Boom Boom Rocket Hits Xbox Live Arcade

Representatives from Microsoft have announced that the EA published and Bizarre Creations (Geometry Wars) developed original rhythm game Boom Boom Rocket is now available on the Xbox Live Arcade. First announced in January of this year (and covered in a Gamasutra interview with EA's online VP Chip Lange), Boom Boom Rocket is Bizarre's first new Live Arcade work since its hit Geometry Wars, and also marks Electronic Arts' first entry into the downloadable service as well. In Boom Boom Rocket, players both solo and multiplayer are made to trigger rockets to the rhythm of the game's soundtrack - provided by Batman Returns and Project Gotham Racing 2 game composer Ian Livingstone - as they move through a 3D cityscape. Different colored rockets are mapped to different buttons of the Xbox 360's controller, with skillful explosions leading to score multipliers, new firework effect unlocks, and a 'psychedelic bonus mode.' In addition to the main game modes, Boom Boom Rocket also ships with its own music visualizer mode, with fireworks displays timed to the rhythm of audio files from a player's console, and a freestyle mode where players can simply mash buttons to trigger firework effects at whim. Released at 800 points ($10), with the Xbox Live Arcade standard 12 Achievements and 200 Gamerscore points, players can now download the game via the Xbox Live Marketplace.