Boom Boom Boom shake the room
That's it. There’s not much to the game and the other game modes only offer slight variations on the standard mode, but there's a multiplayer mode (not live), which can be played with one other person, the added incentive of moving up the leader board, and three difficulty levels to try and master.
On easy mode it's fairly simple stuff where you'll only need to ever press one button at a time, but crank it up to hardest difficulty level and you’ll often have to press multiple buttons in order to keep up with the increasing amount of fireworks on screen. Due to the complexity of the harder difficulty level it does mean that you need a great deal of concentration in order to succeed, so you never really have time to watch the fireworks display as you'll be keeping your eyes firmly fixed on the target line.. But, if you do want to just sit back, take it at your own pace and watch the displays there is the option of the freestyle mode where you can set off fireworks during any point of a song and enjoy the hypnotic patterns.
Click for larger imageThe backdrops to the fireworks displays are set across a 3D city landscape and as the music begins, the camera pans across the environment, flying past skyscrapers and over bridges. As you can imagine, each level is set in the night-time to make the most of the impressive kaleidoscope of colours and the dark backgrounds do ensure that your focus stays firmly on the vivid displays.
There are currently 10 re-mixed classical tracks, including variations of Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture (called 1812 Overdrive), Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata (called Tall Light Sonata) and the dynamic William Tell Overture (named William Tell Overload). The re-mixes vary between the ska beat of Rave new world to the funky Jamariqui-esque beats of Carmen Electric, but there’s also a mixture of rock, funk, drum and bass and even a touch of rave thrown into the mix. The combination of the crackling explosions and the spectrum of psychedelic colours provide a hypnotic gameplay experience that’s both gratifying and strangely soothing.
Click for larger imageIn fact, the only negative thing I have to say about Boom Boom Rocket is that it's fairly short; I breezed through the game on medium skill in barely 45 minutes. But, for a few quid you can’t go wrong. The style of the game, its ambient nature and colourful visuals means that Boom Boom Rocket should appeal to anyone of any age seeking something different on the Xbox live arcade.
Pros
Visually entrancing
Challenging on the harder levels
Something different for the Xbox live arcade
Cheap!
Cons
Too short
No online multiplayer
A great title for the Xbox live arcade, well worth a punt.
HEXUS Awards
Boom Boom Rocket - Xbox 360
