Twisted Pixel, the independent developer behind downloadable hits The Maw and ‘Splosion Man have done it yet again with Comic Jumper: The Adventures of Captain Smiley.

Comic Jumper follows the lives of self aware super heroes Captain Smiley and his wisecracking sidekick, Star. After their comic gets canceled, they are willing to do whatever it takes to earn some money and get their own comic back. For the gamer, this means playing though various cameo appearances in comics spanning several ages, art styles, and genres.

The gameplay is a mix of Contra, Space Harrier, QTE’s, and watered-down beat ‘em up, constantly changing throughout each level. One minute you are punching wave after wave of obese tribal locals and the next you are on-rails shooting fireball-throwing enemies in golf carts.

Above: Ten minutes of gameplay from the demo.

The humor in Comic Jumper is some of the best I have ever experienced in an Xbox Live Arcade title or video games in general. I literally had to look twice at the ESRB rating because at times I couldn’t believe they could get by with some of the dialogue in a Teen-rated downloadable title. It is witty, crude, and offensive. And I love every minute of it! To be completely honest, it’s the sole reason why I stuck with the game to the very end.

Above: The wonderful stats screen song.

Bottom line: If you’re looking for a hilarious and unique Xbox Live Arcade game and are willing to ignore the subpar controls and gameplay to experience the game in its entirety, by all means buy Comic Jumper. Gaming elitists that nitpick every little flaw and rate games a two out of 10 just because they hate everything about everything should turn back now. This game is for those capable of enjoying something despite its shortcomings.

6/10

What makes MAG so special? It looks like just another FPS to me.

It’s Battlefield 2 with 256 players. Other than that, MAG adds nothing new to the genre. Read more

So, tell me about the review structure.

The major obstacle I’ve always encountered while writing reviews is with the structure. I understand to the average reader that most reviews are just a bunch of boring paragraphs that can be summed up with the number at the end of the page. You know the drill, five stars equals the best and whatnot. Unfortunately, those five stars don’t address the readers concerns when he’s about to dish out $60 for a new game. He just knows that the game is worth five internet icons. If the game is the worst FPS ever but the story makes up for it, he wouldn’t know without having to dig though boring paragraph after boring paragraph. The review structure here is an interview/review hybrid. I look at the game and simply ask myself, “what would someone want to know about this game?”

An example would be Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on the Wii. People want to know how faithful it is to Silent Hill lore, if the game is “Waggle-tastic,” and if it’s good for a Wii game. I answer what YOU would want to know before your purchase it. All the important stuff and such. Read more