Pads & Panels

Title:  0 Day: Attack on Earth

Platform: XBLA

ESRB: E

Publisher: Square Enix

Developer: GULTI

Rating:

Review by: Dan Braun

In an already crowded marketplace of decent top-down, dual-stick shooters, 0 Day: Attack on Earth does nothing to help itself stand out from the crowd, and does enough wrong to turn gamers off of within the first few minutes of play.

The core of Attack on Earth plays like an old-school arcade shooter, with a choice of four different vehicles and weapon loadouts. As the game progresses, more vehicles are unlocked for use. Players are expected to fly around a fixed map in one of three cities: New York, Tokyo or Paris. In each city, the player is faced with seven days of battling an alien invasion and some boss-like monsters. These bosses must be dispatched within a certain amount of time, with players deciding whether or not they need to wipe out the lesser threats during the battle. Of course, the game provides incentive for attacking the smaller enemies, as they provide a bump in firepower to the player’s arsenal.

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Upgrades include additional machineguns, missiles and even extra flamethrowers. Essentially, these upgrades become a necessity in later levels, as time management becomes an issue.

Accompanying players during their alien defense are three AI pilots who are the most atrocious partners anyone could ever ask for. The AI teammates rarely ever provide assistance when it is most desperately needed, and most times they just fly circles around bosses without even firing.

One would think this is because the bulk of the game should be played via multiplayer; however, after two weeks of attempting to get into a multiplayer match of any sort, it is obvious that nobody else is playing this game. Literally, not one game was available, nor did any gamers join a created room.

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The graphics are bland and redundant, and the game becomes more of a chore than it is fun after about the third level. And with nothing redeeming to offer and its god-awful AI, 0 Day: Attack on Earth should be avoided at all costs.

For more info, www.xbox.com/games

Pads & Panels received a redemption code courtesy of the publisher for review purposes.

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