Doomsday survivalist P. Walter Tugnut has been preparing for a robot apocalypse for years, and now it's finally happened. Even worse, the robots destroyed his pickup truck. So he hops into his RV filled with supplies and ammo, and goes on a cross-country robot-destroying rampage.
That's about all the storyline you're going to get in Shoot Many Robots, a frantic side-scrolling shooter now available on Xbox LIVE Arcade. With a distinctive comic book art style and twangy southern soundtrack, it's a fast-paced co-op blastathon with a huge array of weapons and collectibles to unlock. Despite the lack of a detailed back story, Shoot Many Robots is filled with insider gaming humor (the M16 has a +10 Patriotism bonus) and it's a great way to spend an evening with friends.
Shoot Many Robots on Marketplace (800 Microsoft Points)
Free demo on Marketplace
It's a great looking game, with a bright color palatte and layered animated background that's reminiscent of games like Borderlands. The controls are quick and precise, and despite the numerous enemies onscreen there's never a hint of slowdown. It's a formula that's been around since Contra – run, jump and shoot your way through waves of enemies and challenging bosses, collecting power-ups and new weapons along the way.
Grab Your Nuts
Although there's a single-player option, this game is meant to be played with friends. Two can play locally on a single console, or you can hook up with three friends on Xbox LIVE for a real robot rampage. Tugnut has a primary weapon that never runs out of ammo, plus a secondary weapon like a rocket launcher. Collect nuts throughout the level to buy upgraded weapons and outfits back at the RV.
The nuts are color-coded, so you can't swipe your buddy's loot, but with the variety of items and weapons in the game your Tugnut will be very different from your friend's in just a few stages. You can guzzle beer to replenish your health or revive a fallen comrade.
Gadgets Galore
There's an amazing array of items to purchase, from freeze rays to garden gnome guns. Buying new hats, backpacks or pants grant upgraded abilities – you can hover with the jetpack, or slide farther with the shark fin. Or just make Tugnut look as silly as possible, with a Viking helmet and underwear that carries a +100% Nut Suck Radius bonus. There are a dozen or so different robot types, and it really helps to vary the weapons of your team to handle the waves of enemies.
The huge variety of upgrade items really let you customize your character as you play through the game and increase your level. Some weapons slow you down (apparently giant cannons are heavy) and higher level players get special bonuses and abilities from certain weapons.
After completing each level you'll earn a "score" of up to five stars, which are needed to unlock later levels. Big destructive combos grant more nuts, and it's much easier to get a five-star rating in multiplayer, despite the larger number of enemies. Some of the more than 60 stages have branching pathways, so you can replay them for more loot and unlocks. There's even an Insane difficulty for you hard-core shooter fans.
At only 800 Microsoft Points, Shoot Many Robots is a fun and frantic old-school shooter filled with humorous jabs at the gaming industry. Grab a few buddies and save the world from the robot apocalypse!