Wednesday Releases: Monkey Island and Madballs

Looks like two big games were jostling for the must-have game spot on XBLA yesterday. That's right; The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition and Madballs in Babo Invasion both made their way to the downloadable content section on Wednesday.

First up, there's The Secret of Monkey Island which is available for 800 MS points. Old school gamers will remember this one. Alright, to be fair, most self-respecting hardcore gamers, young and old, will be acquainted with this one. It contains a zany story-line – as in pirates with a 'hey hey ho and a bottle of rum'! - complete with a fantastic sense of humor. Of course, this means you will find yourself laughing out loud at all strange and off-topic speech choices.

The game has been given a fancy little makeover by creators. Compared to the pixelated look of the yonder years, the graphics are a bit sleeker. I mean, check out the details on that purple-haired pirate. Not that I am one to complain; I think it certainly adds to the experience and helps reintroduce a much-loved game into the next generation.

Speaking of changes, I also prefer the ease of point-and-click functionality. The left button offers a helpful little panel containing all the actions available for your character. Furthermore the 'A' or 'B' serves as easy shortcuts to move or talk. Remember how it used to be? Well, for a glimpse at the good old times, press the 'Select' button and you get to play the old-style version of the game. I must confess, I don't seem to have the same level of patience to play the game in that format; I have been spoiled by improved interfaces and functionality. Point is, if someone moans about it 'just not being the same anymore', do press the 'select' button and shove the controller at him/her.

Then there is Madballs in Babo Invasion which is set at 1200 MS points. You will soon guess – from the vast contrast in review length between these games – that I spent most of my time ogling over Monkey Island. Unfortunately that's not entirely fair to Madballs as it certainly did live up to my expectations. At this point, I should point out that it was on the list of awaited games I mentioned last week and I had heard a number of reviewers gushing quite a bit about the game. And now I could see why. The graphics are stunning; it's true, the colors are rich and livens up the terrain. Plus, I like the controls; it is easy to navigate and is also quite responsive. You know what I mean; some games have that annoying delayed response which certainly does not help when you are panicked and really want to move that Pathfinder out of the way. I said, Block the attack, arrgh! You get the picture.

Madballs has also struck a good balance between easy gaming and strategic maneuvering. It is easy to just pick up and play, blast stuff out of the way and roll forward. Good times, indeed. But at the same time, you do have to plan your way through or at least think throw your fighting tactics. It also helps that you get a fancy choice of weapons; mashing things up just became even more fun.