It does have atmosphere but I think I'm OD'd on zombie games this generation to appreciate it.

I needed something short to play whilst co-op gaming (Army of Two/Knack) with the boys so turned to the ton of XBLA games I have on the 360.

It is not a bad game, I'm still enjoying it but it could have been so much more. WHY?! have Chair Entertainment not made a Shadow Complex 2 ?!!

Back to Deadlight you are Randall Wayne & the game starts with you shooting another surviver in the head who has just been bitten. You help the other survivors escape & begin your search for your family. 

Whilst walking, running & zombie bashing your way across Seattle you find a group called "The New Law" who seem hellbent on killing other humans that won't join them. I came across Sam one of the survivors who I helped escape earlier shot by this group & bleeding to death.

I continue my way across Seattle but eventually get cornered by a crowd of shadows. A manhole cover opens & I get dragged inside by 'RAT' an old man living in the sewers. The sewer section of the game is full of booby traps for the shadows but I need to be careful to ensure I don't get caught in any of them. 'RAT' then asks me to go save his son for him & he will give me information about the other survivors & my family. There is a sequence where a helicopter is chasing & shooting at you, this took me quite a few attempts but it is all about timing your jumps to vault over obstacles.

This is not a game where you have an unlimited supply of ammo & just shoot all the zombies. The opposite in fact, it is better to avoid confronting the shadows & conserving your ammo for when you really need it. I tend to use the 'shout, jump & run' approach quite a bit. Shout to grab the shadows attention when they are all gathered below me jump over them & run !!

Flappy Bird - New High Score

I have been caught up in the Flap Flap craze, new high score yesterday of 11. Still way off Abbas's score of 32 !!

Lost Cities - TENs

What to play? Too many big numbers including all the 10s

Army of Two - Devil's Cartel

The 360 console has been the king of local co-op gaming from the Lego games to Halo & Gears of War but Army of Two for me has been the co-op shooter series. Mission based, agro fueled, bullet spraying chaos.

The Devils Cartel continues the series fine tuned experience giving you the armory section to specialise your weapons & purchase new upgrades. Customise your character with unique masks & camouflage your armour or weapons.

The story in this game is your usual South American cartel affair nothing original but the missions so far have been very fast paced & have thrown up a few nice moments inc sniping whilst inside a helicopter & manning a turret to defend your co-op player.

Aggro remains from the previous games & you can use it to attract the attention of enemies whilst the other player flanks to take them out. The few missions we have completed have not shown the series rock, paper & scissors joke or the back to back sequence yet.

You are escorting a politician convoy that comes under attack from the cartels gunmen who seemed to be pretty well equipped with rocket launchers & grenades. A flashback gives you a tutorial mission & also an opportunity to meet up with the series protagonists Rios & Salem for a mission.

This may potentially be our last local co-op game for the 360 & so far it's an enjoyable experience.