Reviews - Xbox LIVE Arcade

This lighthearted puzzle-platformer takes the mechanics of your childhood’s marble maze and applies it to the world of treasure hunting. Lazy Raiders has players tilting and turning the world upside-down to help their sluggish hero collect plenty of bounty.

Playing either as Dr. Diggabone—a rotund and moustachioed archaeologist—or as your Xbox LIVE avatar, the goal of the game is to collect gems, keys and idols as rapidly as possible while avoiding traps and obstacles. The gambit of the game is to move your avatar (who does not walk) from one place to another by flipping the maze upside down or tilting it left and right, using gravity and momentum. More..

Reviews - Xbox LIVE Arcade

Chime is a stylish puzzle game that combines elements of Tetris, Lumines and the arcade classic Qix. The game was developed by Zoë Mode for the OneBigGame initiative, which raises funds for various children’s charities worldwide. At least 60 percent of all proceeds from the sale of Chime are being donated to Save the Children and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

The goal of this geometry-based game is to cover as much of the playing field as possible. Players will make “quads” of 3x3 blocks or more using various pieces that are randomly queued, similar to the mechanics of Tetris. More…

Features - Health & Fitness Games

Brain training games have gained popularity in the past few years, but few actually improve a user’s cognitive abilities and fewer still offer a personalized and structured program that adapts to a user as they progress.

CogniFit Personal Coach is different. The software identifies your strengths and weaknesses in 14 cognitive abilities like Visual Perception and Time Estimation, then builds an intensive 24-session program designed to improve areas you are weak in, while maintaining your skill in stronger ones.

Game Forward had the opportunity to evaluate the Personal Coach software and ask questions of its creator and founder of CogniFit, Dr. Shlomo Breznitz; a world-renowned psychologist and author. More…

Reviews - DSiWare

Number Battle is a number and shape-based puzzle game in which you “fight” opponents for high scores. The game has an oriental flair and is loosely based on the principle of feng shui.

Players receive a queue of five pieces, with numbers from 1-5 and varying arm patterns. The arms are used to join the pieces together and make links. The goal of the game is to earn a given amount of points, before your opponent does. More…

Features - Video Games

Much like the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch, the Xbox LIVE Indie Games service is proving to be a viable way for independent developers to break into the market and make a few bucks at the time. It is also proving to be a great way for gamers to get some great games at great prices.

In this edition of The FWD Download, I will briefly review eight titles released between December 2009 and February 2010 that highlight the variety of genres on the Xbox LIVE Indie Games service. All impressions are based on the full purchased versions of the games, though like Xbox LIVE Arcade Games, trial versions are available. More…