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Armor Valley review

Armor Valley is an action strategy game from Singapore developers Protégé Productions in which you take command of a peace-keeping force or ‘Federation’ in the distant and dystopian future.  In the game you control one of three available aerial vehicles whilst maintaining overall control of unit production at your base.[singlepic id=1299 w=320 h=240 float=center]

The aim is simple; take the enemy base whilst defending your own from the enemy advance.  In order to achieve your goal you will have to build your attacking units, this is done via two pop-up menus brought up by pressing the right or left bumpers; the X, Y, A, B, buttons then correspond to a specific vehicle, once built the vehicles will make their own way to the enemy base and it is your responsibility to escort them in the aerial vehicle defending them from enemy vehicles and turrets.

There are several units with a variety of specialities such as troops, which you can pick up and parachute so they can capture turrets, or anti-aircraft tanks to defend from the enemy’s aerial vehicle.  The most important unit in the game, after your user-controlled aerial vehicle, is the Disruptor.  Once your Disruptor reaches the shield erected around the enemy base you win the battle and so on.

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The controls are solid and the ships are quite manoeuvrable, despite being floating command centres, and the build options are very accessible and easy to operate whilst in flight.  There is a fairly lengthy story mode which you won’t be completing in a single session and once you are past it there is a quick-game option which can pit you either against an AI or a local player.  Unfortunately there is no co-op mode or online multiplayer which is a real shame as solo the game can get repetitive but online I believe it could have come into its own.

The presentation of the game is very good with great sound effects and music, for which the game has won an award, the 3D engine is solid too.  The tutorial is incorporated into the missions and is kept really simple allowing you to jump straight into the action.  Despite some spelling mistakes throughout the game, which is no doubt a result of translation issues, the game has a really nicely polished finish.

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This is Protégé Production’s first attempt at an XBLIG, but you wouldn’t know it, the game has the feel of an early XBLA game about it and despite the lack of online multiplayer it shows real promise.  It’s at the more expensive end of the Indie Game price spectrum but is worth the 400 :MSPoints:.  Armor Valley is available now and is well worth a look.

You can find more information on Armor Valley as well as the trial and full versions of the game on the Marketplace.

By Bradley Brooker/Unspokendegree

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