Rez HD is one of the best downloadable games on the Marketplace.
The game is a on-the-rails shooter, ala Panzer Dragoon Orta. You travel through each level while shooting down the various enemies on the screen by highlighting them and pressing the A button. You can hold the button down and highlight more than one enemy to fire multiple lasers to take them all out. The level is split into areas where you must shoot down and shoot a scanning orb several times. Every level is book ended with a boss fight, which are great. They might not be the hardest to figure out, but they are weird and fun.
When you finish levels, you are ranked on how many enemies you shot down in total, how many helpful items you pick up and how much you scan the level. You are ranked in percentage, so if you hit all enemies you'll get 100%. This comes into the unlockables, as you earn achievements by getting high percentages. Also, you must fully scan the first four levels to unlock the fifth and final level.
Speaking of which, there are some extra modes like Boss Rush and Score Challenge. Boss rush makes you fight all five bosses in a row, like the final part of the fifth level. Score Challenge is when you earn points by killing and scanning, and you are ranked at the end via leaderboards. Achievements are good, as you earn achievements for completing the levels, earning a percentage on every level and playing for ten hours.
What makes the game terrific is it's visual and sound designs. The level and characters pulsate to the background music, and when you shoot enemies music will come out of them. The game looks stunning for an arcade game. The game uses a Tron-esque look as if you're in a computer, with lots of cubes and trippy objects. What's cool is how the backgrounds are reminiscent of real places, like a Chinese themed level or an Egyptian themed level. The music is great, with five techno tracks for each level. They're a bit repetitive, but they fit in well with the game's vibe.
That said Rez HD is short. The game only has five levels, and the game will only take you a few hours to complete. That said, there is lots of replay value here. The achievements, leaderboards and the sheer fun will make you replay the game again and again. Plus, considering I saw Rez on the PS2 on Amazon.co.uk selling for about £25 pre-owned and £100 brand new, and this only costs 800 points, it's definitely forgiving if the game won't last you forever.
The simple fact though is that Rez HD is a mesmerizing experience that will stay in your head forever. It's unique, stunning, easy on the eyes and ears and is cheap. The main draw to this version is that the game is much cheaper than it is on it's other platforms. While it's a great game, I don't think I would pay £100 for a game that lasts only a few hours. That said, if you already own the game, achievements and leadrboards may not be worth it, but anyone else will agree this is one of the Marketplace's best downloads.