Game Stooge

REVIEW: Defense Grid: The Awakening (Xbox 360)

• Scribbled on September 3rd, 2009 by Jonah Falcon
• Filed in Casual Gaming, Microsoft Xbox 360, Reviews, Strategy, Xbox Live Arcade

Tower defense games are the new hotness in casual gaming these days, ranging from Popcap’s scintillating Plants Vs. Zombies to Square-Enix’s attempt Crystal Defenders to the upcoming South Park: Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!. Ever since the original Desktop Tower Defense, the tower defense game has eclipsed the match three as the casual game genre of choice.

Defense Grid: The Awakening is Hidden Path Entertainment’s entry into tower defense, and it’s one of the purest examples of the genre: various towers with a range of weaponry and enemy paths, and not much else. There’s no twists to gameplay – just place towers, earn points as you kill enemies that can be spent to build more towers and upgrade them. You simply have to prevent the aliens from stealing precious power cores as they trundle down their preset path.

This simplicity is the game’s biggest strength. For one, it boils down the game to almost a puzzle, figuring out which towers would be best where, from their ability, range and rate of fire – not to mention their effectiveness against various types of aliens – and which towers complement the others best. Boiled down, it’s a thinking man’s real-time-strategy title that’s at the same time lesiurely and frantic, especially when you’re watching the last of your orbs being stolen, and praying that the last line of defense can cut them down before they can escape with them.

The simplicity also allows Hidden Path to create a visually and aurally pleasing game as well. The game uses a fixed isometric view with full 3D modelling that looks simply gorgeous. Some of the levels are breathtakingly beautiful. The sound effects and music are adequate, but the voice acting for the resident computer AI (voiced mellifluously by Jim Ward) who first instructs you during the tutorial then comments on the action is pleasant and amusing, though sometimes “he” tends to panic a little too easily when orbs are removed, and it’s obvious that there’s no real danger.

The transition from the original keyboard controls to gamepad is fairly smooth, though mapping the “Restore Last Checkpoint” to the Back button is somewhat odd, especially since most games use it as a way to call up options. The Achievements are standard, with ultra-easy ones to somewhat difficult ones. The XBLA version also includes the Borderlands expansion as well as 100 Challenge levels, as well as the ability to unlock free gamer pictures.

Overall, Defense Grid: The Awakening is one of the best tower defense games out there; it’s an addictive, no frills, high reward experience that’s well worth the 800 MSP price tag. Those of you who don’t own an Xbox 360 are advised to check out the PC version, which is also available on Steam.