Trigger Heart Exelica (Xbox Live Arcade)

Triggerheart Exelica is a shooter which was originally released on the Dreamcast and was subsequently released on Xbox Live Arcade. It focusses on two characters trying to fight off the forces of Faintear, the enemy leader. The story in this type of game is not really important however.

Gameplay wise, Triggerheart is different from most shooters of this type. Both characters have a shot mode (one has a spread shot, the other a more focussed one) and bombs but the real difference comes in the form of the 'Anchor Shot'. When fired this attaches itself to an enemy and draws towards the player. The player can then launch the captured enemy at other enemies. It sounds simple and it works extremely well. There are only 5 levels in the game giving it a short gameplay time. The real longevity comes from replaying and attempting to better your top score. For those that don't like that type of gameplay, this game isn't for you. The game is also not as hard as some of the more manic bullet-hell shooters and is a good game to begin with.

As would be expected for a shooter of this type the graphics are functional but work within the setting of the game. The models of the playable look nice, but the enemy models look generic and are kind of boring. The levels are also bright but are generic settings and are easily forgotten during gameplay.

The sound of the game is decent with a mixture of songs that work well within the game itself. There's nothing outstanding in the music mind. The sound effects are nothing special but again work ok in the game. There is a voice over track but it's a japanese voice only. This is ok and is slightly better than having an awful english voiceover that would typically accompany a game of this type.

There are no additional modes in the XBLA port of the game, which is slightly disappointing but no unexpected. For those not on HDTVs, the text the characters speak during the game is almost unreadable The game goes for 800 MS points and represents good value for money. Triggerheart Exelica is a good game, with some minor flaws and is well worth checking out if you like these types of games