xbox live indie game reviews

Are you tired of solving complex puzzles? Does computing damage buffs and distributing character growth points melt your overtaxed brain and make you yearn for the simpler games of yesteryear? Well have no fear, Drop Zone is here to rip off that thinking cap and replace it with a badass viking helmet. No more pondering, no more planning, no worrying about friendly fire- just point your turret at anything that moves and blow it out of the sky. For extra entertainment factor, pump up the volume and chuckle at the Rayman: Raving Rabbids-esque screams as you pluck paratroopers in midair!

Drop Zone is the spiritual heir to Missile Command, Galaga and a plethora of “Oh Shit! They're coming right at us! Now there's more! And they're faster! And different colors! SHOOT THEM ALL!”-themed classic arcade games. Similar to a Missile Command city, your turret is placed in a fixed location. However, there is no 'free aim' mode that allows you to shoot anywhere on the screen. Your guns only aim at 9 different angles throughout your approximately 160° range of shooting (although this range does seem to expand to about 200° when rapid-fire is triggered), so you must anticipate enemy movements and react quickly if you want to shoot the floating paratroopers and strafing planes when they cross your available bullet trajectories.

Though the concept is simple, requiring only an analog stick, the right trigger and the occasional 'A' button when your rapid-fire ability has fully charged, this game really captures the essence of those memorable quarter-inhaling arcade classics. Once you get lost in the inevitable crescendo of the action, spraying bullets haphazardly across the sky in a desperate attempt to thwart the invaders from touching your precious soil, you'll almost feel like you're back in the arcade, frantically yanking a joystick side-to-side and mashing buttons as friends and passersby stop to see just what color paratroopers are about to overrun your defenses.