One boring Thursday evening, my friend and I had nothing to do for a few hours. "Lets see what's on Xbox Arcade" I proclaimed. Once I saw the screen shots and played the demo for 5 minutes, I quickly upgraded to the full version via Xbox Live (they make it so easy to spend money!) and my friend and I quickly canceled our plans and spent the next 6 hours playing this humorous brawler.

From the creators from Alien Homind HD, comes Castle Crashers. A humorous, side scrolling "brawlfest" set in medieval country sides, frozen wastelands, lush forests and scorching deserts to name a few.

Story

The narration drops you in to the grieves of a magic wielding knight (one of four) on your chase after a sorcerer that rode away atop a magic crystal stolen from your castle along with a few princesses.

Hence forth, carnage and hilarity ensue.

Gameplay

For cutting down a diverse variety of foes, you are rewarded with experience that lets you upgrade your character and get the most out of a huge number of weapons and pets you have at your disposal.

The game is helped along by its unique "cartoon-like" presentation and sense of humor (although crude at times). With small elements of Role Playing, you will undoubtedly spend a miniscule amount of time thinking of what to upgrade next.

Multiplayer

This is where the game shines. Designed for four (4) players, the screen flys a flurry with chaos when you are in force with your buddies. You can play the game through with your friends or challenge them to a number of creative everyone for himself challenges.

Cost

1,200 Microsoft Points ~ around $20-$30 for at least 10+ hours of fun.

Verdict

Hours of fun. you'll spend about the same on a bad movie you will kick yourself for seeing this Christmas Season. So, login to Xbox Live and get it today.

8.5/10