Active Reviews

Written by Edward Hankins

You are slammed into the cockpit of one of the latest fighters around, no time to even run system checks, your base is being overrun by aliens and it is time to dish back a little damage. Xeno Assault 2 throws you into full of non-stop action, amazing super weapons, and bosses that will make you cry.

Xeno Assault 2 is a fresh look at a genre that has been ignored much too long. As a child I can remember growing up on games like Raiden, Raiden 2, EuroFighters, and R-Type; but in the last few years, other than Divogames Airstrike, there has been a dire lack of vertical shooters. Of course there are always those cheap knockoffs of classic games, but rarely does a company put some time and investment in producing a good classic game. Xeno Assault 2 is one of those impressive classic games, it is best described as Galaga locked in a room with nothing but steroids. This game is super charged, from mind blowing weapons, impressive enemies, extreme graphics, and a storyline that will bring you back for more and more.

In Xeno Assault 2 you start with the choice of 2 types of missions: Normal and Agility, plus two missions you can not unlock. They are basically the same except Agility mode is timed and bosses are more valuable. Xeno Assault 2 is your typical top down vertical scroller, but that is where the typical ends. Xeno Assault 2 is a game based on weapons and there are plenty of them: assault lasers, beam lasers, rapid fire lasers, invulnerability, and missle systems, you have a plethora of death to choose from. You have two primary weapon systems, but always be careful as your primary system will over heat from overuse, but if you give it the chance to charge up, be prepared to cause some major mayhem, as a charged weapon causes much more damage. The action in this game is non stop with various awards for mass killing.

With tons of various enemies trying to take you out, control of the game is very important. The game can either be controlled through a mouse, keyboard, or joystick. Xeno Assault 2 is a game based on weapons and there are plenty of them: assault lasers, beam lasers, rapid fire lasers, invulnerability, and missile systems, you have a plethora of death to choose from. You have two primary weapon systems, but always be careful as your primary system will over heat from overuse, but if you give it the chance to charge up, be prepared to cause some major mayhem, as a charged weapon causes much more damage. The action in this game is non stop with various awards for mass killing.

The right side of the screen shows your vitals. At the bottom you can see your shield strength; which can rapidly decrease after a mass enemy suicide attack. Each shield is like a bonus life, once you have exhausted your shields you are a sitting duck. Below the shields shows the special weapon you currently have and how much ammunition is available. On the left, as a yellow line, you will be able to see your primary weapon strength; as mentioned before don’t just go around blasting at nothing, save up your laser energy and your attack damage will increase markedly. Next to the indicator shows your current lives and above that what stage you are on.

This game is sure to keep busy, with over 100 missions and 38 different aliens to kill. The game begins with you piloting your trusty space fighter, it is far from the best but it will require power-ups to upgrade. As you kill more of the enemy, you will upgrade new weapons, shields, and other goodies. One downside of the weapons upgrade system is if you pick up a power-up and it is weaker than your current weapon, you are stuck with the downgrade. I am not sure if the 10 stage bosses are included in the 38 enemies, but the bosses are some heavy duty carnage machines and nothing to take lightly. When facing them I would suggest saving up as many bonus weapons as available, so you can let them have it quick and brutal. Don’t stick around and try to duke it out with the bosses, as they will always win. With this much action this game is sure to keep you entertained for hours.

The main point of the game is point accumulation. Everything you kill in the game had a point value, some greater than others; and Jagged Blade Software has been sure to add a global upload system where you can compare your scores with other players from across the country.

Overall the mouse the most efficient way to control the ship, though some may argue. With the mouse setup, the mouse will move your ship across the gaming field and the mouse buttons will control your primary and secondary weapons..



Overall this was a decent game but by far the best Galaga remake, and for the price it makes for a cheap office diversion. Luckily I have had few conversations with one of the programmers at Jagged Blade who informed me they are working on a new scrolling shooter that will blow this one away, I can’t wait.

Go back to the Xeno Assault 2 page.

Screenshots