Awesomenauts – Review

g-awesomenauts200Awesomenauts

(Ronimo for XBLA)
By Mike Delano

For some games, I need to gulp a cup of coffee before I start playing, since those games require enough twitch reflexes and split-second reactions that I need to be in an overly-caffeinated state just to be competitive. That’s not the case with Awesomenauts. In fact, I need to go in the other direction – maybe put on some soothing herbal tea. Or repeat a calming mantra, anything to subdue my urge to rush blindly ahead and attack my opponent in this online-focused competitive battle arena title. To win a round, players must use their small army to blast through defenses and destroy their enemy’s base, but doing so requires patience and the understanding that proper defensive playing and retreating from skirmishes once in a while are the keys to victory. In other words, not rushing blindly ahead. Of course, slowly chipping away at your objective for 10+ minutes only to lose in the end is a crummy feeling, but the flipside is successfully orchestrating your extended campaign of destruction and feeling a sense of accomplishment much greater than the one you get from a headshot in Call of Duty. The bright cartoon graphics and 2D platformer sensibilities thrown into the mix go a long way toward making Awesomenauts more approachable, and the unique rhythm of its battles make it something in your games library worth visiting again and again.
(www.ronimo-games.com)