PomPom

From Xboxic

PomPom are a small independent games developer based in the UK, who rose to fame following the release of their first Indy game "Space Tripper", which featured retro overhead 2d shooter gaming - but all rendered in gorgeous full 3d on Windows (it was later ported to other platforms).

PomPom followed this up with their classy "Robotron" inspired shooter "Mutant Storm" which again made a great impact with arcade action fans all over the world on Windows (and later, other platforms).

PomPom then went very quiet for a while, just releasing snipsets of information about them being signed by a major company to work on several projects. After what seemed like ages, PomPom finally announced that the company that had signed them up was Microsoft, in the run up to the launch of the Xbox 360 and "Live Arcade". PomPom's first 360 outing was with "Mutant Storm Reloaded" - an updated version of their PC classic with even trippier abstract visuals than the original PC game. The game works particularly well on the 360's dual analogue sticks - the left one controls your ship's movement, whilst the second one controls direction of fire.

Whilst many gamers compare "Mutant Storm Reloaded" to "Geometry Wars Evolved", I think its fair to say that both are great games - one is kind of linear and continuous action (you always have to start back at the very beginning with each new game) - whereas "Mutant Storm Reloaded" allows you to start a new game from certain points once you've reached certain stages of the game (e.g. you can start at stages 10 or 20) and the game itself is more episodic. e.g. You play a level, clear it, have a few seconds off, then start the next level - which will have a different layout, different enemies and/or different attack formations.

PomPom's next big outing is the long awaited "Mutant Storm Empire" - which looks to combine elements of both "Space Tripper" and "Mutant Storm" - some pre-release footage from a games industry show may help give you a flavour of what to expect... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAU-7NODelU

PomPom's web site can be found here... http://www.pompomgames.com