“Convict Minigames” is one of those collections that has a couple of games in it that could have justified 80 Microsoft Points all on their own, so getting 5 games for that 80 MSP price makes it a no-brainer (note, it was launched at 240 points but dropped in price somewhere along the way). Let’s look at each of the five games individually:
“Cave In” is just awesome. I absolutely love the visual aesthetic, which has two Indiana Jones-ish characters trying to run through a… human-made cavern, I guess it is… while the ceiling falls in on you, bottomless pits are in your way, spikes periodically shoot up from the ground, arrows are shot at you, and more. It’s simple, fast, frenetic fun. Local multiplayer enhances this still further.
“Bop” has two players trying to jump on top of each other, ala Super Mario on a toadstool, but with a key difference: you play as one of several characters, each with special abilities such as teleport, clone, etc. It’s not earth shattering, but it’s worth checking out if you have a friend over.
“High Hopes” has you climbing up a giant beanstalk. It’s a never-ending climber (you have to stay ahead of the ever-rising camera perspective), and is interesting for its support of local multiplayer (not a common feature in this perpetual climbing games, I don’t think).
Then there’s “Jurassic Bar”. I’m not really sure what’s happening in this one. You’re dinosaurs, trying to kill humans in a bar room brawl. I think?
Finally “Triangle Man” is likely the best of the bunch. It’s a 2D platformer with a strong focus on activating switches and avoiding treacherous environmental hazards and enemies. It has tight controls and really nifty level design that’s challenging without being stupidly hard. It is punishing at times, but the short levels give you a good sense of progress through the game despite that. Several levels have you controlling 2, or even 4, Triangle people simultaneously for some interesting puzzle solving. I’d have easily paid 80 MSP for this game alone.
All in all, there’s enough going on in this collection that it’s definitely worth the points, even if there are a couple that don’t interest you.
Here’s what the developer (Convict Interactive) has to say about the game:
“A collection of 5 arcade style mini-games that will keep you and your friends hooked and entertained for hours on end! Include High Hopes (winner of the 2009 48 Hour Game Making Challenge in Brisbane, Australia), Jurassic Bar, Cave In, Triangle Man and Bop! Fun for the whole family!”
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