This week, we bring the Indie Scene to the domain of H. For some reason, that brought me all shooters — I’m not sure why, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. But enough of the yapping; I’ve got some pew-pew-pewing to take of.
H:
Head Shot (Xbox Live Arcade, $1)
Simple name, simple game.
In Head Shot, your one-minded goal has you looking through the sight of a sniper rifle over a crowd of crudely drawn characters, who are simply milling about. Why you’re stationed there, I have no idea, but it’s a good thing you are, as within a moment, you hear a scream and chaos erupts. Then the timer ticks down as you scan the scene for the killer — the one who’s not running, instead holding a gun to a shaking bystander. Then you do your business.
The head pops, the body drops, and then everyone calmly resumes their business, paying no heed to the headless body on the ground. (For me, this is almost comical, the nonchalance these mindless
And that’s it. You just point and shoot. No zooming, no need to steady the gun.
It’s a repetitive game. In my last session I played through 21 levels and nothing changed. But yet it has an appeal — perhaps a hint of voyeuristic Rear Window feel to it — as you scour the crowd, waiting for something to happen and your chance to become a hero emerges.
I have to wonder, though: If you’re doing all the killing, doesn’t that make you the bad guy? For a buck, it’s worth finding out.
The Hordes (PC, free)
The other game I played this week was another shooter but on a grander scale. We pull out from a grassy field and into outer space in The Hordes, a retro-style one-screen vertical shoot-em-up.
It works using a series of enemy waves that evolve along with your gun. Groups of pesky underling attackers keep you busy until you can take out the boss ship, which always drops a power-up. Grab it and your gun gets a boost, as does the wave — the enemies become a little tougher (be it through greater numbers, faster speed, or more aggression), the big one included.
If you end up dying, you go back a wave. Win, you bump back up. It’s frantic and unforgiving…not to mention plenty addictive.
Will next week bring us another shooter overload? Hard to say, but until then, leave your suggestions in the comments or check out an older entry in the series below. Also, a thanks to IndieGames.com for pointing me in the direction of The Hordes.