Top 5 XBLA Games Of 2011

Renegade Ops

No game quite managed to throw in as much action as the micomachines with machineguns that was Renegade Ops. I'd have gladly paid double the asking price too. It makes no bones about following in the footsteps of Desert Strike and that’s exactly what I wanted it for. Completely over the top action, hand in hand with hammy acting. It was like an 80’s action movie that I was in charge of. Best enjoyed in co-op form. If there was a game out there that served up as much fun as this one then I've yet to play it.

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From Dust

Okay so it wasn’t Populous, but it was as close as I’ve come in years. It’s been ages since I’ve sat down and played a good God sim and I was pretty enchanted by the antics on show here. The gameplay could be a little taxing, to the extent that it came down to a battle of wills between myself and the AI at times. Persevering through was rewarding and I must admit I did get attached to my little villagers. There was just enough life and ambience to From Dust to make it just right for a downloadable title. I still haven’t completed it, but until I get my hands on Tropico 4, this will do nicely.

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Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

Sweet Christmas, a chance to get some Space Marine action in before the main game launched. A simple concept with added bolt gun I put hours into this shooter, before finally getting to experience what the most famous weapons in the 41st millennium sounded like, that and learning that all Orks were from London. I loved the explosive mayhem in this one – there was something so utterly satisfying about choosing a heavy weapon and mowing down lines of aliens...intergalactic scum! I may have bought it for the Space Marine bonus weapon but I was playing Kill Team long after I'd finished with its AAA cousin.

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Ilomilo

Pattering its way onto the dashboard very early in the year was the adorable Ilomilo. I was tipped off about this one by Julia and fell head over heels in love with it. The premise is as simple as it is cute. Two little friends who are a little absent minded that want to meet each other for a picnic but can’t remember  the way back to eachother. In their way lies a series of increasingly difficult puzzles to navigate. I think it’s the layers that get me here, yes its beyond cute, the soundtrack is so amazing to that I'm still humming it in December and there is a wealth of collectables to discover. Take a chance with this one and you won’t be disappointed.

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The Baconing 

Oh DeathSpank how I love you. You may have distanced yourself for this third offering of more of the same. That’s not to say you can’t pick up the adventure from here, in fact with the range of new features you are probably best doing so. The humour in these games are hilarious, almost as if Monty Python were back in business. I love the steadily building sense of smugness as I complete quests. The Baconing had a nice future vibe to it as opposed to the medieval Rambo stylings of the previous games. Just where can Deathspank go from here? I don't know, but ill be waiting patiently in 2012 to find out.

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