0 Day Attack on Earth, developed by Gulti and published by Square Enix on Xbox Live Arcade, centers around modern day world that is under attack by aliens. Something we’ve seen so many times in gaming that’s it’s getting tiresome. Your task is, as you might expect, to repel the alien attack and to save the world. On the surface, it seems like a decent title, despite so many other dual stick, arcade-type shooters on Xbox Live, 0 Day Attack on Earth might work. Only it doesn’t.

0 Day Attack on Earth is one of those rare titles that should never have been made in the first place. Let’s start with the good stuff: you’re set to fight aliens in three major cities, Paris, New York and Tokyo, and they’re laid out using Google maps-styled navigation, which is kinda good, as it’s easy to navigate and scroll around in. The combat however, it far more dissatisfying, to the point where it’s just boring. All you will be doing is flying around, taking out tons of small ships and then take out their mother ships. There’s absolutely no inspiration here, no originality and not even any fun. Story-wise, don’t expect anything better than a 1950s b-movie — actually, there is no real story.

The AI is just horrible, and if you want to avoid it and get into multiplayer, well, good luck finding a anyone online. And if you’re lucky to do so, expect a lot of lag and stuttering. The multiplayer, despite featuring the usual co-op, capture the flag etc. modes, seems to have been rushed to the point where it resembles an alpha-release. Technically, the game lack polish overall, and the visuals are just downright ugly, same can be said about the effects. And while the map is a decent feature, it’s not really interactive and generally looks washed out. Overall, 0 Day Attack on Earth cannot really be recommended to anyone, it’s even got a lame title (seriously, “0 Day Attack on Earth” — they could’ve been a bit more creative than that).

The Good:
Good map feature

The Bad:
Dull combat
Unoriginal, uninspired
Bland visuals
Awful multiplayer
Overpriced (1200 MS points/$15)