Geometry Wars showed the world a thing or two about Xbox Live Arcade development. Basic, old-school gaming is fine but you have to make it fun. If you can make it challenging, even better – Geometry Wars thrived on its ever-increasing difficulty.
Though that gameplay philosophy may have been applied to the upcoming Evasive Space, a new WiiWare game from YUKE'S and High Voltage, the inspiration comes from a wide range of sources. "We were given a jumping off point from YUKE'S Irritating Stick and the 'Bunnies are A-Mazing' mini game in Raving Rabbits," said Lewis L. Harris II, Lead Designer at High Voltage. "We liked the concept of Irritating Stick but the controls were definitely tailored to dual-analog. And Bunnies was just too short of an experience on which to base an entire title.
Mygamer writes: "From the game's screenshots and initial first impression, it is not hard to mistake Evasive Space as another classic shooter. This is definitely not the case as avoiding obstacles and reaching the finish line before time runs out is the basis of gameplay. A game like this can only be created using the Wii's unique controller, but this style of gameplay really could have been done with an analog stick. Unfortunately, the loose play control, cheap level design, unavoidable enemies, and a terrible in-game timer really make the cost of 1000 Wii Points unjustifiable".
Evasive Space came close to being one of the most intriguing games on WiiWare, but frustrating controls really ruin the experience. Simple analog controls would've made this inspired and polished game a must-buy.
TVGB: How does this old school game stand up in the world of the new school Wii? Is it a bit of glorious past brought into the present or is it a bone the dog dug up that was better left buried?
