A.R.E.S. Extinction Agenda EX

 Xbox 360
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 18
  3. Negative: 3 out of 18

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  1. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    6
    I picked up this game at a considerable discount, thanks to the developer's decision to "celebrate" the release of Mighty No. 9. I played the original version of this game some years ago, but didn't get around to playing this version until today.

    At the end of my run as ARES, I was ready to give Extinction Agenda EX a thumbs down, and maybe I still should: It's one of the jankiest    I picked up this game at a considerable discount, thanks to the developer's decision to "celebrate" the release of Mighty No. 9. I played the original version of this game some years ago, but didn't get around to playing this version until today.

    At the end of my run as ARES, I was ready to give Extinction Agenda EX a thumbs down, and maybe I still should: It's one of the jankiest run-and-gun games I have ever played. Asthetically, it's fine: The music is excellent and the sprite work fairly appealing. Aiming and shooting is just fine thanks to the mouse, but the jumping controls are uniquely unresponsive and occasionally just fail to work at all. ARES' air dash move is especially difficult to use properly. I must have wasted an hour of the two hours it took to finish the game just falling into pits. It's also rather difficult to avoid damage, and if not for the in-built repair ability, I probably would not have gotten anywhere. I imagine I had a similar experience playing the first version of this game, but that was back in 2011 so I don't remember for sure. Nostalgia makes every game seem better I guess, because I gave that game a positive review just yesterday. But playing it again was not nearly as fun.

    Then, I played Tarus, the new playable character to this version of the game. And let me tell you, playing Tarus is like playing a different game entirely, and a better one at that. ARES' unwieldy air-dash is replaced with a much simpler to use mid-air hover move, which allows you to fly around for a short duration. At least once jump segment that gave me no end of trouble with ARES can be bypassed using Tarus entirely: Though Tarus' cutscenes differ from ARES, the levels do not. His "limit break"-type move, instead of a smart bomb like ARES, is a invulnerability shield. His weapons, while shorter-ranged and slower then ARES', do considerably more damage. All this meant that my run as Tarus took about half the time, give or take a few minutes. I've never seen a disparity between two characters in the same game this huge before. If you get this game, get it on sale like I did, and don't even bother playing as ARES- Tarus is your bot.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

100
#100 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Dec 18, 2013
    70
    Off-pissing checkpoints aside, it's slick and grueling old-school for the 'core. [Christmas 2013, p.107]
  2. ZTGD
    Oct 10, 2013
    75
    It does have it’s moments of difficulty, but fans of side-scrolling shooters looking for a decent romp through a Mega Man-esque experience should take a look at A.R.E.S.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Age
    Oct 8, 2013
    75
    This isn’t what I’d label a long-lasting or memorable experience by any means, but if you’re hankering for some old-school 16-bit action this week, it’s worth the $14.99 asking price.
    Read full review
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