Some people can handle defeat gracefully, but I am not one of those people.

When I finally die in Geometry Wars 2, a few million points into what was surely a historic run, I really can't believe it. Suddenly I'm Tiger Woods on the 18th hole, and someone just blasted an air horn in my ear.

I look around the room for people to blame, like a secret service agent hunting for the source of the magic bullet. I start putting together wild theories in my head to explain such a shocking turn of events.

The television glass was clearly refracting the light from that lamp at a 24 degree angle, striking my right eye long enough to obscure my vision, directly impairing my reaction time, which resulted in that blue rectangle thingy exploding my spaceship.

Anyone in the vicinity is immediately branded a suspect in the ongoing investigation of my death. Was that a cough I heard coming from the corner of the room? Did you close the refrigerator door on the night of the 25th? Don't you realize I was playing a video game? How can you live with yourself?

I was talking with a friend recently about the range of emotions that Geometry Wars 2 puts one through. Certainly I feel more playing this game than any two melodramatic war shooters. I can't begin to describe how much more hatred I harbor for... Read more

Several anticipated Xbox Live Arcade titles will be hitting the Xbox 360's downloadable gaming service this coming August, Microsoft announced today. Left, The Behemoth's Castle Crashers. Right, GRIN's Bionic Commando: Rearmed.

Following the release of Bizarre Creations' multi-directional shooter Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 this Wednesday, the month of August will see the debut of:

• Braid (Jonathan Blow), August 6
• Bionic Commando: Rearmed (GRIN), August 13
• Galaga Legions (Namco Bandai), August 20
• Castle Crashers (The Behemoth), August 27

While Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 and Bionic Commando: Rearmed were both previously announced to carry the price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10), no price points for the other titles have been revealed.

Three new Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 (360) videos have been released, showcasing the downloadable game's four-player cooperative mode in action.

Developed by Bizarre Creations, the multi-directional shooter sequel features a remixed version of the celebrated original game as well as five additional game modes, each oriented towards a particular challenge.

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace next Wednesday, July 30. Be sure to check out the other two gameplay videos at Shackvideo.

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Bizarre Creations' multi-directional shooter sequel Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 is now slated to hit Xbox 360 next Wednesday, July 30, the studio has announced.

Revealed last week, the downloadable Xbox Live Arcade exclusive was initially scheduled to debut on August 6, and will carry the price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10). For more on the game, check out our hands-on preview from the E3 show floor.

While Microsoft has yet to detail specific dates for upcoming Xbox Live Arcade releases, the company has informed Shacknews that Castle Crashers, Bionic Commando Rearmed, Galaga Legions and Jonathan Blow's time-shifting platformer Braid are all slated to arrive by September 21.

Like many others, I was consumed by the first Geometry Wars on Xbox Live Arcade. The downloadable Xbox 360 title had a simple concept--survive against an ever-increasing armada--and simple multi-directional shooting controls that made it just perfect for either short or long-term bursts.

It was so simple that I've been unsure as to how creator Bizarre Creations could deliver a worthy sequel. Multiplayer and new enemies seemed like obvious choices, but could Bizarre really iterate on the core gameplay all that much?

Well, yes.

Along with the expected new enemies and four-person offline multiplayer, Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved 2 packs five new modes in addition to the original's Survival. Why no online multiplayer? "There's too much going on to do this over Live," explained Microsoft director of digitally distributed games Scott Austin.

King fills the battlefield with frequently appearing and disappearing... Read more

Following the unveiling of Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 (360) at Microsoft's E3 2008 press conference today, developer Bizarre Creations has revealed more details concerning the upcoming shooter.

In addition to a remixed version of the original game, Geometry Wars 2 also features five additional game modes each oriented towards a particular challenge. All of the modes can be played solo, or with up to four players on a single Xbox 360 console in cooperative or competitive play. No mention of multiplayer over Xbox Live was made.

The Pacifism achievement—which required players to survive for a set period of time without firing a shot—has been expanded into one of the title's new game modes.

Also mentioned were King, Deadline, and Sequence, though the company did not offer any further details on those modes.

Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 is slated for release on the Xbox Live Marketplace on August 6.