Castle Crashers (XBLA)

[SuperBeatBoy]

The giant bear made me laugh an all. Someone should photoshop pedobear's face on it. lol.

Where did you get the figurines Orgun?

[Orgun]

Haha yeah I forgot about the bear.

From their homepage http://www.thebehemoth.com/ Buy 3 get 4th free

[averybluemonkey]

Given that this was going to be 800 points when it was planned to be released a year ago in the 50MB size limit and was delayed a whole year to add extra content when the file size was increased I think 1200 points is perfectly acceptable.

[Synthesthesia]

Was really looking forward to this but it hasn't lived up to my expectations at all. I know scrolling beat 'em ups by their nature are repetitive beasts but this seems more repetitive than most and, as a consequence, a chore to play. I also echo those saying it looks like a souped-up flash game - it really does, thanks in no small part to the lousy animation. The character design is admittedly lovely but that ain't enough to save it. 1200 points? I won't go into a long-winded rant (like I did with Braid) but, honestly, I wouldn't even pay 800 points for this. Very disappointing.

Do you actually LIKE anything? Pretty much every time I've seen a thread with you in it you've been complaining about something. I bet if it was 800 points, you would have been fine with it. 400 points REALLY isn't that much, people. Something of this caliber on say the gameboy advance a few years ago would have cost ?30, and people would rarely complain. It's just because people have gotten used to the standard 800 points, if they're going to make games as good as this more frequently- Charge 1200 points as much as you like.

But on topic, the game. It's become a recurring trend for me lately to buy arcade games instantly after I've tried them(Braid and Bionic Commando) and this now joins the roster. It's fantastic to be honest, the leveling up aspect keeps things fresh, with room for a few different styles of play (all offense, good defense, good all rounder etc), new moves getting introduced and that addictiveness that it brings along with it.

Truly the best time there has been for arcade games IMO!

[Stormtec]

I've bought this, and I'm quite enjoying it. It's rather Golden Axe-ish, and I quite like that actually. Though I think the levelling up, character unlocking, weapon collection/item purchasing stuff puts this game a bit beyond the simple hack 'n slash games of old.

I am curious to know what some people were expecting with this though? I mean, people complain about the flash-like animation like it even matters? Braid didn't have fantastically detailed and fluid animation in it either. Did Alien Homonid improve much over it's humble flashgame beginnings (honest question, as I've not really seen the game in action)? Castle Crashers is fun to play (though admittedly significantly more fun with 3 other friends). A game that's actually fun to play, going for a tenner; you know, I remember back in the day when that would never happen.

[MyDogSkip]

A game with animals poo-ing themselves?! SOLD! In all seriousness, put it this way, i bought this after work (5pm) its now 1:20am and i have to be up at 7 for an important meeting, i have been playing it all day, but I cant go to bed without completing one more level on this. I have to! Its THAT good! I hope my boss understands in the morning when ive had no sleep!

The videogame equivalent of crack IMO. Cant wait for some coop action!!

"Er, sorry im late boss, i was up all night playing with some crack"

[Charlie]

@ Brats, I accept the possibility, as you say, it picks up on later levels and, as you level up, becomes increasingly varied. I just don't know if I wanna spend 1200 points only discover it still doesn't do it for me.

@ Synthesthesia, haha, sure, there's plenty of games I like. I'll be the first to admit I'm quite critical but, time is precious, and if a game doesn't do something better than similar games or do something largely different from other games, why should I lay praise or even bother with it?

But anyways, life would be boring if we all liked the same thing. You enjoy the game and I'll go enjoy the games I like.

[ne0star]

I'm over the moon with this, one of the best purchases gaming wise this year, and not just live arcade.

1200 points only works out at a tenner. This and braid have given me so much more enjoyment than boring rehashes like SC4 and both combined are still nearly half the price.

I was a bit worried when people started throwing the whole 'Flash' thing around, but I needn't have worried. I think you would be very hard pushed to replicate the gaming experience going on here in flash. Something like Locoroco is far more 'Flash' like than this.

A lot of love has gone into the design of this, and it shows. Its extremley consistant throughout.

I should imagine anyone who likes Guardian Heroes will like this. the whole 'level up' mechanic is very similar, and even now i'm still discovering new moves. Its games like this where demo's actually do more harm than good I think as you really do need to play a couple of levels to see just how creative this game is.

I must admit the music can grate at times, I think mainly because it repeats a little more frequently than I would like, but it does suit the game.

Its the little touches for me like fellow knights trying to resuscitate each other or the bit in the forrest where that Owl craps itself.

Its not totally perfect, and I think you can tell ever so slightly that certain aspects of it had been designed to fit into the then much smaller limits of a live aracde title, but if you like the Guardian Heroes style of game this is a bargain.

[Lowkey]

Hmm.. Maybe I should try the trial of this again. I had a quick go yesterday and thought it was do do. But everywhere I look people are gushing about this game. I enjoyed the trial of Braid instantly and that's why I bought it. This one just bored me, but I'll give it another look.

As an aside I also thought the first Hulk movie was pants but I know there were lots of people who loved it...

[ExtremePabs]

I seem to fall into the minority here, I downloaded the trials for this and braid and found them both to be utter gash! I was bored in minutes. Everyone seemed to dislike the 1942 remake and I liked that.

[joe90]

its the slow price creep im concerned about..

[ShadowDancer]

Just played the demo and I'll be picking this up for sure.

I loved it! i like the idea of a bit of depth albeit simple, but its there.

The music is overblown and fab! and you even get combos on the demo.

I always thought Alien Hominid looked like a flash game. I guess this does to a point but it does have more detail and better animation. Graphics aren't everything! (don't quote me on that!!) but they look crisp and clean..fits the game perfectly, that's the point.

2 more games to go..then I'll be up for some 4 player mayhem!

[CMcK]

joe90, I think that's due to the change in royalties on XBLA games now. It used to be 70% to the developer but it's now 30-40% depending on the game. Considering how little profit the Xbox division has made for MS they must be looking at all sorts of way to make some extra coin.

[Charlie]

I seem to fall into the minority here, I downloaded the trials for this and braid and found them both to be utter gash! I was bored in minutes. Everyone seemed to dislike the 1942 remake and I liked that.

I found all three really boring but, have to admit, the incredible amount of love and critical acclaim directed towards Braid has led me to believe there's more to that game than meets the eye. I just can't spend 1200 points on it. My principles won't have it.

[snafflesthedog]

You know what charlie, they're just budget games for a tenner. That's it.

There's nothing more to braid than a short cheap good platformer with puzzles
There's nothing more to castle crashers than a good online scrolling beat 'em up

If you think there's more to this, then you are spending way too much time here.