Live Arcade 'assault'

While the weekly retreads of '80s arcade classics are a fun diversion on Xbox Live Arcade, it's nice to see that the service encourages developers to pump out some good, cheap original games too.\nWhile "Assault Heroes" has some of the best graphics yet for an Arcade game (this could easily be mistaken for an early Xbox 1 title), its gameplay is straight up old school.\nThe left analogue stick controls your vehicle or Rambo-style mercenary. The right analogue stick shoots. And you shoot a lot in this game--from green guys with guns to uh, crazy screaming red guys with guns. And the occasional giant mechanical spider (which might also require a grenade or a nuke).\nI'm not quite sure what the storyline is about or why you're supposed to shoot all these things. I think it has something to do with terrorism, or maybe an argument over a sandwich.\nWhatever the case, I've learned that in situations like this where mechanical spiders are involved, it's better to shoot first and ask questions later.\nThe controls are simple and responsive, which is all that really matters in a game like this. And of course, everything blows up real good too. The accompanying sounds are acceptable, and the few musical tracks don't really get in the way of anything. I found it's better to just jam with a custom soundtrack in the background.\n"Assault Heroes" is just straight up dumb fun, great for marathon gaming sessions with a friend in person or over Xbox Live, or when you have a few minutes to kill between classes.\nAchievements run from the fairly simple "beat the game" to "finish a level without dying once" (not an easy task), giving this game some great replay value.\nHopefully Microsoft will get the message and start giving gamers more software like this on Xbox Live Arcade. This is a game that recognizes its old school roots but presents everything in a shiny new next-gen package. \nFor 800 Microsoft Points ($10), this game is a steal and one of the best yet on the service.