Falling off the wagon

Starting to write this post feels somewhat like checking into rehab. For I have spent most of the evening, you see, in a semi-catatonic state staring into space listening to trippy music and watching the pretty lights. It’s an addiction I thought I had freed myself of, but then they come along and make it so much better.

I am, of course, referring to today’s release of Geometry Wars 2 on the Xbox Live Arcade. And by golly it’s a corker. Not only have they added the one thing that I thought they could have added to the original (having your friends’ high scores on screen as you play, rather than a meaningless “high score for this session” that was reset every time you quit) they’ve added a buttload of new modes to the game, each retaining the series’ signature simple gameplay but adding a twist. We have a time limited mode, a mode where you’re only allowed to shoot in “safe zones”, a mode where you’re not allowed to shoot at all… plenty of variation, but things never get more complicated than the dual-stick “move and fire” mechanic that has been around since Robotron.

And it’s addictive. Oh so very addictive. Particularly if your friends are playing it too, as each time you pick a game mode you see your Friends Leaderboard. And if one of your buddies has quietly slipped in ahead of you… well, that just needs sorting out. Immediately. However long it takes.

So I thank you, Bizarre Creations, for providing me with a means of getting even less done than I normally do.