Geometry Wars is back. There isn't a lot more to say about it really. If you liked the first Geometry Wars, you will love Geometry Wars 2. If you didn't play the first game but love action games, you will loveGeometry Wars 2. It's a good game. Yes, there is no online play, but it's not a deal breaker at all. You'll still compete on the leaderboards with your friends anyway. Check out the video and find out what makes Geometry Wars 2 worth the money.
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You forgot to mention the gun you start with is the gun you die with. I was shocked when the guns never alternated with the score. I am over it now but, I expected some evolution in that department and some sweet new weapons.
On a good note, achievments are way easier to get this time than last.
Keeping the same weapon seems ok to me. I didn't like how the weapon would switch in the original GW without my input forcing me to continually adjust my strategy. Some may have liked that aspect of the original game, but when things get crazy, just give me a consistent firing pattern and be done with it! Good call, I say.
I cant wait to get my 360 back from repair. I'm a huge fan of the first but I'm a little worried they inflated the scores like they did with the Tony Hawk games after the first 2.
The appeal for me on the first geowars was the difficulty level as you progressed and how difficult it was to reach your first million. Just like in the first 2 Tony Hawk games, it really felt like an accomplishment to reach 1 million. Now I see all these videos of people with over 4 million on their first try.
The scores are inflated only because they changed the way multipliers work.
As far as difficulty goes, the game is way harder this time around. You never get a spread gun, you have to go back and collect your multipliers so you can't just play the "run away card" forever, and a couple of the new enemies are a PITA and the simple purple squares (formerly pink squares) are a lot harder to see amidst the chaos now that they changed the color.
I have to agree about the pacifist mode, it's a lot of fun, and outside of waves, perhaps the one I play the most often.
Now I should say I wasn't a big fan of the original. It seemed a bit too hard for the casual player, whereas this one seems more enjoyable and varied, and I wanted to play more often to beat the scores of my friends. Not having online multiplayer is a bit of a bummer though.
Yeah because todays developers simply cant develop a 4 player game 2d game online with a bunch of 3d particle effects lag free.
The lack of online play simply has to do with time/money. The cost of adding it in would be more then any benifit they would get from the 3 or 4 people who refuse to buy the game without the online multiplayer.
The "it would lag" line is just marketing BS. You think the company would actually reply with "we dont want to put it in because really, who cares? and it wont be profitable for us." That would be like shooting themselves int he foot.
I've never had lag in Worms, Ikaruga, Bomberman, or Aegis Wing. Then again I only play with friends and not random matches with people in the artic circle running their 360 on a handcrank and playing over a 56k connection.
I agree with the criticism of 1 boring weapon for the whole time, and how it's much easier to score points. I haven't even bought this yet, even though GW1 was one of my favorite games. Getting the achievement of 1,000,000 points in GW1 was one of the trickiest achievements I've gotten so far... I played the trial of GW2 once and scored 1,500,000 without even knowing what the hell was going on with some of the new enemies. I'll probably buy it eventually to try out the new modes, but so far I'm not that impressed.
Apparently because scores are higher the game must be bad. Right.
Wrong. GW2 is a whole lot more fun to play than the original. It has more variety and a lot more replay value than the original. The lack of weapons is slightly annoying, but its hardly a problem.
Aim for 10,000,000 or something if you're that obsessed with reaching a huge score. Or 15,000,000 (albeit that changes with some modes... it's pretty simple to get 10,000,000 on sequence)
LOVE this game! Got Wax off tonight on about the ninetieth try... got to 87% twice and 99% before I got it... and when I did was one square left for at least 20 seconds before I could get to it... so much fun!!! They should have a cheevo for getting Wax Off twenty times!
And dude... what happened... you totally choked at the end... you were kicking ass for a while and then died stupidly several times. Hehehe oh well I'm sure SupperDunners score will be 10x that soon. Happy GW2 =D
Do, Richard, for real. I can't even break the 1 Million mark on Deadline. 2 isn't as hard as GeoWars 1, but it sure it damn hard. Oh, yeah. Didn't I bet your score on King?
The downside? I think that the The achievements (besides smile, which I think has something to do with not using a bomb on those stages in sequence) are really easy. I only have two or three left, and I'm only an hour in. If they were a little more difficult, I think that this game could have had longer legs. Still, It's a hell of a game.
{ Jul 31st 2008 at 6:30PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Levon @ Aug 1st 2008 7:08PM
yeah, loving the new game modes. wax off is killing me though!
Stink Snake @ Jul 31st 2008 6:55PM
You forgot to mention the gun you start with is the gun you die with. I was shocked when the guns never alternated with the score. I am over it now but, I expected some evolution in that department and some sweet new weapons.
On a good note, achievments are way easier to get this time than last.
EdgeOne @ Aug 1st 2008 8:21AM
Keeping the same weapon seems ok to me. I didn't like how the weapon would switch in the original GW without my input forcing me to continually adjust my strategy. Some may have liked that aspect of the original game, but when things get crazy, just give me a consistent firing pattern and be done with it! Good call, I say.
KingOfGods @ Jul 31st 2008 6:58PM
I cant wait to get my 360 back from repair. I'm a huge fan of the first but I'm a little worried they inflated the scores like they did with the Tony Hawk games after the first 2.
The appeal for me on the first geowars was the difficulty level as you progressed and how difficult it was to reach your first million. Just like in the first 2 Tony Hawk games, it really felt like an accomplishment to reach 1 million. Now I see all these videos of people with over 4 million on their first try.
Vcize @ Aug 1st 2008 9:49AM
The scores are inflated only because they changed the way multipliers work.
As far as difficulty goes, the game is way harder this time around. You never get a spread gun, you have to go back and collect your multipliers so you can't just play the "run away card" forever, and a couple of the new enemies are a PITA and the simple purple squares (formerly pink squares) are a lot harder to see amidst the chaos now that they changed the color.
jdkay20 @ Jul 31st 2008 7:12PM
it weird you like pacifist, that the only mode I don't like. waves is awesome and so in sequence. but I think my favorite is still the original.
nick @ Jul 31st 2008 7:44PM
I have to agree about the pacifist mode, it's a lot of fun, and outside of waves, perhaps the one I play the most often.
Now I should say I wasn't a big fan of the original. It seemed a bit too hard for the casual player, whereas this one seems more enjoyable and varied, and I wanted to play more often to beat the scores of my friends. Not having online multiplayer is a bit of a bummer though.
headshot902 @ Jul 31st 2008 7:59PM
lol, i like the way you said "damn you super dunners.....damn you"
Dustin Burg @ Jul 31st 2008 9:02PM
damn me!
Deezul @ Jul 31st 2008 8:14PM
I'll be the hater. 1984 called. It wants its Robotron game back.
Richard Mitchell @ Jul 31st 2008 11:43PM
Hate all you want. This game is better than Robotron, I don't care how thick the nostalgia lenses are.
Anticrawl @ Aug 1st 2008 1:20AM
Never knew you were SenseiRam Richard. Back when Gears was young you were on my list heh.
Richard Mitchell @ Aug 1st 2008 1:05PM
Anticrawl,
SenseiRAM, that's me :)
Brucie B @ Jul 31st 2008 8:22PM
How could there be no online.... Such a Shame
Xav de Matos @ Jul 31st 2008 8:32PM
Any lag would break GeoWars 2.
007craft @ Jul 31st 2008 11:09PM
Yeah because todays developers simply cant develop a 4 player game 2d game online with a bunch of 3d particle effects lag free.
The lack of online play simply has to do with time/money. The cost of adding it in would be more then any benifit they would get from the 3 or 4 people who refuse to buy the game without the online multiplayer.
The "it would lag" line is just marketing BS. You think the company would actually reply with "we dont want to put it in because really, who cares? and it wont be profitable for us." That would be like shooting themselves int he foot.
Xav de Matos @ Aug 1st 2008 12:52AM
Name an arcade game that has ever been lag free online.
I'll wait...
Anticrawl @ Aug 1st 2008 1:01AM
I've never had lag in Worms, Ikaruga, Bomberman, or Aegis Wing. Then again I only play with friends and not random matches with people in the artic circle running their 360 on a handcrank and playing over a 56k connection.
Mr.U2 @ Jul 31st 2008 8:29PM
Lol at the end there. Good job richard! very informative review. I liked it.
Josh @ Jul 31st 2008 9:46PM
I agree with the criticism of 1 boring weapon for the whole time, and how it's much easier to score points. I haven't even bought this yet, even though GW1 was one of my favorite games. Getting the achievement of 1,000,000 points in GW1 was one of the trickiest achievements I've gotten so far... I played the trial of GW2 once and scored 1,500,000 without even knowing what the hell was going on with some of the new enemies. I'll probably buy it eventually to try out the new modes, but so far I'm not that impressed.
Hansel @ Jul 31st 2008 11:01PM
Apparently because scores are higher the game must be bad. Right.
Wrong. GW2 is a whole lot more fun to play than the original. It has more variety and a lot more replay value than the original. The lack of weapons is slightly annoying, but its hardly a problem.
Aim for 10,000,000 or something if you're that obsessed with reaching a huge score. Or 15,000,000 (albeit that changes with some modes... it's pretty simple to get 10,000,000 on sequence)
lysernix @ Jul 31st 2008 11:29PM
LOVE this game! Got Wax off tonight on about the ninetieth try... got to 87% twice and 99% before I got it... and when I did was one square left for at least 20 seconds before I could get to it... so much fun!!! They should have a cheevo for getting Wax Off twenty times!
And dude... what happened... you totally choked at the end... you were kicking ass for a while and then died stupidly several times. Hehehe oh well I'm sure SupperDunners score will be 10x that soon. Happy GW2 =D
Momer @ Jul 31st 2008 11:53PM
"Your shit has no weapons" Heh.
jim @ Aug 1st 2008 1:44AM
its a better group game, just played it for 4~ hrs with friends.
doing mostly sequence and then pacifism, mixing up teams, co-op, and every man for themself.
well worth the 10$ so far.
jim @ Aug 1st 2008 1:48AM
that didnt sound right, by better group game.. i meant its better than gw1 since it has the multiplayer in it.
Hatredkopter @ Aug 1st 2008 1:51AM
Am I the only one that saw Geometry Wars 2 as Gears of War 2 and got all excited for a split second?
Chase @ Aug 1st 2008 7:13AM
Poor Richard. So close, yet so far away.
(Nice quick review, by the bye. You lived up to the title but also provided the beef.)
Jayslacks @ Aug 1st 2008 8:02AM
Do, Richard, for real. I can't even break the 1 Million mark on Deadline. 2 isn't as hard as GeoWars 1, but it sure it damn hard. Oh, yeah. Didn't I bet your score on King?
thePCownsYOU @ Aug 1st 2008 8:19AM
Seeing my Gamertag on an XBLA in Brief segment.... pretty neat.
Being the worst at GW2 out of all of Richard's friends... not so much.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Aug 1st 2008 9:09AM
I like it as well, and I like the new modes.
The downside? I think that the The achievements (besides smile, which I think has something to do with not using a bomb on those stages in sequence) are really easy. I only have two or three left, and I'm only an hour in. If they were a little more difficult, I think that this game could have had longer legs. Still, It's a hell of a game.
Vcize @ Aug 1st 2008 9:50AM
The only one really giving me trouble is Surf. I can barely get to 5/8, much less 8/8.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Aug 1st 2008 9:54AM
Heh, sorry to say, but I got that one on my first try.
Just make sure you're in the very center of the board- you really don't need to move around too much. And good luck!
I was stuck on "Wax Off" went it got time to get my ass to work this morning.
Boff @ Aug 5th 2008 5:46AM
I finally got Wax Off last night after a good 2 hours of trying (afraid so!) but on the plus side, I also got Slalom in the process!
Absolutely loving this game. The first one was good but I think they really have improved things by having different game modes.
Pacifism is my fav at the moment.