Ion Assault (Xbox 360)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Joseph Barron
• Reviewed on: 10/07/2009
• Released on: 09/23/2009
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ion Assault (Xbox 360) Review

It would be easy to dismiss Ion Assault as another game jumping on the dual-stick bandwagon, but if you're willing to give it a chance, you'll find a good amount of depth and difficulty beneath the space shooter exterior. If you've played Geometry Wars or Super Stardust, then you know roughly what to expect from the game's fundamentals. You take control of a small spaceship, and in much the same way as in the classic arcade shooter Asteroids, you must destroy all of the meteorites and floating rocks in a small arena in order to progress. There are four levels, each broken down into five stages and a boss fight. Along the way you also encounter many smaller enemies, each with different characteristics and weapons, which provide a good variety of challenge. Some, for example, will chase you around the arenas at speed, while others will hide behind asteroids and launch homing rockets at you from a distance.

Initially, these seemingly simple concepts can be confusing. This is because of an unusual control scheme that requires you to shoot with the left trigger, going against the conventions of almost every other shooter on the market. Rather than shoot with the right stick, as you might expect, you only aim with it, and every single blast requires a lengthy charging sequence before you can unleash laser doom on your foes. You can briefly reduce the charging time by flying near energy particles left by destroyed asteroids. At first, this mechanic is intrusive and slows down the pace of the action. However, once you become accustomed to absorbing the energy particles, everything begins to feel much more tactical, and you can prioritize your targets, getting faster and faster. You can even shepherd rocks together to earn multikill bonuses by taking several out with one blast.

While you're dodging debris from exploded asteroids, enemy ships will enter the arena periodically, making things incredibly chaotic. You may struggle in the early stages as you get used to charging your main weapon. Thankfully the game does a good enough job of dropping shield and gravity power-ups in the early stages to help you cope. The gravity power-ups are among the most useful, because they enable you to draw energy particles to your ship from a much greater distance. As you progress through the four levels, you also get your hands on some serious firepower, including bombs that create vortexes to suck hostile ships and asteroids into oblivion. The pace of the gameplay increases quickly once you're using all of the power-ups, and it can be a very steep learning curve if you're not used to this style of gameplay. The change from slow, methodical battles to all-out chaos happens in a flash.

And speaking of flash, some of the visual effects associated with special weapons are gorgeous. Claims from the developer that Ion Assault uses an "unprecedented particle physics engine" don't quite ring true, but it certainly looks good enough to get you excited. If you're a sucker for great visuals, then you won't be disappointed. On the other hand, you might find the audio annoying. All of your actions and even your menu choices are commented on by an irritating generic computer voice that even manages to make unlocking achievements sound dull. You'll find the whole experience much more relaxing if you just turn it off.

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This title is available from XBox Live only.