Small Arms (video game)
| Small Arms | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Gastronaut Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Game Studios |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 (XBLA) |
| Release | 22 November 2006 |
| Genre(s) | Versus fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Small Arms is an action Xbox Live Arcade video game, developed by Gastronaut Studios, and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox 360 video game console on 22 November 2006. The game can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points, which is equivalent to $10 USD.
Gameplay
Small Arms is a hybrid platform, fighting and shoot 'em up video game, featuring anthropomorphic animals and super-deformed people, with ranged weapons. Similar to Geometry Wars, the player controls characters' movement with the left analog stick, and aims weapons with the right analog stick, which allows 360-degree aiming. Each weapon has primary and secondary modes, which the player can use with the right and left triggers, respectively. The player can also make characters jump or dash with the face buttons.
The gameplay can be compared to Super Smash Bros., Power Stone, Contra, and Metal Slug.
Single-player
Small Arms features four different single-player modes: Mission Mode, Training Mode, Challenge Mode and Shooting Range. Shooting Range is unlocked by completing Mission Mode.
Multiplayer
Small Arms features competitive multiplayer for up to four players or bots, either offline or online via Xbox Live.
Characters
Small Arms has 12 default characters, which are listed below. Initially, only eight of these characters are available for play. ISO-7982 can be unlocked by completing Mission mode; the other three can be unlocked by defeating them during Mission mode. In the future, more characters will be available as downloadable content from the Xbox Live Marketplace. [citation needed] Each character has four different costume colours. The costume colour of each character can be changed in the character selection screen, by using the left and right bumpers. Each character also has a unique weapon; however, these weapons can be exchanged for other characters' weapons during gameplay.
- Marky Kat (A Cat - Misunderstood millionaire arms trader.)
Uses a large minigun arm with a shotgun as the secondary fire.
- Fox Claw (A Ninja Girl - Fast and deadly, disowned from her clan)
Uses a large katana, which she throws for the secondary fire
- Zoe (An Alien Girl - Not an alien, but a hypergalactic pop star)
Uses a plasma cannon , with a concentrated beam for the secondary fire
- Mousey Mc Nuts (A Mouse - This is the chimney sweep)
Uses dual revolvers , with a quick spray of bullets on both sides as a secondary attack
- Mr. Truffles (A Pig - Assassin sniper pig)
Uses a sniper rifle and can lay proximity mines as a secondary attack
- Unit 51 (A Cyborg Future Guy)
Uses a lightning gun, which fires balls of lighting that hug the floor as a secondary attack
- Lord Peet (A Knight - Some dude in a suit of armor from the ren-fair)
Uses a fast repeating crossbow, with an explosive apple as the secondary attack
- Pector El Pollo (A Mexican Wrestling Chicken - "Pector says - Buenas Noches")
Uses a flamethrower and a molotov cocktail as the secondary fire
- Sam Lehrman (Jew from Schenectady New York) uses matzah balls that explode into chicken broth on contact, his secondary attack is machine gun hollah
- Tyrone/Dino (A T-Rex - Uh.. he's a dinosaur)
Uses a large ice shard firing gun which can freeze people as the second attack
- ISO-7982 (A robot that serves rich people)
Uses a large pistol which fires a rocket as the second attack
Stages
Levels are visualised in full 3D although the players can only move in one two-dimensional plane. Many levels have special quirks to them, for instance the "Bullet Train" level slowly forces the players to move across the length of the train, and the "Sewer" level has a pit in the middle of the map, and when activated with close shut and insert poisonous gas. At launch there will be eight levels with more available after launch as downloadable content from Xbox Live Marketplace. The following are known launch stages:
- Bazaar
- Moonbase
- Outhouse
- Sewer
- Tornado
- Train
- Volcano
- Aushwits Jew Killing Ground
Achievements
Small Arms has 12 achievements (see below), which have a total of 200 Gamerscore points. A notable achievement is the "Six Degrees of Small Arms" achievement, which is the Xbox 360's first viral achievement: it is unlocked by playing multiplayer with someone who has already unlocked it, and so it spreads like a virus. The achievement spreads for six generations: the members of Gastronaut Studios are first-generation players, anyone who plays with one of them is a second-generation player, and so on, up to the sixth generation.
| Achievement | Description | Gamerscore |
|---|---|---|
| Completed Training | Complete the single-player Training Mode with any character. | 10 
|
| Combo ×2 | Kill 2 opponents in rapid succession. | 15
|
| Combo ×5 | Kill 5 opponents in rapid succession. | 20
|
| Jew ×5 | Kill 100 Jews in rapid succession on Aushwits level.
style="text-align: right" | 20
| |
| Challenge ×50 | Defeat 50 opponents in Challenge Mode. | 25
|
| Won 10 Matches | Win 10 matches in single-player or by playing on Xbox Live. | 10
|
| Won 50 Matches | Win 50 matches in single-player or by playing on Xbox Live. | 15
|
| Won 100 Matches | Win 100 matches in Mission Mode or Battle Mode. | 25
|
| Complete Mission Mode | Awarded for completing Mission Mode. | 20
|
| Played 100 Matches | Play 100 matches either offline or on Xbox Live. | 25
|
| Marksmanship | Score over 10,000 in the Shooting Range. | 25
|
| Six Degrees of Small Arms | Play online to "catch" this elusive achievement. | 0
|