Preview by: Jason McMaster

One of the classic styles of arcade game is the Shooter. No, I’m not talking about first-person run and gunning, I mean the Shooter – one ship, several upgrades and waves of baddies to destroy. These are the basics of arcade bliss to many less social youths. Though the Shooter has seen a large decline since the death of the classic arcade, they are still made and are still sought out by those of us who love them. Games just like Ion Assault, a soon to be released Shooter for Xbox Love Arcade.

In Ion Assault, you’re out to destroy different objects and ships to gain power ups and open the next level. Once a level is cleared of debris and enemies, a portal opens up to the next. The twist of this game is the play based around the concept of putting all of your ammo in the stage as ambient Ion particles. Your guns charge up by sucking in these particles to fill a power bar. The higher the bar, the more damage per shot, of course – and the more particles around you, the quicker it builds. This adds an interesting level of strategy to the game as you’ll need to be aware of the highest areas of concentrated Ions in order to charge your gun.

Once your weapon is fired, the Ions you gathered are scattered in the direction of the blast, building up pockets of innate ammo to quickly plunder for your next shot. Speed is of the essence in the more advanced stages and the rate at which you can recharge your gun can mean the difference between success and spending the next trillion years as space dust. Trust me on this one – you don’t want to be space dust, though it’s quite attractive in Ion Assault.

Graphically, Ion Assault is a really nice looking arcade game, specifically the ammo gathering mechanic. As you hold down the left trigger to draw in your ammo, the particles swirl around the ship and are pulled in as your guns charge. Once fired, a giant cascade of glowing points of light showers your target, hopefully annihilating that alien bastard with your magic glitter.

Coming out at about 10 bucks on XBLA, Ion Assault is definitely worth a look. The colorful, fast-paced combat and interesting ammo collection mechanic provide quite a bit of frantic space-based combat and entertainment. Of course, don’t just take it from me – grab the demo when it’s available and try it out for yourself! I imagine more than a few of you will be pleasantly surprised.

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