There’s no shortage of twin-stick shooters to be found on the Xbox 360. So when I tackled Fusion: Genesis, Starfire Studios’ first outing, I rolled my eyes. Really, another one? However, as the game began and an RPG-lite story unraveled, I found myself appreciating this considerably deeper approach much more than I had anticipated. Its enormous campaign (solo or co-op, a veritable rarity in most games), multiplayer, and affordable pricetag are great reasons to pick it up and give it a try, but so is its interesting approach at storytelling with this genre.
In the year 2221, the human race has sought sanctuary in space. The Convocation, four alien races working together as a sort of consulate, welcomed them to their ranks. It was a peaceful time and one where humans and their newfound alien comrades could work and live together in harmony. However, humans will be humans. Inevitably they broke apart into their own separate factions and began warring over resources. Typical, right? These resources are dwindling as it is, so greed fuels these petty duels. That’s where you come in. You step into the role of assistant to crotchety old Professor Tyre, who might have found the solution to the shrinking resource issue. But just like humans wanted to gobble up all of the resources for themselves, everyone also wants this new solution, including the Dark Legion, a malevolent alien race who’s out for blood. After a particularly nasty attack on Professor Tyre’s space station, you’re left to meet up with Professor Tyre’s acquaintance Judah in order to protect the professor’s findings and to ensure they don’t end up with the Dark Legion or any of the other nasties patrolling the galaxy.
This rather intriguing story is actually quite compelling, and unfolds across several different missions, each assigned from different factions. There is no on-foot exploration, simply ships only, but at several hub locations you can choose to take on different missions for one of the groups that comprise the Convocation. Each faction, of course, has different ships, allies, and enemy types, so if you grow tired of fraternizing with the Sunshadow Syndicate, for example, you can start taking on contract jobs for the Praetoriate Fleet. Fusion: Genesis offers over 100 of these missions, each assigning a different amount of XP and money for your hard work, which can be used in turn to upgrade your ship, buy new weapons, etc. You can also purchase and upgrade small machines known as “Sentients,” which act as assistants in a way. They can fight off enemies and in addition mine for you automatically.
Unfortunately, mining isn’t exactly something you’ll want to do often in the game, but something that is necessary. You or your Sentient can mine to find minerals, money, and other assorted items. If you decide to do it yourself it can take longer than the mining we all simply loved in Mass Effect 2, so it’s a good idea to keep a Sentient handy to tackle it for you. The handy dandy little machines can also take your excess cargo, items, and credits off back to sell for additional credits, lessening your load and leaving you to perform tasks you need to get out of the way. I’ve seen this system before in other games, and it never ceases to be useful. Who wants to backtrack that often? Not me.
A cornucopia of upgrades, customization options, and stat boosts are available for use as you progress through the campaign, and there’s plenty of exploration to do. The orchestral soundtrack is grand and sweeping, and when there are voiceovers the lines are delivered with refreshing gusto. You can certainly see plenty of love was put into making the debut game great.
In addition to a sprawling, fantastic single-player mode, Fusion: Genesis rocks four-player co-op mode and competitive multiplayer. While cooperative play allows players to drop in and drop out at will, you can also choose to play Dark Legion raids, which are similar to Horde Mode of Gears of War 3. Competitive multiplayer isn’t exactly something I’d recommend spending much time on (I couldn’t anyway, without being able to find many other players), as it isn’t nearly as entertaining as cooperative play or simply experiencing the story mode on your own.
Fusion: Genesis may be a twin-stick shooter at its core, but RPG elements and excellent production value make it an Xbox Live Arcade title you might think about picking up once you’ve cleaved through the avalanche of new releases so far this fall. Grab some friends and take the plunge. Just don’t get caught up in mining too long.
