Console Monster writes: "Simplicity is the key when it comes to modern shooters on the Xbox Live Arcade. Concepts evident in the likes of titles such as Geometry Wars have proved to be a winning formula and generally more successful than the more complex perceptions (Rocketmen: Axis of Evil springs to mind). Another attempt at an Xbox Live Arcade shooter comes in the form of Death by Cube, brought to us by Premium Agency and Square Enix.
Players take control of the game's protagonist, Leo, a robot who awakes to find that he has lost his memory. Leo makes it his task to reboot the heroine robot SELSIE, as he sets out on a mission hoping to regain his memory, having to overcome battalions of enemy robots. Enemies, if you couldn't tell from the title, consist of cubes and bots, ranging in difficulty, with the general rule being: the bigger the enemy, the more hits they take to kill. Bots are defeated through the player using the left thumbstick as a form of movement and the right thumbstick to fire bullets in the intended direction..."
Death By Cube, unfortunately, is characterised by guess work. Success comes down to either being very lucky, or very experienced, and I doubt many have stuck long enough around to benefit from the latter. On the plus side, the graphics are pleasantly fluent, and it's obvious that the gameplay would have worked out just fine, had a few programming hiccups been avoided. Square Enix can be excused for a few flops to their name, and this is one of them.
WorthPlaying writes: "When Square Enix started on its initiative to make more titles for the digital download market, most gamers expected that it would go with its usual repertoire of small RPGs and strategy games. At first, the company obliged with player's expectations by releasing Crystal Defenders, a port of their tower defense title for cell phones. After that, however, they started announcing titles in genres that seemed to be better suited for their newly acquired Taito label. The first was a puzzle title called Yosumin Live, and it had mild success. Next came 0 Day Attack on Earth, an isometric shooter that wasn't exactly well received by critics or gamers. The latest release on Xbox Live Arcade, Death by Cube, is another genre that people don't usually expect from Square Enix: a twin-stick shooter. While the game plays much better than the previous effort, it's still rather difficult to enjoy."
Examiner.com
"This week's discounts for Xbox LIVE doesn't necessarily feature a theme per se but it does feature four Arcade games that were released fairly recently. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can get discounts up to 50% on the following games today through July 11."
