I reviewed “Lootfest” earlier this year (Day 515 to be exact), not even knowing there was a sequel out. Such is the way of things sometimes when you’re trolling for hidden gems and, therefore, largely avoiding the new releases. But it turns out it had a sequel back in February, and it’s far from the same experience with new levels. It’s a major rethink of an already enjoying game.
Whereas the original was 3D Dot Heroes-ish, “Lootfest: Live Design” has been rebuilt around a level editor. Unlike a lot of Minecraft wannabes, this is no first-person mining experience; it’s all about about the construction for the construction’s sake. But it also has one important element that most such games lack: enemies. And lots of them. And I don’t mean the occasional randomly appearing enemy, I mean waves of them. You’ll have lulls where you rebuild your defences, and then waves of zombies you need to fight back. It feels more like the Atari arcade classic “Rampart” than it does a Minecraft clone. And that’s a good thing.
But the developer didn’t stop there. They put in RC car, plane, and helicopter racing too, two of which were added in the game’s first major update. Did I mention it’s had an update? Why yes it has, and it’s fantastic to see such strong post-release support (the game’s first update added a *tonne* of content). That update, impressively, also supported a character animation designer (not your normal, run-of-the-mill feature in any game, at any price point). So yes, you can finally make that cylon character, with the red eye going back and forth, that you’ve always wanted.
As you’re designing your world with RC obstacle racing courses in mind, you might not want to do that solo, so online play for up to 8 people is included. The online support extends to all elements of the game, including the building and the zombie defence modes. It’s an impressive effort for 240 Microsoft Points, and is the first post-Minecraft game that draws some obvious inspiration from it yet takes that inspiration in a radically different direction. It feels more like an adventure and/or racing game construction kit. Invite your friends and have a blast in this inventive and ambitious effort.
Here’s what the developer (Gamefarm) has to say about the game:
“Enjoy a block building fest with your friends. Make stunning structures in no time with the game’s easy to use creation tools. Fight off zombie hordes with your trusty sword. Race your friends using the RC cars. You can do anything you want, as long as it’s blocky! (Update1: RC Helicopter, air plane and pirate ship. Blocks with letters. File backup and restore. Animated block creations tool)”
Here are some other videos, that give you a better feel for the game perhaps than the “official” video:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MtTqUuMNzM]
Writings of Mass Deduction 