video game reviews

‘MONDAY NIGHT COMBAT’

Grade: A

Publisher: Microsoft, released as a download for Xbox 360; rated T

“Monday Night Combat” is a sport-of-the-future arena combat game that mixes elements of similar team-based titles with aspects of the tower defense genre. There are two main modes in this addictive action game, both playable online or off.

Blitz has the players defending their prize, the Moneyball, from incoming waves of robotic enemies. Crossfire pits two teams against each other, both trying to destroy the other side’s Moneyball with the help of their team’s robots, which can knock down the Moneyball’s shields and make it vulnerable.

There are too many robots and human foes to handle them all directly, so players can use the money they earn while fighting to purchase and upgrade a variety of turret defenses, which can blow the bots up or slow them down.

Players choose from several classes of contestant, each done up in an exaggerated visual style that brings “Team Fortress 2” to mind.

—Justin Hoeger, Sacramento Bee