What do you get when you combine Bust A Groove with the Fourth of July? Boom Boom Rocket, Bizarre Creations' newest Xbox Live Arcade game. Rhythm games used to be played like every other game: with the controller. In today's enlightened age we've got fancy dance pads, plastic replica guitars, and USB microphones. Boom Boom Rocket is a call back to those simpler times of the early 90s. Firecrackers are launched from the bottom of the screen and it's your job to detonate them when they cross the pink line.

There are 10 songs featured in Boom Boom Rocket, and each is a remixed version of a classical piece. Combined with three skill levels in normal play and an endurance mode there are 40 different ways to play the single player game. Both the standard game and the endurance mode can be played in local two-player mode. Two-player mode, regardless of whether you're playing the standard game or the endurance mode is just a points competition so the only difference is that instead of playing hot seat and comparing scores you're playing simultaneously and comparing scores.

Guitar Hero has its tablature circles, DDR has its arrows, and Boom Boom Rocket has rockets. The rockets can be represented by either color-coded arrows (A is down, B is right, X is left, Y is up) or color coded letters (A, B, X, Y). Additionally, the fireworks can be detonated with either the face buttons of the directional pad. Although either can be used, the face buttons become necessary in the medium difficulty level where two rockets will need to be detonated simultaneously. Whether you choose to press two face buttons or a d-pad direction and a face button, however, is irrelevant.

Rhythm games live and die one thing: their song selection. Taken on their own, Boom Boom Rocket's techno remixes of classical pieces with clever names like "William Tell Overload" and "Carmen Electric" won't be wowing you by themselves, but they feel just right for a fireworks show. To be perfectly honest, I'd like to attend a fireworks show with this soundtrack, and I think that speaks volumes to how appropriate the game's soundtrack is.

Playing second fiddle to the music selection in any rhythm game is graphics. Guitar Hero has a band up on stage performing along with you, and DDR has dancers laid over music videos. Boom Boom Rocket's draw is that its visualization is tied so tightly to its concept. Detonate your firecrackers at the right time and you'll have all the eye candy a gamer could want with an added bonus: you made it.

Boom Boom Rocket may not get the most playtime out of your Live Arcade library, but if you like rhythm games, it's certainly worth your time. And in addition to the gameplay you'll also be getting a new visualizer for your mp3 collection. It doesn't install directly to the dashboard, but the Boom Boom Rocket visualization is perfect for parties. If you've got 800 points lying around (that's $10.00 USD in real money) and like rhythm games picking up Boom Boom Rocket is a no-brainer.

Apr 24, 2007 | 0 comments
Justin Last