One has to wonder sometimes what Microsoft is thinking with their XBOX Live Arcade for the 360, don't get me wrong I have gotten some really great games off the system, but I have also seen a lot of clunkers on there that cost an arm and a leg to own, It would be nice if Microsoft would apply some sort of quality control to what gets released on the system. Triggerheart Excelica falls somewhere in between the two categories, not being amazing, but not being totally horrible either.
Triggerheart Excelica is a rerelease of a Naomi system arcade game that was ported over to the Dreamcasst in 2007 [yes apparently there were still a few games coming out for that doomed system even after it was officially dead, who knew?] the premise is like most other curtain shooters "Kill them don't die" seems simple enough? The unique mechanic here in an "anchor button" that shoots out and latches onto opposing ships which you can then use like a mace to destroy other attackers with. You play one of two armored female Anime characters on a quest to save their home planet, game lasts five stages with end bosses for each.
Gameplay 6/10
Ok lets start right off by saying that five stages simply isn't long enough, especailly for a game that is priced in the premium category of 800 Microsoft Points [roughly $10 USD] there should have been more to the game for that price, certainly at least double the number of levels.
The two main characters are virtually the same, one has a spread weapon the other uses a direct fire gun, but honestly the gameplay doesn't vary much for either, why is that? Because the anchor gun is virtually the only way to survive long term in the game and rack up the needed points for any of the achievements, its a shame that the game is so reliant on one mechanic as to reduce all others to window dressing.
As said above the game consists of only 5 levels, with end bosses for each, other than the final boss there really isn't much creativity when it comes to the bosses and their design. The game supposedly has a system built in that the more powerful you are when you get to a boss the stronger it is, I can't say I really have noticed a difference, since their attacks are so cheap its nearly impossible to stay alive.
Enemy design has the same flaw, with very little variety between the different levels, lots of palette changes, but not much else.
You aren't also going to be really powering anything up either, which takes some of the fun out of a curtain shooter, you do get to power up your main gun some, but I'll be damned if I actually saw any form of difference. You do get the requisite big bombs and they are quite effective, but other than that, don't expect many spectacular weapon attacks.
Its a fun game that feels more like a puzzle game than a shooter, the problem with that is that the anchor gun is anything but reliable and controlling it can be a royal pain, you never feel completely in control of the system, which makes it problematic to control and use effectively.
Graphics 6/10
Very little makeover has gone into this game since its release on the Dreamcast, the Anime character portraits that you see in the menus and closing credits are lovely, but other than that the in game graphics are pretty bland, nothing certainly to write home about in this day and age of HD television.
Sound 6/10
The music in this game is pretty standard fare for a shooter using lots of techno to make its point, its nothing special and won't be memorable for very long. The voice effects are pretty limited and the screams of the girls as they get killed...well...they sound like something else to be completely honest.
Nothing horrible, but nothing amazing in the audio department either.
Overall 6/10
For a little simple curtain shooter Triggerheart Excelica works, but since you end up paying nearly $10 for a game that can be finished in 30 minutes I can't help but rate the game just above average, if it ever goes on sale it might be worth looking into, but for 800 Points, it is far from a reasonable offer.
Platform: XBOX 360
Cost: 800 Microsoft Points [roughly $10]
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