Crash Course and Harms Way

[bmn]

Haven't seen any coverage on the Xbox itself, but on the 360's Game Marketplace, Arcade section, is two new games available at no cost. They're the result of a competition earlier in the year sponsored by Doritos to suggest a game premise, and both have online play for Gold members and 200G for achievements.

"Doritos Crash Course" (~60MB) is a pretty standard obstacle course game using your avatar, difference being the presentation and the netplay. Single player is 15 levels that, towards the end, will take about 5 minutes per level on the first playthrough. Knock that down to 2 minutes or so when you don't suck. Netplay is up to 4 people, but you only see a cardboard cutout of the other player that floats in the background showing their position.

"Harms Way" (~290MB) is a 3D dirt racer where you pick one of two roles. Driver has you, well, drive, against 3 others, nothing special there. Shooter, on the other hand, has you switch between a series of gun turrets lined around the course on hills, and your job is to help the driver by shooting out shortcuts, causing landslides to block the others, and just plain shooting at them. The switching mechanic is pretty sharp - LB/RB switches to the previous/next turret on the course, which most of the time selects the one you want - otherwise Y gives you a map to select one, which only takes a few seconds. I haven't tried this online, but it seems like a game where you need a friend or 7 to really enjoy it.

Thanks to... Shadzter I think? I forget - correct me if it was you ;p ...for posting about this in status.

[Detective Shadzter]

Yeah, it was me who posted it in the status box yesterday XD Thanks bmn

Harms Way is ok for a free game. The driving reminds me a little of Motorstorm on PS3, while the shooting can get a little dull very quickly.

Doritos Crash Course I think is pretty fun, because I love platformer games and playing the game as my Avatar is funny.

[bmn]

I must say I'm enjoying CC online now that there's actually people playing it. A few games and I was getting some good challenging races.

[Swiss]

I think they're both the best free games I've played in a long time. Crash Course is hilarious (especially since my Avatar sports a giant Captain Smiley head) and genuinely challenging in the later stages and online. Harm's Way is a little dull in Single Player, but when I played online with a friend yesterday it was intensely fun stuff.

Congrats Snackstrong (I think?) for making 2 great free games/time-killers that I would have gladly paid at least a few points for otherwise.

[bmn]

Yeah, I played HW split screen against bots with a friend last night (no online yet, though I'm sure that's going to change soon as he downloads it) and it was a fair bit more fun than single player. To win you have to get a good balance between attacking the cars, and defending yours by taking out other turrets. Not sure on clearing/creating roadblocks though, seems to cause more trouble than it's worth, even when you can blow stuff up (requires the heat-seeking missiles?)

[Swiss]

I've been having a hard time finding the exact spots you need to hit to create these roadblocks...my friend managed to destroy a bridge just as I was coming up to it, costing us the race...was hilarious.

Some of the shortcuts are fairly helpful, but I don't really see the point in the roadblocks sometimes.