I like tower defense games, mainly because I enjoy “upgrading” things. There’s also a fair amount of perfectionist in me, so in games like this, I often restart the entire map if ONE enemy mob gets through.
Defense Grid: The Awakening (PC, XBox 360, MAC)
In Defense Grid: The Awakening, you’re tasked with defending “cores”, which are picked up by enemy mobs and carried to the exit. You’ll be placing various towers to prevent the enemies from getting away with all of them. Though, if you are a perfectionist like myself, you’ll do your best to ensure that not even one core is made off with. Guiding you map to map is an AI who has an unhealthy obsession with raspberries, though I’d take that over HAL 9000 any day.
There are roughly ten towers that are available for your use, and they can be upgraded twice to deliver a larger punch. You start out with basic gun towers and inferno towers and eventually unlock things like the tesla tower and the meteor tower. Each of the ten towers has its own stats in terms of range, attack power, and cost. Not all of them can attack air units, either.
Some maps require you to make a path with your towers, in which case you’ll need to make the longest route possible if you want to survive.
The game also features a leaderboard system, allowing you to compare your high scores with other players over the network. Many different modes were added to the game after its release, allowing players to go back to previous levels and try them out using different play conditions. For example, one mode might throw unlimited waves at you while another might prevent you from upgrading your towers. Some modes can be very challenging.
There are map packs available via DLC as well as a Portal themed expansion guest starring GlaDOS. If you are a fan of tower defense games, I recommend that you give this particular one a look. As always, check your PC specs and the system requirements before purchasing!
Final Verdict: 8/10
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You can check out play sessions here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvoXUCSxEYE
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