I haven’t seen much on the new 360 Xbox Live Arcade title Small Arms since it was released last week so I thought I’d throw my two cents out there for those who were curious as to how it would play. We’ve all heard the Super Smash Bros. comparisons, but other than that, the game more or less fell on deaf eyes and ears — at least from what I’ve been able to tell from constantly scouring the Internet for gaming news and trends.
So, here are some my issues with the game and something you should consider before buying the game itself (yes you can demo it, but not the full online portion which SHOULD be its bread and butter):
• Characters are too small and similar: Unlike Smash Bros. (I hate comparisons, but I think it will help you visualize everything), Small Arms’ characters more or less look the same. Possibly OK, but the problem with this really lies when the camera pulls back to show all four players battling and suddendly it becomes very hard to distinguish your character from others. I constantly lose my character in the mayhem.
• Weapons run out of ammo too quickly: Have a weapon? Enjoy it while it lasts, because the ammo runs out in about 5 seconds of heavy use. The game quickly becomes a rush to get new guns or an X-button melee fest. All well and good maybe for you, but for me, there’s no fun in that. I want big weapons that do cool damage and last for a little while longer.
• Some maps just don’t work: There are levels that are constantly moving, and if you get caught off screen, then you die. Fair? Maybe. But because your character is somewhat difficult to control (double jumps are a bitch), it can become more of a problem than a game challenge.
Bottomline: Should you buy it? I don’t think so. If you just try out the demo, I don’t think you’ll get the full grasp of the game’s weaknesses. It’s a mighty effort and the intention is all well and good, but I just don’t feel the execution is really there. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
