Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Reviews
For a game I've complained about a lot, I was pretty engaged with it at three in the morning yesterday, of course, shoot-'em-up headache setting in and an annulus of empty teacups starting to form. The problem, ultimately, is a philosophical one. I'm not sure if Lucid really gets the mentality behind this series, and that makes for a perfectly serviceable shooter when the lineage requires something more.
The problem with reviving such an excellent series is that comparing it to past games is both completely fair and also a bad idea. It's easy to look at all the things Geometry Wars 3 leaves behind while neglecting that it's a still a fun, challenging shooter.
It's nice to see a developer try and re-imagine the Geometry Wars formula with varying worlds, but it's not entirely paid off this time round. The vast majority of the game is great fun, it plays brilliantly, and there really is mountains of content on offer for a fairly cheap price. It's a shame that a good chunk of these new, rotating worlds are painfully frustrating to play on because of the player's lack of vision.
Geometry Wars returns, but without the original developer and plenty of changes which alter the basic formula, rendering this sequel almost unidentifiable.
The first question with a sequel like Dimensions Evolved is not "what's changed" but "did they ruin it?"
You can destroy your smile again with the game modes of old in a new graphical package. If you're looking for the next big, huge, mind-blowing iteration that jumps us forward fifty years in shape-on-shape violence, then it isn't here. I don't need to navigate a three dimensional pomegranate with my mine-laying drone in order to enjoy myself. In fact, it takes away from that enjoyment. You might feel differently.
There really isn't a lot to this game, past the flashy visuals and leaderboards, so if you're looking for more depth than the original Geometry Wars, you'll be disappointed.
With that said, don't take away too negative an impression of GW3:D. Though what it adds doesn't do much for me, what it brings from GW2 is simply brilliant, looks better than ever, and has never been on PC before – and everyone should try Pacifism mode at least once in their life. Parts of GW3:D are wonderful. But the most telling thing is that they're all contained in 2D rectangles.
It is the gaming equivalent of finding yourself heading to a hotel room after a wedding with the two best look bridesmaids on each arm. You know you are coming out of that experience with huge grin that isn't going to go away anytime soon.