Review: Awesomenauts for XBLA

Awesomenauts

Platform: Xbox Live Arcade
Price: 800 MSP
Launch Date: May 2, 2012
Rating: T (Teen)
Publisher: DTP Entertainment AG
Developer: Ronimo Games
Game Twitter Feed: @Ronimogames

Game Overview:

Awesomenauts takes place in the year 3578 during a time of a huge conflict. This sets the stage for robot armies and a lot of battles! Ronimo Games did a spectacular job capturing fun cartoon style graphics in a 2D platform. The Awesomenauts are an elite fighting team so expect to see some interesting characters and abilities. The game pits two teams against each other in the quest to take down turret defenses and destroy the enemy’s drill. You do that…you win!

All this is done as a brilliantly detailed 2D platform with MOBA gameplay (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). I must admit that I had no idea what a MOBA type game was until this game. To bring any other MOBA newbies up to speed, this type of game is sort of a blend between an RPG and an RTS. You are in control of only one character but you work as a team toward the goal of blowing up the enemy team’s base. While playing you progress by leveling up, unlocking new abilities, and characters. A lot of teamwork strategy is involved and the action is very fast paced.

Features:

• Play locally up to 3 players or online for a 3 VS 3 match.
• Ability to quickly hop into a match on Xbox Live.
• 6 unique characters with their own special abilities.
• Over 100 unique items to unlock and customize your Awesomenauts.

Pros:

• Love the Awesomenauts characters and abilities.
• Beautiful environments make the levels fun and enjoyable to play on.
• Easy to pick up and start playing even for someone new to the genre.
• Joining matches is quick and easy.

Cons:

• Games last about 20-30 minutes so my attention span has trouble sometimes, especially if I know my team is going to lose.
• A lot of people quit when they are losing and it drives me bonkers.
• It seems that others who have played longer and have unlocked more have a huge advantage over newer players.

Final Verdict:

Awesomenauts is a unique game and I really enjoyed the MOBA gameplay. I admit the first hour or so of playing was a bit frustrating because I was a noob and everyone else knew what they were doing. Now that I have had a little more time to play and have started unlocking more characters I am beginning to better comprehend the depth to the strategy and importance of having good teammates on your side. Unfortunately, no one on my Xbox friends list is playing currently so I may need to make some new Awesomenauts friends if I want to win more battles.

The 800 MSP price point is a good fit for this game. There are six characters, items to unlock and it will take a lot of playtime to level up. However, the game only does one thing and that is the battles. So, once you play your first battle you pretty much get a feel for the entire game. Luckily, tactics and strategies change depending on who you are competing against.

If you are a fan of this genre I would say you are going to love Awesomenauts. If you are unfamiliar then I suggest try out the demo on Xbox Live Marketplace and see for yourself.