E3 2008: PowerUp Forever Hands-On

When we first got a look at the dual stick shooter PowerUp Forever on the Xbox 360 a few months ago, we were impressed by its scope. Enemies of all shapes and sizes populated the game environment, but the larger foes would ignore the player's initially tiny ship. By destroying minibosses called Guardians, the player's ship grew procedurally, never taking the same path twice, and soon, those bigger baddies took a keen interest in the player's activities. Earlier today at E3 2008, we got our hands on an updated version of PowerUp Forever and were enthralled by the vivid visual aesthetic that kept us staring long after our ship had been destroyed.

Unlike many dual stick shooters, PowerUp Forever sets your ship in what is effectively an infinite space. You could spend the entire game just flying in one direction and you'd encounter no shortage of dangerous foes. Your enemies are dark, insectile creatures that seem to mimic centipedes, squids, and others. Their obsidian-black carapaces stand out against the vibrantly colored background, and their passing leaves a wake that tails off realistically--as if they were flying through a viscous liquid. This soupy effect is complemented by pale shimmers of light that reflect off the background like sunlight off of water. Below these effects lies a patterned tapestry that changes colors with each level you pass. The cumulative effect is eye-catching and mesmerizing, especially when the screen is full of ships and projectiles, all of which leave trails as they zip about.

When we took control, we had a great time just flying around and taking in the visuals. Soon enough, we were pestered by foes just demanding to be destroyed, so we happily obliged. Our primary weapon was a spread gun that we could fire constantly. As we defeated Guardians and progressed through levels, the scope and power of this gun increased. We also had mines that we could fire intermittently and that would detonate after travelling a short distance, damaging anything within the blast radius. In later levels, we acquired a laser attack that we could whip around and fire uninterrupted. If we kept it trained on the same enemy for a few seconds, our ship would fire homing missiles to add extra damage. Switching between these weapons is as simple as pressing a button, and each level also brought us a limited quantity of smart bombs that were as simple to use, but far more deadly.

Though you could conceivably power up forever as the name suggests, doing so gets increasingly difficult as you grow in size and your enemies multiply. As you get larger, you'll be able to bulldoze many smaller foes, but the sheer number of enemies will make the action very hectic, as shooter fans will no doubt appreciate. PowerUp Forever is coming to both Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network this fall, so keep an eye here to get a glimpse of the frantic action, as well as the engrossing graphics that make this one of the more intriguing shooters of E3 2008.