Geometry Wars 2

Xbox 360 Live Arcade, 800MS Points
Dangerous maths
With the recent revelation of a Jeff Bridges enabled Tron 2 film in the works, it's coincidental timing that Geometry Wars 2 makes its debut on the 360. Featuring a similarly stark black background/acid neon vector combination as Tron's unique style, Geometry Wars 2 is the true sequel to one of the 360's biggest Arcade hits.
Asking for en extra 200 MS Points for the pleasure, Geometry Wars 2 is as a sequel should be – bigger, better and face meltingly badder. Using ideas created in Galaxies and Waves, Geo Wars 2 introduces new hooks to the HD generation, creating an even more chaotic, seat-of-the-pants, oh-gawd-my-eyes-are-burning, twitch-gaming ride.
The initial twist resides within Geoms, tiny green blobs that get left behind by the dead. Collect these blobs and your score multiplies. Simple, yet that means instead of running from danger, you now have the impetus to head straight for it, diving into the eye of the storm in search of greater high scores or foolhardy death.
As well as the standard Evolved and Waves modes, variety exists in new modes like Pacifism, Deadline and Sequence, each with their own tasty neon hook, each with their own addictive pace and style. Pacifism disables your weapons, leaving you to trigger explosions and stay safe. Sequence is a series of levels with set patterns, each as devilishly punishing as the last. Deadline gives you a set time limit, infinite lives and minutes of hell to make your score.
Multiplayer is welcome here too, with up to four players supported for competitive or co-op games. Unfortunately online play is missing but with the speed and accuracy required by the game, a millisecond of lag would be enough to ruin it.
To keep you playing beyond the initial thrill of the eye watering fix, Geo Wars 2 uses online high scores, clearly designed to show how you compare to your friends. That one more go is usually fuelled by a competitive urge to beat them, and of course yourself, until your eyes can take no more of the beautiful, bright neon delights, and you get on your light bike back to reality.
9/10