It’s not very often that I get to play a game these days that features some old school robot-blastin’ fun, and when I first started playing “A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda EX” by Extend Studio and Aksys Games, right away I knew I was going to be in for a treat and a nice lil’ trip down metal memory lane of sorts.
A.R.E.S. is a guns-a-blazin’ (yet brief) thrill ride of a sci-fi side scroller that draws much inspiration from the “Mega Man X” series, with even a touch of “Metal Slug” thrown in there. Players take control of Ares or Tarus to battle deadly robots with a variety of powerful weapons and armor. Your one and only mission — to save the survivors of Minos Space Station and find out what Zytron’s extinction agenda is all about.
Sounds simple enough, right? The story in A.R.E.S. unfolds over the course of seven stages, yet technically there’s a separate campaign for both Ares and Tarus (even though you still see the same stages in the same exact order, no matter which campaign you’re working on). The majority of these areas are rather lengthy, requiring some time to kill in order to clear them, even when you’re totally sure you know what you’re doing.
In each area there are three hidden upgrade chips, and there are plenty of data chips to collect. And also with each stage, your performance is tracked and rated, based on such factors such as number of items found, the amount of damage dealt, the time you took to clear an area, and difficulty setting.
The graphics in A.R.E.S. are exactly what one would expect in such the nice throwback nod of a game — the colors and overall look are very crisp. There isn’t much to be said in the sound department, however the background tunes are definitely rockin’ and are most certainly heavily inspired by 16 and 32-bit soundtracks. There’s not much to be said about the controls either; they couldn’t have been any simpler here (for optimum “run and gun” gameplay, I suggest using both control sticks).
I came across a couple of issues in the game that aren’t actual issues at all (they’re more like quick reminders of what 16-bit platform gaming was like). One thing is the lack of voice-overs in the cinemas. Of course, we never had that with the classic games of yesteryear, so it’s a safe bet that I’ve become really spoiled as far as theatric/cinematic gaming moments go. The other thing is jumping, which I’ll just say here that there are numerous times where precise timing is required, and just leave it at that. If I were to decide on some real issues of A.R.E.S. though, it would be that it’s just too short for my tastes and co-op play would’ve been much welcomed here.
Minor flaws aside, A.R.E.S. is still an excellent game worth playing, especially for those who are yearning for new challenges to keep them busy for a while. The platforming is plenty challenging (even on the “Normal” difficulty), the boss battles are intense, the checkpoints are aplenty, and you have an endless supply of lives; how can you not love that, right?!
So all in all, a very decent game with a flattering nod to everyone’s favorite Blue Bomber!
Sean Boley
Platform: XBox 360
Developer: Extend Studio, Origo Games
Publisher: Aksys Games
ESRB: E10 (Everyone 10+)
Price: $14.99
A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| Nicely done with the Mega Man look and between-stage cinemas. | |
| Sound | |
| Love the background music. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Solid, straightforward, fun and very old-school. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| A decent platformer, even though it's a bit short. | |
