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Capsized Review
Capsized on the Xbox 360 is a drab and hurried port of a well-received PC indie game which was originally released in the middle of 2011. It costs a thoroughly reasonable 800 Microsoft Points, but it has been created with absolutely no love. Despite the fact that it's an Arcade game and not an Indie game, this version of Capsized has no online scoreboards, and its (numerous) multiplayer modes are only an option if you enjoy doing battle with bots. There are Achievement points attached to it, but it's difficult not to shake the feeling that this is only an Arcade game because its creators wanted to be able to charge 800 Microsoft points for it. It's slapdash in the extreme.
Story
It's threadbare, but doesn't need to be anything else. You're an astronaut who's marooned on a strange planet following an impromptu crash landing, and all of your time is spent looking for your fellow crew mates and equipment, before discovering a way to get yourself home.
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Gameplay
This is a surprisingly open side-scrolling platformer in which there are secret areas galore, and in fact some of the later environments are so huge that it's often impossible not to get lost. The main tool in your arsenal is the gravity gun, which functions both as a valuable hook shot-style device and a weapon, which you can use to clear rubble and turn rocks and other debris into deadly projectiles. You'll use both of them to solve puzzles and access hidden areas, but it has to be said that these teasers are never particularly interesting: pull some debris out of the way, move around it, access hidden area. And repeat.
The PC version might well have had tight controls, but the XBLA version definitely does not. Movement is sticky and rigid, and when things like precision jumps come into play that becomes completely unforgivable. But the biggest issues arise when you're walking on solid ground because the game is only truly entertaining when you're jetting around on your jetpack the whole time. The problem is that there's never enough fuel around for you to do that, which means that you're going to have to get used to plentiful unsatisfying, ground-based platforming.
Combat is largely a pain too, firstly because ammo for the most valuable weapons (much like the jetpack juice) is irritatingly scarce, and secondly because the enemies are so terribly boring: they either senselessly rush you or keep their distance and hurl devastatingly accurate projectiles your way. There's also the ever-present problem of unexpected death to contend with, because dropping a few in-game feet can sometimes randomly result in your instant demise.
Visuals
This isn't a bad looking title by any measure, but for a game that's set on a strange planet that's supposed to constantly beckon you to explore it, it's remarkably unmemorable throughout. The hand-drawn panels that bookend each level are evocative and very charming, and are the best part of the whole package; with the exception of the brooding, menacing (but remarkably chilled out) soundtrack.
Overall
The XBLA version of Capsized isn't terrible, it's just unmemorable and badly ported. The PC version is probably worth a look if you're truly interested, and the trial version of this one is worth a look, at the very least. Nevertheless, it would have looked far better in the Indie game space for half the price and none of the expectation.
5/10
Review By Chet Roivas
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