Assault Heroes Reviews

Completely Redone Review - 1/12

Forward Notes

This was one of the first XBLA games I picked up when I was still first getting into xbox and hoping that the XBLA would push me further into the xbox 360 experience. To this day I'll still play a level or two at 2 am when I feel like it. Onto the review.

Single Player
The single player of this game is fairly straightforward. Your objective, though it isn't truly well explained to you (story is rather non-existant) is to destroy enemies and bosses on your way to the enemy's superweapon. The game is divided into a small set of levels, each complete with its own sets of enemies and bosses. The game is a simple top-scrolling shooter - that is, as you move upwards on the screen, enemies come down at you.

The controls are relatively simple, using the left stick to move forward/backward/side-to-side, while the right stick fires your bullets. Your car is outfitted with three different gun types: machine gun, flamethrower, and gattling gun. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages: the machine gun hits a lot of things quickly though with limited damage, the gattling gun is the most powerful, and the flamethrower is inbetween the two. You can obtain powerups as you progress through each level to upgrade each of these weapons accordingly which makes them more powerful.

Besides the weapons I just mentioned, you are also allowed to use grenades and nukes, best served when you're overrun with enemies or when you're fighting a boss. Even though you will do most of your damage with your car, it's also possible to get out of your car and fight on foot (which also happens if your car takes too much damage - don't worry, it respawns). That being said, you do minimal damage on foot, and it's kind of a "last resort" rather than a choice to make. The main time you will be fighting on foot is in the underground zones - think of them as bonus levels - located on each of the levels.

Beyond simply killing the enemies, the game also utilizes a scoring system that includes an online leaderboard for your gaming pleasure.

In short, the game is a simple, easy to learn top-down shooter that I can't see anyone struggling to comprehend. To be clear, there really isn't a story - rather think of it as a game you would have found in a local arcade in 1992. However, that means mindless fun.

Single Player Score - 7/10

Multiplayer

There are two types of multiplayer: local and xbox live. I haven't been fortunate enough to find someone to play with over xbox live, but I've head from people that have used it for the achievements that it works perfectly fine. The local multiplayer is great since it makes the game just that much more fun. The main drawback is that just because you added more people doesn't mean the game adds more powerups, which can cause the classic "I'm trying to move up the screen faster than you" mentality that happens in these arcade type games. You're also handcuffed to your partner since the screen doesn't divide. However, killing bad guys is just that much more fun with your good friend.

Multiplayer Score - 7/10

DLC/Graphics/Sound/Intangibles

There is no DLC, but there is actually a sequel to this game, so they must have considered it enough of a success to actually deem it worthy of that, if that factors into your decision. The graphics are sub-par in almost every respect...but you shouldn't really care. I equate this game a lot to Aegis Wing in that you know what you're playing the game for. It's not really that it "looks bad" (pixelated/broken) but more that it's just simplistic. Even your car just looks like some geometric shapes placed together.

The sound is adequate, but really not a necessity to playing the game. Perhaps the most original sound is the sound of the suicide bombers running at you (the main reason to have your sound on in the game). Besides that, every weapon has its own sound as well when you fire it, and you can hear the enemies firing as well. The music is clearly created on a computer and nothing to write home about.

The price of this game is 400 microsoft points (and has even gone on sale to 200 recently, though probably for a limited time), and at that price, I think it's the best XBLA game for the money ratio. Even if you don't love the game to pieces, it still takes a couple of hours to beat, and it's more than manageable to get through.

DLC/Sound/Intangibles/Graphics Score - 5/10

Achievements

The achievements in this game are actually rather good in my opinion. You have your usual culprits of beating through the game and beating certain bosses, but you also have achievements that inspire you to play the game differently. Kill most of the enemies on foot? I would have never done that if an achievement hadn't prompted me.

The only one to watch out for is this one:

Which has a 3.50 ratio right now. Basically each level has an underground zone, as I mentioned, that you can think of as a bonus level. You must clear all five/four bonus levels in one playthrough without dying inside of each one. This can be done with two people, though if one person dies, you're kicked out. Currently it's the only achievement I don't have, and it's not through lack of trying. I keep failing in the third one, though I have a feeling that I'll get this someday. It's hard in that it's hard, it's not hard in that it's impossible.

In short, the achievements make you play the game differently, while also reinforcing the central focus of the game, which in my opinion, makes them good achievements.

Achievement Score - 9/10

Final Score = 7/10

Final Thoughts

For the price I think this game is more than worth your money. As I said, even if you don't love it enough to focus on a high score or play through it randomly at 2 am when you're bored, it's a couple of hours of fun at a cheap price. The achievements are solid and there's some multiplayer action to be had. Hope my review helped, please comment below if you feel the need.