Presentation: 7 out of 10
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved has the presentation of a full scale art exhibit as the gamer is hit face first with colorful explosions, warping effects, and upbeat music that really sets the pace. While the game does only offer one background for play, it is not a factor as it is very rarely even seen due to the screen filling action. Every ship that appears on the map has a distinct yet simple look to it that involves geometric shapes (hence the name of the game) and each shape has its own blast animations. If there is any downside to the visual and aural assault, is that it can sometimes be too much as players will often lose the smaller enemy ships amongst the chaos and receive a few cheap deaths.

Gameplay: 7 out of 10
GW:RE is a title that offers pure twitch gameplay. The first few minutes of gameplay appear harmless and nothing more then a fun dart around and shoot excursion. Therein lays the beauty of this title. Every few minutes the difficulty ramps up, but not in such a manner that it becomes frustrating. Instead as you progress and learn each type of ships attack patterns, the gamer eventually becomes a multitasking machine darting between enemy ships, disappearing in explosions, and bombing at the last second to save a life. Sometimes though, the onscreen carnage can become too much. I often found myself losing sight of my ship and dying due to way to many colors on screen. It doesn’t take away from the overall experience, and almost anyone who experiences the frantic gameplay will become hooked instantly.

Overall : 7 out of 10
GW:RE is the game many players first downloaded off of the arcade and there is a reason. The action is as frantic as possible in gaming and the pure simple genius of the presentation is addictive. Whether you are looking to kill a few moments before leaving for work, or attempting to become the high scorer on your friends list, Retro Evolved is the perfect example of why the Xbox Live Arcade is a thriving platform and a key to the Xbox 360’s success. With only minor complaints such as no multiplayer mode and sometimes too many objects on screen GW:RE is a must have title for arcade enthusiasts.