Null Battles (80 MSP) is not what I expected. Not that I really had any idea what to expect, what with all the colors and the block people and the shapes, the screenshots I used here that don’t really present the game as it is. And that is a minimalist FPS that kicks gravity and fixed perspectives to the curb, sort of like recent XBLA title Hybrid, allowing you to boost all over the map and attach to different platforms and surfaces, but with more freedom of movement once you land.
Counting off into two teams or four (it’s always Team Deathmatch time in Null Battles) with differing amounts of players / bots and time limits, the team with the highest score wins. Rinse and repeat. Your ‘block guy’, for lack of a more literal term, carries a long-range laser, good from any distance, and a wider (but shorter) beam shot for up close and personal encounters; a melee-equivalent move, if you will. The fighting is disorienting at first, especially if you like to quickly move from platform to platform to avoid death, but it feels second nature after a short time.
As far as pre-match options and arena settings go, Null Battles gives you a ridiculously-thorough assortment. Change your team name (I don’t like to brag, but ‘theXBLIGs’ kicked ass every time out), team color, and reticle. Change room size, shape, and all the platform shapes within it, including density and appearance. Hell, if a new, procedurally-generated arena for each match doesn’t scratch your itch, use the included level editor to make it exactly how you want it.
That same ‘kitchen sink’ mentality, sadly doesn’t extend to the battles once you’re in-game. Nor will you entirely mind. It’s straightforward, no-frills shooting, but the shifting views and constant firefights don’t give you time to critique. Rocketing across the map and exploding an enemy blockhead in mid-flight simply does not get old. The absence of any other weapons or powerups bothered me at first, but that the game kept me involved and playing with its limited arsenal speaks well enough on its worth. Still would have liked to have seen rocket launchers.
Seems like a Daft Punk music video. Is not.
In addition to the local split-screen and system link options, there’s an online mode that may or may not have a decent network code capable of supporting the listed 16-player rooms. I wouldn’t know, you see, as I couldn’t find a single online match to test it out on. Day or night. Ever. It’s typical of the scene, so I can’t say I’m surprised. It is a continual shame, not just for developers that put in the time and work on building any multiplayer game, but for the unique and deserving titles (ahem, this one) to get the cold shoulder treatment.
As such, Null Battles is a solid, albeit basic building blocks (pun intended), zero-gravity take on the FPS that sadly doesn’t have any chance of building an online community. Offline, the AI bots are surprisingly adept and competitive, and that fun is no doubt quadrupled if you can pull off the 4-player local. It may lack refinement and the variety and weapon options needed to thrive, but it’s definitely worthy of your dollar if you’re trying for something different in your shooters.
theXBLIG 
As I’ve played more I’ve come to the conclusion that the reason the bots are so skilled is because they aren’t disorientated by sudden changes of orientation. That’s what gets me killed in Null Battles more often than not.
In any case, I meant to say if you or other Null Battles owners want a game, give me a shout. Same for ALW2 actually.
One of these days I would like to test out the online play, see how it is. Just got another FPS, Murder Miners, out. Looks Minecraftian, more Halo than COD. Might have to give that a play as well. Oh, also Brimstone, has 8-player co-op. Loot, procedurally-generated, sounds like your kind of game. It’s all got to go on the waiting list til after the Uprising though. All this good stuff is coming out at once.
I’ve briefly tried Brimstone. The combat is pretty awkward. Someone tweeted me that it’s extremely short as well, maybe an hour. Multiplayer could make the difference though. My one local Xbox friend loves his loot trawls.
Short is sometimes good when it comes to dungeon crawlers. Certainly during a time crunch. 🙂 If you do pick up the game and want to try co-op, I’ll be around.
Nicely reviewed. I never tried this simply because I couldn’t make out what sort of game it was meant to be. The way you’ve described it, it sounds like it would appeal to me. It’s a shame that it suffers from the same lack of community as almost all XBLIGs. No wonder so many developers want to defect to Steam. On PC, even tiny niche games generally have some sort of following, even if it’s only 50 people.
Sadly I can’t even make use of the local MP. I have one local Xbox friend, which is hardly ideal.
The bots, sir. The bots are your friends and foes. 🙂 I get what you’re driving at though. Worst part is, I knew it the second I saw it printed on the box art. I thought I’d at least find one or two people hanging around, especially since it just released, but no dice. The bots do a decent job at filling in.
Bots are the saving grace of several games. So far I’ve found Null Battles’ bots handily destroy me. They put up a better fight than some people.
Yeah they do. Had to cut down from four teams to just two sides, 8 on 8; I was getting shot up from all angles.