Microsoft's third "Summer of Arcade" promotion continues with two titles that could hardly be more different. Fruit Ninja Kinect sees Halfbrick Games' popular iPhone title move to a larger screen, though sadly its rather shallow mechanics haven't been expanded along with its inflated price tag. What was a perfect confection for on-the-go gaming feels slightly out of place in the home, even if it does makes solid use of Microsoft's motion camera as players flail their arms to slice flying fruit. Competitive and co-operative multiplayer modes make it enjoyably silly, throwaway fun for parties, though it's difficult to see lone players wanting to return once the initial novelty of chopping peaches, passion fruit and pomegranates has worn off.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, by contrast, is aimed at a very different audience. Its side-scrolling gameplay is redolent of 2D classics such as Metroid and Castlevania, and it's likely that fans of those titles will get the most out of exploring Fuel Cell Games' beautiful yet hostile world. A curiously old-fashioned flying saucer is the avatar, with myriad obstacles and enemies to surmount. Its pacing is impressively precise, introducing new items regularly enough to prevent minds from wandering, yet the imposing atmosphere and those gorgeous otherworldly environments are unable to disguise the fact that it's never particularly exciting to play. In short, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is neither insane nor twisted enough to warrant the charmingly silly Fifties-B-movie title.
