Explosive Platforming Fun on the 360

Just when you thought 2D side-scrollers lacked innovation and wit, a game like “‘Splosion Man” on the 360 Live Arcade comes along.

Hilarious and incredibly challenging, the downloadable title has a personality all its own.

Unlike other platformers out there, you don’t jump at all in “‘Splosion Man,” you blow up. Working like a triple jump, you are able to blow up three times in succession, in order to either destroy your enemies or reach platforms to advance through a level. The first time you play, this may all seem a bit weird, but after a few deaths, you’ll find the title’s gameplay is engrossing and addictive.

Speaking of death, expect to pass on hundreds of times while playing this game. The puzzles often require precision button presses and feats of quickness and skill. That being said, getting through some stages is extremely tough and it helps if you’re patient.

With a silly premise and colorful graphics, this title has a lot going for it. However, at times, the camera used for certain levels makes it difficult to know where you have to go. With the run and run type gameplay employed here, where every second counts, the sometimes off kilter camera hurts the overall package. As well, after a few hours, it’s obvious that this game is meant to be played in high definition. With small character models and huge obstacles, the game’s visuals are done much better justice in that format.

Nevertheless, these small qualms can’t spoil the ambiance “‘Splosion Man” provides. Add in a fun multi-player mode [which allows up to four-players to play together simultaneously] as well and you can’t ask for more from a downloadable title on the 360 Live Arcade. In a day and age where graphics and bells and whistles are king, this game proves that a great concept and solid gameplay still light the fuse on a quality title.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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