Review of Harms Way for XBLA by Protomario
22Boom free games are my kind of games...
Harm's Way is a racing advergame developed by independent software developer Bongfish GmbH for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. It was released on December 8, 2010 for free. The game was one of the finalists of the Doritos-sponsored "Unlock Xbox" competition for 2010.[1] This game has a wasteland-like setting and feeling, similar to Borderlands.
Drivers ride across one of three courses in a three-lap race with power-ups and shortcuts to help lead them to their victory. To win, a driver must finish in first place out of 4 ranks. Drivers can drift to earn nitro boosts and do barrel rolls for shields, which prevent drivers from receiving damage and may ricochet gunfire back to snipers. The time it takes for drivers to finish a race can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.
There are four vehicles, each with three attributes: speed (which affects top speed and acceleration), armor (which affects the amount of damage the vehicle can take), and handling (which affects steering and drifting).
* Buggy - Has good speed and handling, but the worst armor.
* Pickup - Has average speed and armor, but the best handling. It is recommended for beginners.
* Truck - Also has average speed as well as handling, but the best armor.
* Bus - Has the best speed and good armor, but the worst handling.
Snipers can snipe other vehicles and damage them. Snipers' goal is to damage and destroy the vehicle as badly as possible. A fatal hit to the windshield of a vehicle will instantly destroy it, giving the sniper 5000 points. Snipers can also hit wheels to stop or slow down a vehicle for 250 points. Snipers can also shoot at power-ups on the track to either prevent drivers from using them or to upgrade their own turrets with new weapons. The number of points snipers earn can represent their ranks in the leaderboards.
There are four weapons for each sniper, each available after certain number of upgrades:
* Sniper rifle - A powerful single shot from a sniper rifle can cause windshield kills and flat tires. Also has good zooming capabilities and a laser pointer that's also visible to drivers, though it's slow to reload. This is the weapon that snipers start out with.
* Burst Shot - A machine gun which rapidly fires relatively weak rounds. Has some zooming capabilities and is prone to overheating. This is the first weapon that snipers receive from upgrading.
* Air Strike - Launches a group of land mines from the air and onto the track, detonating automatically if untouched for five seconds. This weapon is earned after two upgrades.
* Missile launcher - A rocket launcher that can lock onto moving targets and cause heavy damage, which is strong enough to knock down objects that can fall onto drivers and block the road. It fires in straight lines by default. This is the last weapon that snipers can earn, requiring three upgrades.
Reference-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harms_Way_%28video_game%29