Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

Geometry Wars may no longer be an Xbox-exclusive (Geometry Wars: Galaxies hit Nintendo platforms last year), but with the release of Retro Evolved 2, Live Arcade is again the home of the best this revered arcade shooter has to offer.

Featuring new enemies and a collection-based multiplier system (built off that in Galaxies), an updated version of the endless Evolved mode is at the foundation of Retro Evolved 2, while the Waves mode initially included with PGR 4 adds another take on the established formula. But the hits keep on coming: four original modes (Deadline, King, Pacifism, and Sequence) bring the grand total to six, and all are addictive, polished, and highly distinct versions that could have easily been released separately for a few bucks a pop.

Pacifism mode stands out as a strategic highlight — your weapons are disabled in favor of explosive gates that appear throughout the grid. To eliminate the masses of blue-diamond enemies, you’ll have to bait them into following you through the gates, creating an incredibly tense and enthralling experience that completely redefines what we’ve come to expect from Geometry Wars.

We may not throw around such superlatives for the other modes, but there’s not a bad egg in the bunch. King forces you to fire only within temporary safe zones, Deadline offers a three-minute window in which to accumulate mass points, and Waves sends lines of foes from all sides of the screen, while Sequence adds a mission-based approach to the game. A staggering amount of gameplay is available, and none of the additions disappoint.

Bizarre sweetened the pot further with four-player local co-op and versus play, which introduces several power-ups into the mix, such as a speed upgrade and the ability to freeze opponents. Keeping track of your ship amid the swarming foes and frequent explosions can be tough in the zoomed-out perspective, but with the option to create teams in versus or split the movement/weapons duties between one or two ships in co-op, playing with buddies is just as intense as going it alone.

We’re more than a little sore about the inexcusable lack of online play, but between the startlingly sharp neon visual aesthetic, the bumping new soundtrack, and smartly integrated Achievements, Retro Evolved 2 sets a new standard for arcade shooters on any platform, downloadable or otherwise.