Its an all right game, has some positives though.
Basic Gameplay
the basic gameplay in small arms is similar, and not similar to smash bros. I will try and not compare the two in this review, because honestly they shouldn't be compared.
The game starts off with the character you have chosen (12 total) against 2-3 other opponents. The main goal of the game is to knock your opponents off a ledge, or hurt them enough to decrease their HP to 0. You do have multiple stock, so getting killed once does not end the game. The weapons of this game are kinda different. They consist of small arms (hence the name), where your character originally starts off with one of the weapons. For example, the chicken (el pollo) starts off with a flame thrower, and the pig assassin (Mr. Truffles) starts the game off with a sniper that can lay mines. Throughout the game you can pick up new items in battle, so you are not forced to keep only your weapon of start.
The X button is used to punch, and the RT button is used to do a primary fire. The primary fire is usually the weaker hit, for example the machine guns primary fire is rapid bullets. When pressing the LT button you shoot out a secondary attack, for instance the flamethrower's secondary fire is a bottle that leaves flames on the floor (much like GTA's bottle). The game also has a lot of jumping and dashing around. Jumping is executed simply by pressing A and moving the control stick where you need to go. The Y button is where a lot of skill in small arms is used. Depending on how long you hold down the Y button, is how far you will go. The dash can be used to quickly get to a new weapon or more health, or to save you from destruction.
to aim your gun is incredibly simple, just move your analog stick in the direction to shoot, this IMO can be mastered within 10 minutes of practicing
How does the gameplay work: Flaws & positives
There are many positives that guide small arms. First being that the game is quick and fast when it needs to be. The aiming is also very well done, leaving a very clean shot as long as you can aim good. The game also is incredibly fun when it needs to be, and challenging when it needs to be. I personally find the computer AI a little challenging, so I tend to play on XBOX live a lot. This Another incredible flaw, is the overall flawed punching system. whenever you punch your opponents you cant help but wonder if you are hitting them, or what is going on. The punch system needed a LOT more polishing, but saddly it didnt recieve it. Luckily punching isnt the main focus of the game, but its still a letdown for when you need it.
Some of the noticeable flaws is the amount of ammo you get per gun. The ammo is rather small, boosting 4 secondary shots per gun, and a lot of primary fire. This may sound like much, but in the game you will find ammo. Also some of the levels are incredibly easy to fall off, such as the whirlwind level or lava level. This can be incredibly frustrating for some people, or an incredible advantage for some people.
Finding ammo isnt all that bad, because the game would be incredibly simple and easy if there wasnt extra ammo to be gathered. While Im on the subject of ammo, there are 2 different ammo reloads. a Chest that fills all ammo back to normal, and a can that gives you roughly 2 secondary shots with a gun. The Sword has no limits to ammo however.
The matter of health in the game is how you view it, some people like a lot of health, and some people dont like that much. IMO the game balances health perfectly, the game really makes you keep an eye on your HP also making the game a LOT more strategic online, and in SP. There are many types of HP increases, most just vary in size such as the Fish (which doesnt increase it by a lot) than the hunk of meat (refills all).
In the beginning of playing the game, the Dash feature may feel a bit awkward, and flawed. However, with enough practice, you can turn the dash feature into a game deciding skill. The dash feature is still far from perfect, for instance it takes a long time to charge for a full fledged dash.
GRAPHICS
The graphics of small arms are great for an XBLA game, they resemble a lot of the PS2/GC/XBOX era, which is definetly not a bad thing considering that it is an XBLA game. The graphics are nice and colorful, and than there are some darker, mech levels. The game pulls off a very cartoony look, which for the style of game it is, the art style displays it perfectly.
The characters themselves are kinda well done, and kinda not. For instance one of the characters is a lot less detailed than the chicken, that being said he looks a lot more blurry.
The gun effects are nice and bad, some such as the electic gun and flamethrower are excellent. However, the explosions seem to be of less quality than the rest of the machinery.
My personal favorite graphical achievements for this game is the bright red lava in the fire level, and the cartoony grass in the demo-level.
some of the levels are sub par, the whirlwind level has some very blurry textures (playing it in HD BTW) most noteably the cars and vans. The mech levels also seem to be less detailed overall. This is one of the prettier XBLA games, despite its flaws.
SOUND
not realistic at all, very basic sounds with no exact originality at all. The basic gun fire sounds very sub par, like a toy gun almost. The electric gun sounds just like a buzzing wire of electricity. The explosions also sound like a very simplistic boom, something you would probably here in the 64 bit era. The sounds arent horrible persay, but they definetly couldve been better. the opening seen of sounds is also very bad, making the guns sound like toys.
the sound track also seems to lean more towards techno, so if you like that than it will be great for you. Multiplayer
I have not played multiplayer side by side w/ someone, so I dont know about that.
I have spent a good 3 hours playing on XBOX Live though, and I can positively say that it is a well packaged multiplayer experience. On my 3 hours of live I have experienced 0 lag, It felt as if I were playing single player. The ranked matches start out with timed battles. The goal of timed battles is to defeat as many opponents as you can within the timelimit, the timelimit for ALL ranked matches is 2 minutes. In ranked matches you cannot choose your stage, or choose the time limit.
Player matches are also the same as ranked matches, except you can change the stage and time limit.
VALUE
If you do not have XBOX live this game is incredibly linear. There are 4 unlockable characters, however 3 characters are unlocked after completing the single player experience 1 time. The game costs 800 Marketplace points (10 bucks), and is really packed with a lot of stuff for that price points. The game can have you playing online for a long time, just because of its inviting and fun charm. 7.5/10
overall a well packaged deal on the XBOX live arcade. this game seperates itself apart from all the other XBOX live arcade games, because it feels like a full fledged package. The game is packed with such a long lasting multiplayer, and a well presented skill difference. Overall, for the money you cannot beat this purchase and it currently is my favorite game available for the XBOX live arcade. Recommended