Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Encyclopedia
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved² (alternate title: Geometry Wars Evolved²) is a multidirectional shooter video game created by Bizarre Creations
, released on Xbox Live Arcade
on July 30, 2008 as a sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
.
The soundtrack was composed by Chris Chudley from Audioantics
who created the music for all of the Geometry Wars series.
The player controls a small, highly maneuverable ship that can move and fire independently in any direction. The objective of the game is to score points by destroying a variety of shapes and surviving by not touching them. If this happens, the player's ship is destroyed and a life is lost. Depending on the game mode, lives and bombs can be collected upon achieving a certain number of points. Bombs clear the game space of enemy shapes instantly, although no points are awarded for their destruction.
Crucial to effective play is the score multiplier, which increases as the player collects "geoms" — small diamond-shaped green objects dropped by enemies upon destruction. The number of points scored by destroying an enemy depends on the multiplier, which can reach into the thousands.
There are six different game modes available:
Retro Evolved 2 also provides local cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes for two to four players simultaneously, and an exclusive "Co-Pilot" mode in which two players control the same ship, with one moving and the other firing. Additionally, the game provides support for worldwide leaderboards in each game mode and, by default, displays the player's ranking against his/her friends during play.
website. The first day of E3 2008, on July 14, 2008 at the Microsoft Press Conference, Microsoft debuted the trailer for Geometry Wars 2.
raved in its perfect 10/10 review that the sequel "beats its predecessor in every way" and proclaimed it the best title on Xbox Live Arcade. Eurogamer
praised, "The omission of online play aside, Geometry Wars 2 is everything you hoped it would be" in its 9 of 10 review. IGN
, in its 8.3 of 10 review, called it "a solid sequel." Videogamer raved in its 9 for 10 review, "If you love Geometry Wars you'll love this. If you've never played Geometry Wars before then now is a perfect time to do so." GameSpot
enthusiastically stated in its 9.0 of 10 review that the game "takes adrenaline-soaked, addictive shooters to a level of unprecedented awesomeness."
CVG
in its 8.5 of 10 review raved, "There aren't many games that make your heart race like Geometry Wars does", but cautioned "the feeling that it's all been toned down leaves a sour taste in our mouths." 1Up.com
s Nick Suttner, despite his A- review score, said, "All of the new modes are great, but none feel quite as balanced or as fresh as Retro Evolved."
IGN
editor Cam Shea ranked it fourth on his top 10 list of Xbox Live Arcade games. He praised the quality of the returning game modes from Geometry Wars, also praising the newly added ones.
Bizarre Creations
Bizarre Creations was a video game development studio, best known for their racing titles: Metropolis Street Racer and the followup Project Gotham Racing series . The company has also developed games in other genres, including the Geometry Wars arcade series, plus third-person shooters Fur...
, released on Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
on July 30, 2008 as a sequel to Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Geometry Wars
Geometry Wars is a minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible through the in-game garage. An updated version of the game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, is available for download on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It can also be played in...
.
The soundtrack was composed by Chris Chudley from Audioantics
Audioantics
Audioantics is a UK based video game audio production company.-Selected works:*Blood Stone - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Audioantics is a UK based video game audio production company.-Selected works:*Blood Stone - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC Audioantics is a UK based video game audio production...
who created the music for all of the Geometry Wars series.
Gameplay
Crucial to effective play is the score multiplier, which increases as the player collects "geoms" — small diamond-shaped green objects dropped by enemies upon destruction. The number of points scored by destroying an enemy depends on the multiplier, which can reach into the thousands.
There are six different game modes available:
- Deadline: The player is challenged to score as many points as possible with three minutes and infinite lives. During the course of the three-minute countdown, it is possible for a player to earn additional bombs.
- King: The player has only one life and no bombs. Circular safety zones appear randomly in the playing field. Enemies and geoms cannot enter these zones, and the player can only fire while inside one. The zone shrinks and disappears a short time after it is entered, causing a new one to appear elsewhere in the playing field. Thus, the player is forced to keep moving from zone to zone to survive.
- Evolved: Similar in style to Geometry Wars: Retro EvolvedGeometry WarsGeometry Wars is a minigame created by Bizarre Creations as part of Project Gotham Racing 2 for the Xbox, accessible through the in-game garage. An updated version of the game, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, is available for download on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. It can also be played in...
, the player is challenged to score as many points as possible with no time limit. The player starts with 4 lives and 3 bombs, and earns extra lives and bombs at set point intervals. (100,000; 1,000,000; 10,000,000) - Pacifism: The player has only one life and cannot shoot. The player must fly through gates to destroy nearby enemies while avoiding the dangerous edges of the gates. Bonus points are earned by flying through gates in rapid succession. This mode was inspired by an achievement in the first game called "Pacifist" where the objective was to survive for 60 seconds without firing.
- WavesGeometry Wars: WavesGeometry Wars: Waves is a multidirectional shooter video game created by Stephen Cakebread of Bizarre Creations, released as a bonus mini-game as part of Project Gotham Racing 4 on Xbox 360 on October 2, 2007. It is the third release in the Geometry Wars series...
: The player has one life and must avoid and destroy inline waves of rockets that fly horizontally and vertically from the edges of the game space. This mode was first introduced as a minigame inside Project Gotham Racing 4Project Gotham Racing 4Project Gotham Racing 4 is the fourth title in the main Project Gotham Racing series, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios.-Development history:...
. - Sequence: This mode consists of twenty levels, each with a consistent, predetermined pattern of enemies. The player has thirty seconds to destroy all of the enemies in each level. If the player loses a life, they are taken directly to the next level, but the game ends if the player loses all their lives. Additional lives and bombs are earned at set point intervals.
Retro Evolved 2 also provides local cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes for two to four players simultaneously, and an exclusive "Co-Pilot" mode in which two players control the same ship, with one moving and the other firing. Additionally, the game provides support for worldwide leaderboards in each game mode and, by default, displays the player's ranking against his/her friends during play.
Development history
On April 3, 2008 a rating for Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 appeared on the Australian Office of Film and Literature ClassificationOffice of Film and Literature Classification
Office of Film and Literature Classification may refer to:* Australian Classification Board, a defunct statutory censorship organisation who used to overlook the now Attorney General owned Australian Classification Board...
website. The first day of E3 2008, on July 14, 2008 at the Microsoft Press Conference, Microsoft debuted the trailer for Geometry Wars 2.
Reception
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 received high marks from critics, who praised its multiple game modes while also collectively bemoaning the lack of online multiplayer. GameDailyGameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
raved in its perfect 10/10 review that the sequel "beats its predecessor in every way" and proclaimed it the best title on Xbox Live Arcade. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
praised, "The omission of online play aside, Geometry Wars 2 is everything you hoped it would be" in its 9 of 10 review. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, in its 8.3 of 10 review, called it "a solid sequel." Videogamer raved in its 9 for 10 review, "If you love Geometry Wars you'll love this. If you've never played Geometry Wars before then now is a perfect time to do so." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
enthusiastically stated in its 9.0 of 10 review that the game "takes adrenaline-soaked, addictive shooters to a level of unprecedented awesomeness."
CVG
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
in its 8.5 of 10 review raved, "There aren't many games that make your heart race like Geometry Wars does", but cautioned "the feeling that it's all been toned down leaves a sour taste in our mouths." 1Up.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
s Nick Suttner, despite his A- review score, said, "All of the new modes are great, but none feel quite as balanced or as fresh as Retro Evolved."
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Cam Shea ranked it fourth on his top 10 list of Xbox Live Arcade games. He praised the quality of the returning game modes from Geometry Wars, also praising the newly added ones.