Yet another original game has come to the Xbox Live Arcade this week in the form of Stainless Software's Novadrome. I'm coming down with some kind of bug at the moment, so I haven't really had a chance to give the game a try, but it appears to be some type of Twisted Metal / Vigilante 8 clone, so expect a lot of car combat. Some early word I've seen on it has been negative, so you may want to download the trial before making any kind of a commitment to the game.
Title: Novadrome
Developer: Stainless Software
Publisher: Buena Vista Games
Genre: Xbox Live Arcade
Release Date: 12/20/06
Console: Xbox 360
Players: 1-8
Xbox Live: Yes
HDTV Support: 720p
Full Game: 800 points ($10)
Demo?: Yes
ESRB Rating: E10+Description as per Xbox.com
"Blast, smash, and crash your way to victory as you fight for survival among friends and foes alike in the arenas of Novadrome. Abducted by robots from the planet Nova, you must stop your captors before they launch a full-scale invasion against Earth.
Use your speed, wit, and determination to defeat robot gladiators and other abductees in a series of combat-driving competitions in high-powered armored vehicles equipped with front-mounted automatic weapons.
Destroy others or be destroyed in the arenas of Novadrome!
- Action: Get ready for frantic eight-player combat driving action set in a far-out alien world.
- Vehicles: Choose from more than 20 off-road buggy style vehicles.
- Arenas: Compete in 15 arenas full of non-stop, furious action. Combat arenas feature upgrades, power-ups, obstacles, and mines.
- Weapons: Use a wide range of dynamic vehicle-mounted weapons. Destroy your enemies and acquire their weapons as power-ups.
- Bosses: Experience adrenaline-pumping boss encounters, humans in vehicles versus a variety of gladiatorial robot opponents to battle.
- Modes: There are multiple gameplay modes and event types to choose from such as Career mode, Arcade Challenge, Free Play, and Multiplayer modes.
- Leaderboards: Experiment with the various modes and master your gameplay to top the online Novadrome leaderboards.
- Achievements: Increase your Gamerscore by 200 points with 12 diverse acheivements."- Xbox.com Assault Heroes product page
If you're wondering what I thought of last week's XBLA release, let's just say that Assault Heroes has quickly become one of my favorite Live Arcade games - definitely worth a purchase in my opinion.
