Doritos and Microsoft may not seem like a peanut-butter-and-chocolate combination, but when they announced a team-up to bring user-created games to Xbox Live Arcade, we were hopeful. Perhaps a multi-billion dollar computer mega-corporation teaming with a multi-billion dollar food mega-corporation could lead to mega-creativity?
At the start of the week Microsoft announced that the five finalists in the contest are now in beta form and available to play for free on the Unlock Xbox website. We decided to try each of the games out for the sake of your entertainment and our nourishment.
We’ll be rating each game on three different categories, each of which can receive up to four Doritos logos depending on how much it rocks. The categories are:
- Gameplay — Fairly self-explanatory.
- Graphix — How does it look? The ‘x’ is for ‘extreme flavor.’
- Doritos Empowerment — This strange phrase is being used by Microsoft and Doritos PR to describe the spirit behind creating games with Doritos in mind. This rating is based on how well the game employs the brand.
While the destruction isn’t quite as devastating as we wanted, the dashing is pretty sweet. In the beta, players control a dinosaur with prehistoric hunger that can obviously only be satisfied with Doritos — in this case a whole delivery truck full of them. The clearly-marked Doritos truck squeals around corners, leaving a path of chip bags in its wake. Running down city streets with the dino and crushing vehicles is fun if extremely simple. Your massive avatar doesn’t turn as fast as desired, but that sounds like something to be tweaked before the final version, which will also include the ability to play as the truck motoring away from the monster.
- Gameplay:
- Graphix:
- Doritos Empowerment:
The flashy CG intro to this beta is a bit deceptive, as it really just highlights how much less work seems to have gone into the actual game. We understand that it’s a beta, but there appears to be almost no AI in this game. Opposing team members will grab and throw balls, but beyond that they’ll just stand in a straight line waiting to be hit, which sort of misses the whole “dodge” part of “dodgeball.” Friendly teammates fare even worse, picking up balls but refusing to even toss them to the other side. Perhaps the greatest offense, beyond the title there’s no Doritos in this game at all! That’s just wasted brand potential, people.
- Gameplay:
- Graphix:
Doritos Empowerment 1 Doritos logo
The easiest way to describe Monkeys from Mt. Doritos is “like Pac-Man but with Monkeys… and Doritos.” Okay, the game is also lacking some of that old-school arcade fun. The monkey main character explores a maze gathering up big Dorito pieces that are being shot out of a volcano in the center of each board. Corner turning needs to be tightened up and enemies who can shoot you from across a long corridor with no way to defend should be erased from the game altogether, but bonus points must be awarded for the visually and aurally impressive old-school level (that’s the third board, for those wondering).
- Gameplay:
- Graphix:
- Doritos Empowerment:
While PB’s Quest is easily the most technically impressive of these five entries, it’s also possibly the least fun to actually play (petrified dodgeball players aside). Players take on the role of a small pillbug wandering a room full of ants desperate to stop PB’s journey towards the perfect chip. In case you can’t tell from the screenshot, PB’s Quest is the only game of the bunch in full 3D. While whipping Fiery Habanero Doritos as pesky insects may sound like a blast, the beta is marred by too-complex controls and a confusing and sparse level layout that’s difficult to navigate. The potential is really obvious, though — it could turn into a great Live Arcade title given the full treatment.
- Gameplay:
- Graphix:
- Doritos Empowerment:
Rhythum Racing is probably the freshest idea here — a Wipeout-esque racer where the track is affected by music, which will include your own imported tracks in the final version should it win. The beta features particularly unresponsive controls that just sort of ruin the whole experience, but you can see what the creator is going for. Again, though, we’re disappointed with the overall lack of Doritos in this game. It’s even more brash than Ultimate Dodgeball Champions, as Doritos isn’t even in the title much less the trippy game world. We want more brand loyalty out of our adver-games!
- Gameplay:
- Graphix:
- Doritos Empowerment:
We call this crunchy journalism, people. Our take on the betas is clear, but what do you guys think? Check them out for free at the Unlock Xbox webiste, vote on your favorite, and then come back here to let us know which you chose.
Remember that the finalist with the most votes on November 18 will be turned into a full, free Xbox Live Arcade game by NinjaBee, which will see release on Microsoft’s online service next summer. In the mean time treat yourself to a bag of Doritos; it’s what Bill Gates would want.
