Heavy Weapon Hands-On

We check out this side-scrolling Cold War cartoon shooter for Xbox Live Arcade.

With the invasion of the Red Star army, the forces of freedom have but one remaining option to prevent obliteration: Atomic Tank! This is the premise of the upcoming Heavy Weapon for Xbox Live Arcade, a cartoonish side-scrolling shooter that is based on the 2005 PC game. We had a chance to play the game at a recent Microsoft press event and liked where the game is heading so far.

Once your superpowered tank has been deployed, it's up to you to invade one of the nine Russian-themed levels--with names like Frigistan and Blastnya--that feature a variety of enemies flying overhead. The action scrolls from left to right and, before long, the enemies really start piling on, dropping bombs and the occasional power-ups as you go. Periodically, a white supply helicopter will drop weapons or shield upgrades during a mission. You control the movement of the tank with the left analog stick and the direction of your fire with the right analog stick. You can also shoot enemies and their bombs out of the sky. As a last resort, you can deploy a nuclear blast with the right trigger but only after you have picked up the nuclear power-up. As you might expect, triggering the nuke will wipe out all onscreen enemies. But supplies are limited, so you'll want to use it at the right moment.

You'll face boss battles at the end of each mission, such as one we played against a huge battleship that was armed with homing missiles. After you beat the boss, you can choose to upgrade certain parts of your tank. For example, you can upgrade its shields or add new weapons to your arsenal, such as the aforementioned homing missiles.

With a cute cartoon look and responsive controls, as well as the ever-growing challenge of increasingly numerous and devious enemies, Heavy Weapon looks like it will be a fun download when it's released on Xbox Live Arcade. We'll have a full review of the game when it becomes available.

12 Comments

  • pdo4545

    Posted Feb 3, 2007 6:07 pm PT

    looks cool

  • PoopTete

    Posted Jan 16, 2007 9:11 am PT

    ill pick this one up on the arcade tomorrow.

  • kenerhai

    Posted Jan 12, 2007 2:01 pm PT

    so. . .is like PopCap the only company making games for XBLA? They must own at least 3/4s of the XBLA library.

  • Metilco

    Posted Dec 11, 2006 5:10 pm PT

    This game sounds sweet. Can't wait.

  • AA7

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 4:54 pm PT

    XBLA is so great. If you are really into the old school its worth the price of 360 just for this.

  • AA7

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 4:51 pm PT

    XBLA is so great. If you are really into the old school its worth the price of 360 just for this.

  • AA7

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 4:50 pm PT

    XBLA is so great. If you are really into the old school its worth the price of 360 just for this.

  • zachisonthecom

    Posted Nov 7, 2006 3:49 pm PT

    First Post!

    The controls sound like a rip-off of Geometry Wars, but in the end its probably the best scheme there is. I hope its as fun on 360 as on PC.

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Game Stats

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    Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes. Learn more

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