Novadrome
Alien robots from the planet Nova have abducted humans and put them in a
deadly competition to observe their toughness. The racers are dropped into
futuristic arenas to race and fight for their lives. Next to free play and
arcade, this Xbox Live Arcade title also offers a career mode. There are
different cars to choose from (24, with unlockables) and the initial abilities
(power, defense, attack, and grip) can be boosted through power-ups inside the
arenas. The 15 courses come with different game modes, such as deathmatch,
beacon blast (checkpoint racing), survivor (last man standing), wrecking ball
(demolition derby), hounded (tag racing), bot hunt, and more.
The arenas are bright, with obstacles and ramps. Opponents can be taken out
with weapons to score points, but in beacon blast the ranking can also be
improved by racing through beacons. As soon as one is passed, it reappears at
another location. The standard weapon is a feeble laser, but five more become
available later on, such as the plasma cannon, electricity blaster, flame-
thrower, repel gun and gravity gun. There is no need to aim however, as all
weapons automatically lock on to opponents. Next to the offline mode for a
single player, up to 8 human players can race together online. Players can
also unlock a fifth game type, SuperNova, and there are 12 achievements.