Today in Games

When Microsoft relaunched the Xbox 360’s Dashboard in November, they added a new channel for game distribution; Community Games. These are games made by independent developers, college collaboratives, or anyone with a little programming skill. Free trials of all games are available on the Xbox 360 and a portion of the purchase price (usually between $5 and $10) goes right back to the people who made it. The only problem is that new Community Games are constantly being uploaded and it’s easy to miss out on them. So, from time to time, I’ll post a little write up about some of the games that you may not even know are just a few clicks away.

For an acceptable 400 Microsoft Points you get CarneyVale: Showtime, a charming “vertical platform game” that mixes ragdoll physics with the addictive puzzling of Peggle.

Aiming a cannon, you launch the animated puppet, Slinky, into the air and navigate 18 vibrant puzzle stages by grabbing his flailing body and tossing him further along. The goal is to pop all the balloons, grab a gold star, and reach the flaming hoop at the top of the stage before time runs out. The control is simple but advanced levels reveal subtle strategic nuances like air control and the ability to change the direction of the grabby arms that fling Slinky ahead. Later stages also introduce new obstacles and carnival themed tools like a rocket. And if 18 stages seems a little slim, create your own! CarneyVale: Showtime also includes a full-featured level editor and nine save slots to create and share your own devious challenges.

It’s not apparent by just looking at it but the game’s presentation is seamless. From the colorful and stylized art to Slinky’s flailing ragdoll limbs to the plucky circus music, everything in CarneyVale really comes together. This is the second Community Game that I’d nominate for a Live Arcade release and one that’s definitely worth checking out. It’s even got its own Achievements, though sadly, only within the game.

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