Biology Battle review

The first community game we purchased (for the sum of 800 points) is Biology Battle and its also going to be the first reviewed here at Gamestyle. So is it a good start?The answer can be found somewhere in the middle. Biology Battle is very much a Geometry Wars clone, unashamedly so. The setting is different. Instead of the space wars and wire frame shapes that come after you in Geo Wars this time its, as the name suggests, biology based with cells and viruses coming out of every orifice. The fighting takes place inside of a cell which does look surprisingly good. Shooting the side will cause the cell to pulsate and expand slightly making it all seem in touch with what its trying to recreate. While not having an incredibly large colour palette it graphically does the job with a few nice effects.The enemies come in all shapes and sizes. Some are simple and can be dispatched with relative ease, but others require wearing down and others just dissolve into more enemies. Naturally strategy is required if you plan on getting a high score and your arsenal is going to help lots. Weapons consist of lasers, satellites and even black holes. The most special of these weapons can only be used after picking up power ups so when to use them is key to surviving the waves that get sent at you. And it wont be long before your screen is full of enemies. Luckily unlike the game it copies so dearly you have a multiple lives system, otherwise most wouldnt last two minutes.The main problem from Biology Battle comes from the spawning. Its often that you find yourself on the run shooting in all directions and then before you know it you run into something that spawns directly on top of you. Its highly unfair and can completely ruin a good run. The other slight issue we have is the lack of communication the game has with the player. There are two main modes of play Life Mode and Death Mode. After you make your way through the start (which is Life Mode) and beat what is essentially a boss you then get a pick up called Armageddon. By pressing X you unleash it and enter Death Mode. We have no idea what this did or what affect it has on the game. It may say somewhere, but we certainly couldnt find it, having to look on the official website to understand the affect it has (something to do with score multipliers for those interested).We find it difficult to critique a community game, one that has no doubt been paid the utmost attention, more so than with some XBLA games. However, we like to think were professional here and despite a few flaws its certainly showing that the developers have potential. If they can break free of the influence of other, more popular titles, then they could produce something special. With that said, Biology Battle is certainly in the upper spectrum of Geometry Wars clones, but whether you want to fork out 800 points for it depends on your love for the genre, and the deepness of your virtual wallet.