Joust HD Review (no fat)

Game Description

Retro games seem to be getting a fresh lease of life and Joust HD is no exception. The arcade classic gets a complete makeover and finds its way to the Xbox 360. The game's essence remains the same as you hop on a giant ostrich type bird, coax it to fly around, position yourself and eradicate enemy after enemy by goring them from a higher contact point. The entire game is based on endless jousting sessions with beautifully rendered backdrops, tricky platforms, egg laying ostriches and plenty of people to thrust your lance into.

Joust HD is a classic game that is unique and addictive.

Joust HD Gameplay

As a knight, you must ride your bird and kill as many opponents as you can, braving the hostile environment and ensuring that you are higher than your opponent during an exchange (as that's the only way you can win a fight and kill an opponent). If you are lower than your opponent upon contact, you die. As simple as this sounds, its easier said than done as the task of controlling the flight of your bird is a tricky one.

When you kill an opponent, his bird flaps around and lays an egg, which you can grab for additional points. However, if you leave the egg untouched, it hatches into a tougher warrior who mounts the free bird and challenges you to another round of jousting. The difficulty increases as you progress. There is no end to the game as you can keep fighting wave after wave and accumulate points.

Flapping your birds wings involves repeated pressing of a button and this is a skill you need to master as one miss can cost you a fight and your life. The game's two player modes include a versus mode where you square off against a human opponent and try to accumulate more points and kills than the other person. The co-op mode is the exact opposite as it encourages you to team up with another player, register kills and accumulate points through combined efforts.

Joust HD Graphics & Sound

Joust HD is a sparse game that doesn't have too many components. However, the key sprites and the vistas have been rendered with thought and passion. This translates to gorgeous scenes and great looking sprites. The game has come a long way in terms of appearance.

Joust HD Summary

Joust HD is a game that will definitely invoke a lot of fond memories in many a gamer's mind. The simple objective, supplemented by unique gameplay makes Joust an addictive experience. Midway sticks to the arcade style action of Joust and doesn't attempt to add anything extra to the game. Instead, they focused on using the power of the Xbox 360 to deliver a beautiful game that can provide hours of fun filled action.