How much do you want that new toaster?
The controls in Smash TV are simple and easy to use. The game only makes use of the two analogue sticks, the left for moving and the right for shooting. Your character can only move and shoot in the eight compass directions this makes the shooting and movement different from Geometry wars in which you can move and shoot in all directions. The game is spread over 3 levels and each level has several rooms (37 in total) which you can plot you own path through. Each room has a door on each wall and legions of enemies coming pouring out of ready to kill you. The enemies range from foot solders to tanks and wall turrets the vast majority of enemies of the game will just run at you and if they make contact with you then you die. Other enemies (like Mr Shrapnel) will send projectiles after you (Mr Shrapnel blows himself up then shards of metal fly in all directions) The shear amount of enemies combined with one hit kills make this a very hectic game and not only is killing guys important but also making sure you have space to maneuver around swarms of enemies which is no easy task.
This game was meant to suck the pennies right out of your pockets (it was originally for the arcade after all) this means the difficulty is rather high and you will die a lot though fortunately you get unlimited continues to see you though the game. The game is made even harder as if you want the big points you are going to need to pick up prizes (such as toasters or VCRs) and big wads of cash this means you need to navigate your way though the flood of enemies to pick them up, the game does give you a break by giving you power ups such as a bazooka or shotgun but even these seem to be strategically place with a bunch of bad guys to get past.
The game also has a co-op mode that is useable either locally or through Xbox live. Co-op mode doesn't differ greatly from the single player mode; the only difference is that if both players lose all their lives in the same room then its game over.
The graphics aren't technically great but they do the job and as crowded as the rooms get the framerate never drops and the enemies look pretty cool. Some of the animation looks nice especially your characters death animation, sometimes he get blown to pieces and these fly toward the player then drop down to the floor.
The game uses sound very effectively, every explosion, gunshot and voice sounds great, if a little muffled the host is quite funny and quite believable as a gameshow host by his various one liners like "Total carnage, I love it".
The price is right for this arcade game at 400 points, it's simplistic and addictive gameplay make it a perfect game to just pick up and play on a whim. The game will only give you 1 or 2 hours till you get to the end but the challenge to get onto the new high score leaderboard or any of the achievements that involve you getting through a level without continuing should keep player coming back again and again. This game should appeal to most as a simple yet addictive game that's easily worth the 400 points they paid for it.