Review: Harms way XBLA

Yes, yes....i'm a little late to this party, but surprisingly not that many players know about this....i've told at least ten people this week about this little gem.

I'm not sure how this game came about....apparently you find it in a packet of Doritos or something....it's something to do with a packet of crisps anyway. And a competition....something to do with two games and doritos....ah...I give in.

Harms Way is a game available on Xbox live arcade. It's a game of two halves....you can race while trying to avoid being shot at, or you can mount a gun turret and shoot the cars that are racing. It looks good, it's free, and with no further ado, let's have a look!

The story:

There isn't one. Probably something to do with a Max Max-style post apocalypse and a fight over the last Greggs shop still standing!


What I liked:

Firstly, it's a fun little game. Take one half of the PS3 game Motorstorm and another half of....well, any turret section from any turret section of a game and you're about there. The game is set over 3 quite expansive levels, and with players fighting over three laps games go on for quite a while...without becoming boring. Controls are simple, with accelerate, brake and nitro buttons for the vehicles and shoot, zoom and change weapons for the turrets. The turrets have another feature, and that is the ability to "hijack" other turrets along the route of the course, so should you miss a shot you can quickly zoom to the next turret down the track. As the driver, it's your job to come as high a position as possible, picking up nitro boosts, shields and turret upgrades for your partner in the gunner position. And as the gunner, you have to help your driver by taking out the other motorists and destroying the power ups so the other cars don't upgrade their partners. It's very cat and mouse at times, with multiple gunners trying to take out your car, or indeed you trying to line up the perfect shot as the gunner. It has local co-op play, as well as online modes for up to eight players. And best of all....IT'S FREE!

What I loathed:

Well...not much to be honest. Controlling the different vehicles can be a pain, some handling better than others. I've been having more success with the tank-like trucks than the more zippy jeeps. You can get stuck on the odd bit of scenery, which grates as you see the rest of the pack come shooting past you, and sometimes the physics will flip your car after a jump and you end up landing in your roof and crashing for what seems to be no other reason than some dodgy programming. The levels are long, well thought out and look great, but there is only three of them, and once you have played the game enough you're crying out for some new levels and vehicles.

The verdict?

Harms Way is a great little game. It looks good, plays well, and more importantly with a bunch of friends it's a right laugh, which more games should take into consideration. And it's free. With some more Levels, weapons and vehicles it's a game that will last, so let's hope that we see some DLC in the future.

Rating: 7/10