While the controls and basic premise are easy to learn, you’ll find tons to do here. There are about 80 single-player stages where you can learn the various game modes and search for hidden characters, while a survival mode pits you against an endless stream of enemies. Co-op play is also offered, and there is of course Xbox Live support. Online play is really where Rocket Riot comes into its own, as you can pick between four modes of play: Deathmatch is obvious enough, but Golden Guy, Rugby Riot, and Destroy The Object bear explanation. Golden Guy encourages you to find a special suit and stay alive in it as long as possible; the winner is the first to reach a certain amount of time within the suit. Destroy The Object is played in teams, as you try to protect your assigned object while destroying the opponent’s. Rugby Riot is also team-based, as teams try to grab a ball and fly it into (or throw it through) the opposing team’s goal while preventing them from doing likewise. It all works quite well, with only truly minor lag hiccups in most cases I played.

Rugby Riot deserves special mention, as it does an amazing job of encouraging teamwork. While anyone may run the ball, that person cannot fight unless he tosses the ball away (which can be quite effective; toss it to an enemy, then shoot him while he’s defenseless) and must rely both on his dodging skill and his teammates. This makes for an exciting situation for both the attackers and defenders; the attackers have someone to protect (even at the cost of their own life, if need be), and the defenders have to thin out their ranks enough to recover the ball so that they can attack instead. It sounds simple, but it encourages a lot of action and is just plain fun.

 With all the good things I’ve said, there are really only two flaws that stand out in my mind. First, it’s a little hard to find a game at off-peak hours; I’ve generally only found one or two servers each night. Second, the game’s simple design means monotony will set in eventually... but by then, I’m sure you’ll have had a lot of fun. Rocket Riot costs 800 Points/$10, and it’s easily worth that. If you’d like to see a fun 2D shooter that is easy to learn and offers some great multiplayer, Rocket Riot is one of the best choices you can make on Xbox Live Arcade.