Pixeljunk Monsters by Q Games

Pixeljunk Monsters by Q Games
Released 2008
Rated E for Everyone
Released on Playstation 3

Plot Summary: Pixeljunk Monsters is a tower defense game. A tower defense game is one in which the player takes on the role of an omniscient individual who sees over a piece of land. The player must build towers or defense mechanisms such as cannons, arrows, fire, lightning, and bee hive towers to defeat waves of monsters who are trying to attack your village. Some levels feature twists on the formula, such as being in a windy area where monsters move faster.

Critical Analysis: Pixeljunk Monsters is both fun and frustrating. Figuring out each level is kind of like a puzzle, deciding where to put what towers and when to upgrade them. Each monster has a weakness and resistance to certain towers, so that has to be kept in mind. The frustrating part is that this can sometimes devolve into trial and error, as the player has no idea what waves of monsters will be hitting him or her in the future.

Another problem with the game is some of the strategy. Despite the fact that there are many versatile and interesting towers to choose from, everything from ice towers that slow monsters down to lightning towers that slowly lowers the enemies health, most strategies involve just using the same few towers over and over.

By far the best aspect of Pixeljunk Monsters is playing it with a friend. The game has cooperative support and having an extra person with whom to upgrade towers and talk strategy adds exponentially to the enjoyability of the game. Overall, Pixeljunk Monsters is a cheap and fun diversion, but may not satisfy those looking for deep and intense strategy tower defense.

Reader's Annotation: Monsters are attacking your village. Run around frantically to build and upgrade towers to stop them!

Author Information: Q Games is known for its Pixeljunk series. They have also released a 2D shooter called Pixeljunk Shooter and a dream-like platformer called Pixeljunk Eden.

Source: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/944234-pixeljunk-monsters/data

Genre: tower defense

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Reading Level/Interest Age: 13 and up

Challenge Issues: N/A

Why I included this title: I am a big fan of cooperative games that really make the two players work together and complement each other's skills. I think this would be a good thing for teens to enjoy together. It is simple to learn and complex to master like any good video game, so it is great to pick up and play as well.