I guarantee you'll have a blast with!

The Nintendo DS has an abundance of “pick up and play” titles; titles that will let you pick up your Nintendo DS anywhere and get a quick dose of gaming goodness. Most of these titles are a collection of games on one cartridge, More Touchmaster for example. And this is where problems usually begin, because when you have a choice of games you spend more time choosing what you will play instead of actually playing the game. That is why games like XG Blast are most welcome on the Nintendo DS; you simply pick it up and get stuck in.

I just don't get it

XG Blast is a fast and frantic shooting game that can only be compared to Geometry Wars. Unlike Geometry Wars there is some sort of a story in XG Blast which is explained at the start. To be brutally honest though, it’s not needed. It just leaves you scratching your head confused and you will just want to hit the A button to get to the game itself. XG Blast has two single player modes; “story” mode and survival. The story sees you going through the zones, in each zone there are a certain amount of levels to blast your way through. At the end of each zone more of the story is revealed to you. Survival Mode is exactly as it sounds, pick the level you want to play on and try to survive the waves of enemies.

Although XG Blast’ gameplay is not new or ground breaking the developer, Next Wave Team, has done a good job of making an old idea into a stunningly good game. Geometry Wars saw you shooting a whole host of odd 2D shapes in square environments. XG Blast kicks it up a notch by giving the levels an even greater variety of shapes and sizes; which can provide you with some interesting shooting action. The enemies have been given a 3D appearance. All the alien nasties have various ways of attacking you, some will float about not doing much so you don’t pay much attention, some will dodge your laser fire to the point of you screaming in frustration. Then there are the bosses. The bosses in XG Blast aren’t difficult, but there are big and fast.

Simplicity is always the key

So the premise of XG Blast is a simple one; if it moves blow it up! But before you blow anything up you need guns. To start with you have the basic laser, which fires like a machine gun. As you gun your way through the cannon fodder, you can pick up new weapons to really dish out the punishment. Some of these weapons are able to home in on enemies, others just give you a wider coverage. The life saver though, comes in the form of the L button also known as the Gravitational Shield, which can destroy the weaker enemies or push stronger enemies away. So if you are surrounded with no visible escape just hit the L button.

There are two control schemes for XG Blast; using the D-pad and face buttons or the D-pad and Stylus. Whilst stationary we’d recommend the Stylus, but if you’re on the move then use the face buttons for accuracy. The controls can sometimes feel a bit clunky but overall they are very easy to use. Both screens are used in XG Blast, the bottom screen shows the action as you blast your way through the aliens. The top screen shows your radar, score, health and energy levels. All the information is laid out in such a neat way that you can glance up to check your status quickly.

chaotic carnage at it's best

XG Blast is a good looking game; the animations that are in XG Blast are very smooth and despite the amount of enemies that can appear on the screen, there was never any slow down. The colour pallet used is very bright, almost verging on neon. But it is still easy on the eyes as it never gets too bright. XG Blast also includes a multiplayer option; a two player cooperative play or a four player death match. The multiplayer is multi-card though, so you’ll each need a copy to pummel each other into oblivion.

The Nintendo DS was made for portable gaming, games that you can pick up for 5-10 minutes at a time whilst travelling or waiting somewhere. This is what XG blast excels at; quick and frantic bursts of all out alien carnage whilst sat next to a stranger on the bus.

GAME's Verdict

• Really fast paced and relentless
• Excellent with friends
• Great for quick blasts

• A level editor would have been brilliant
• The story isn't XG Blasts strongest point
• Single card would have been a great feature

Review by: Tom "Intergalacti-Alien-Blasting" Daly
Version Tested: Nintendo DS
Review Published: 06.02.09