XBLA review: XEVIOUS (9/10)

Yeah, I never thought of the title in all caps either ... anyway, for once, a classic arcade game has a quality port on the 360. No stupid online battle achievements, no graphic "upgrades", just original gameplay. Sadly, it's one-player only, thus the 9 instead of a 10. (Dear Microsoft, many people have multiple gamers in their house and do not wish to buy two consoles. Please explain this to publishers. Sincerely, us.)

What it's got:

• Secrets, just like the arcade (citadels and flags in the same places)
• Adaptive difficulty, just like the arcade (die twice in a row and you see weaker enemies)
• A high-score board that's saved with your settings. (ABOUT TIME! Why on earth would you bother to save settings and not save high scores?)
• Configurable controls. No more A and B if you'd rather not use them. (I prefer LT and RT myself. YMMV.)

What it don't:

• Two-player play. (Hotseat, like in the arcade. Co-op mode wouldn't be desirable.)

If you liked XEVIOUS in the arcade, by all means, pick this up. It's definitely worth it. If you missed out on '80s arcade games, you might give this one a try just to see what the better games were like.

zlionsfan's rating: 9 citadels out of 10.