Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Don't let the simplistic look of this game deceive you. As I soon discovered when downloading it upon lots of word-of-mouth from my friends, the websites, the gaming publications and the message boards, Geometry Wars 2 offers a very deep and engaging shooting experience.

On the surface, the game looks an awful lot like an updated version of the old arcade game Asteroids. But in truth, it's far from playing like it. You're not shooting asteroids--you're shooting evil, sadistic geometric shapes that flood the screen like a locust infestation on a hapless corn field. All you have is a small, boomerang-shaped ship that fires in all 360 degrees with a simple nudge of the right analog stick. Your goal is to survive the geometric onslaught for as long as you can, racking up impressive multipliers and scores that extend beyond the 10-digits.

I just described the Retro Evolved mode of Geometry Wars 2. That's just one way of playing the game. There are five other modes that take the same concept and change the rules around a little bit just to spice things up and make your gaming life some more miserable (but in a good way!) For example, Deadline mode has you surviving as long as you can within an allotted time limit, and King incapacitates your ability to shoot, forcing you to find rapidly decaying circles on the field so you can fire your weapon at encroaching enemies. You'll have to unlock all of these modes when you first begin playing, but that task is easy-peasy and painless. (You'll even earn an achievement when you unlock them all.)

Geometry Wars 2 is a follow-up to the original game, but my friends recommended that I download the sequel first. I'm certainly glad I did. As with most things in life, it's easy to learn and difficult to master. Keep that in mind when you're playing the game, and do play it--it's an experience you'll keep coming back to over and over again.