PixlBit

Don’t know nothin’ ‘bout history…

This review is part of the 2014 Sh*tty Game Review Fest - read about the event here.

When the directors of PixlBit approached the staff with Operation: S----ty Game Review, I jumped at the opportunity. I’ve been off the writing horse for a bit, and there’s something a bit refreshing about getting a chance to eviscerate critique a game that you know isn’t very good. If anything, it helps put things in perspective. So, when we got our games and did our unboxing videos, the general consensus amongst the PixlBit readers and staff was that I got off easy with HISTORY ™: Great Empires: Rome. Well, as someone who has absolutely no love for classic PC-style games (no, seriously), an old-school, turn-based strategy title ala Civilization is about as appealing as playing Barbie’s First Free Clinic Visit.

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Beautiful graphics and interesting mechanics does not a good game make.

Xotic is a peculiar beast. Developer WXP Games has created something that’s somewhat hard to describe yet familiar when you actually play it. As the reviewer though, I need to do my best in doing so. Okay. Xotic (pronounced like exotic) is a first person shooter with an emphasis on scoring and clearing a level like that of a puzzle game. You are sent to stop the Orb, which is a being that evolved beyond its physical body and has gone mad and is now destroying planets. The way you accomplish this is by completing each level by destroying enemies, collecting power-ups and shooting orb plants in order to get a combo going and raise your high score. Despite impressive art design and surprisingly deep game mechanics, none of this actually melds into a cohesive whole and you’ll be left disappointed at a game that at first held promise but quickly grows frustrating.

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