As per usual, I’m late to this party, but by only a year and a half  this time. I enjoyed Mommy’s Best Games’ Shoot1UP so much that I decided to take a peak at their 2008 title Weapon of Choice and boy was I not disappointed by this little XBox LIVE Indie gem.  The style of this twin-stick  side-scrolling shmup platformer cocktail is undeniably MBG and does nothing to quell my lust for their next title, Grapple Buggy.

Gameplay

As a 2D side-scrolling twin-stick shooting platformer, Weapon of Choice is many things mashed into one very enjoyable experience. Right from the beginning the game is all about choices, a theme that extends even to the story.

Your first choice is fairly straightforward.  Per standard game operating protocol, you’ll first be asked to select one of the six difficulty modes. The modes are differentiated not only by amount of hit points, but also the number of creatures, and disabling of the bullet-time mechanic.

Now that you’ve greatly over estimated your abilities and selected “Mega Wicked” mode, you’re ready to pick your first character. There are seven characters, each of which possess a unique weapon, a standard weapon, a creepy mechanical spider legged backpack, and a unique special double jump ability. Each of the characters’ special weapons has two firing modes. In addition to personal preference, the characters abilities weigh into the selection process as well, since you will have the opportunity to reselect your character after each stage.

The game plays out a lot like a twin-stick shooter Metroidvania game. As mentioned it is two-dimensional and possesses a great deal of platforms in need of being platformed upon. The similarities extend a bit further as you progress in the game and are presented with alternate paths to take. However, one of the key differences with regards to the non-linear worlds is that in Weapon of Choice your path will dictate the storyline. That isn’t to say it’s a miracle game that has managed to reinvent story telling, just that it utilizes a “choose your own adventure” type approach.

In terms of gameplay, Weapon of Choice is an exceptionally good offering. Its multiple story line avenues, very unique feeling characters, and multiple difficulty levels give the game tremendous replay value.

Also on the list of positives are the games boss creatures, which range from fairly normal, big well designed fights to “wtf?” Squarely in the “wtf?” category is the boss that appears to be an enormous cup of frothy alien coffee with a tentacle monster in it that shoots lasers. It gets weirder, periodically during the fight an enormous hand will come out and grab the handle on the cup and pour the less than appetizing concoction on to you.

Of course Weapon of Choice isn’t without faults. For starters, there is no giant booby boss like there is in Mommy’s Best Games’ later title Shoot1UP. Next, the controls are a little goofy feeling at first this really isn’t a big deal since they are customizable and you’ll probably find that they work pretty well after your first thirty minutes with them. Lastly, the spider leg backpack tended to be awfully sticky grappling onto anything you get close to while in the air. However, given the alternative this was probably the best behavioral option for this particular mechanic.

Audio/Visuals

The visuals of Weapon of Choice are just fantastic. There are just loads of good things to say about it all. For starters, the environments are bright and colorful with an exceptional level of detail. There are often numerous levels of parallax going at the same time, each of which has their own bit of animation going to give it a really lively feel. The main layer you interact with is filled with animated objects that blow around with the wind and will interact with your character as you walk through them. For example, ruffling grass and shrubs or teeter tottering a boulder precariously perched on another boulder.

The character models have a good deal of effort put into them as well, especially since there are seven of them, each with unique weapons and art. The character models have a good deal of effort put into their animations. For instance, all of the various firing angles presented by the use of the twin-stick controls are represented in the animations.

The creature models also got lots of addition, as there are many sprinkled throughout the various zones of the game. The boss mobs in particular are huge and outrageous with flamboyant colors and designs.

The audio of Weapon of choice is pretty good. It isn’t as stunning as the visuals are but they suit the game very well. It’s music features some nice hard rock themed jams that you’d expect to hear during a militaristic save the world type experience. The sound effects are quite good, with a good deal of valuable play information concerning the environment communicated to you via sound. It all helps to enhance your awareness of the situation.

I only have one minor complaint in this whole section; the font used in the game is a bit of a nuisance to read. It gets points for looking cool, but effectively communicating should be texts primary objective.

Summary

As if my gushy review wasn’t enough evidence for you, I really enjoyed Weapon of Choice. It’s one of the best uses for 240 Microsoft Points I’ve come across yet. If you liked Shoot1UP and are excitedly awaiting the release of Grapple Buggy and for some strange reason haven’t played this one yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up.