Small Arms Is A Fun Super Smash Bros Multiplayer Type Game But I Was Expecting Much Better.
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The Good : Fun Multiplayer, An Alright Amount Of Characters, Good Weapons, Graphics Are Nice.
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The Bad : Damn Glitch Achievements!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Sound Is A Letdown, No Downloadable Content Yet.
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Well, here we are once again, presented with a brand new Xbox Arcade game. Small Arms is an excellent addition to an already impressive arcade game lineup. The game is basically a Super Smash Brothers Clone, but with guns. There are many characters to choose from and each are unique. The guns are also impressive as well, with all kinds of types of ammo and ways to kill people. The game is addicting, but I doubt it will last a long time on Xbox Live, mainly because of three factors: the size of the maps, the maps themselves, and slightly repetitive gameplay. Overall though, the game is a solid download for everyone looking to buy.
Gameplay : Alright, this is where the game shines/fails. The core gameplay itself is excellent, but there is one huge factor involved: the maps. Ill get into that more a bit later. The gameplay is simple, you pick a character, go online, play on a map, and try to kill people with your weapons that you can pickup/start with. You can also play a somewhat difficult single player mission line (alot like the SSBM classic SP mode) where you battle certain characters as one you chose. You wont get through this without a couple of continues, so be prepared. There is also a mini-game esque "Shooting Range" where you have a gun and attempt to shoot targets as they move along a string over your head. This is fun, but generally gets boring after awhile. You will find yourself wanting to fight more rather then playing the "Shooting Range" mini-game.
In terms of how the game is actually played, you get a health bar - plus an energy bar and lives (depending on the gametype.) The lives work like stock does in the SSB series, so it really isnt confusing. The energy bar is a negative side though. It acts as your "ammo" and when you run out of energy, you need to switch weapons. Often, you will find yourself running around looking for a new gun that just isnt there. You CAN use the X button to melee, but it isnt really affective. You can also pick up battery items, but those barely boost your energy. You will need a large TNT like box to completely refill it, and that doesnt happen often. Once you get a new weapon though, your energy will be refilled. The energy thing could have been better if you didnt constantly run out and have nothing to use after, which occurs every now and then. Also, snacks are randomly added to the game to gain lost health back. This can help out tremendously and the snacks range from fish to ribs.
Now the main "glaring factor" I mentioned in my title: The Maps. The maps are extremely small (save Tornado/Train, which scroll along) and you often feel squished in. This causes the battle to have a very chaotic feel and you dont usually know whats going on. You point and shoot at anything that moves, and thats basically it. There arent to many maps either, so you are constanly playing on squished maps. It makes it easy to lose your character (since they're somewhat small) and a bit to chaotic. Your characters also dont really have "personal weapons" (even though they start with their "personal weapon) mainly because any weapon can be added at any time. It kind of makes it a bit less unique, but oh well.
The controls for this game are not exactly simple to learn, but once you get a feel for them, it immerses you into the game extremely well. Overtime, you see that the controls are perfect for the game, although they take some getting used too. However, if your a Super Smash Bros expert, you shouldnt have THAT much trouble picking it up and playing. Graphics : For an arcade game, the graphics for this game are superb. I dont have my 360 hooked up to a HD TV, but im sure they look even more amazing then they do on a regular TV. The characters are well animated and the guns and explosions all look amazing. Although the graphics in this game 3d
Sound : The sound is a total letdown, what could have been used on awesome voice overs and awesome sounding weapons is actually used on stupid lame voices that you never hear and some of the worst sounding weapons for the xbox live arcade.
Overall, the game is a solid download for anyone interested, mainly because Live with your friends is a lot of fun and its just great to kick back and kick some ass with an awesome character.