Shoot 1UP is an excellent follow up to indie game Weapon of Choice, and is the best space-shooter on XBL period.
Mommy's Best Games, responsible for the acclaimed platformer-shooter Indie Game "Weapon of Choice", has just released another high octane Indie Game. This one, however, is a space-shooter, and boy it packs a wallop!
Now, space-shooters on xbox live are a dime a dozen. In fact, there are so many of them that it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff (diamonds from the rough, etc). At base, space-shooters need a couple of simple things done very well for them to excel. First, they need solid (usually close to non-stop) action. Second, they need an interesting visual component (black backgrounds only take you so far typically). Third, they need well times power-ups or ways in which to change the dynamic of the game (give lives, increase weapons payload). And fourth, the game difficulty must be fairly precise - easy enough to allow the player access to the game initially, yet hard enough to force an increase in game skills or learned abilityies from play.
These components, furthermore, must attain a delicate balance. Many shooters go array though being much too difficult, others by simply co-opting previous shooter games (including archaic graphics without artistic sensibility), or by holding back the action. Thankfully, Shoot 1UP avoids these pitfalls, delivers an excellent shooter experience, and is compelling enough to hold the honor of being the best indie space-shooter available on xbox live!
No small feat!
Shoot 1UP not only plays extremely well, but has a ton of variability to allow you to find your space here. There's a multiplayer component. There's levels that scroll up, sideways, down, left and right, and mix it up. There's an armada campaign - where you survive mainly though adding tons of ships to your crew (you have the ability to expand or contract your fleet, points scoring depending on how expanded you are). There's also a single-player, single ship saved-game campaign which takes you through the 5 main levels, but does so in a very different manner from the armada campaign. There's even different ships to take charge of, and 3 differeing difficulty levels too. In sum, there's just a lot here at your fingertips that allows you to really sink your teeth into this game - not something you can often say of a space-shooter, usually too hackneyed, boring, easy, or drab.
While on the down side, the campaign is only 5 levels long, and can be beaten in one sitting, especially if you're in easy mode. Don't let this hold you back though, each level is action packed and increased in difficulty at a solid pace.
Bottom Line: Spend your time (and money) wisely. If you're looking for a top-notch space-shooter, look no further than Shoot 1UP. For $1, it just may be the best deal on xbox live around!
Score: 9/10