Xboxist

Battle Beat Arrives on Xbox Live

Music-strategy game Patapon has been one of the most popular games on the PSP, and its influence is starting to be felt on other platforms. Daniel Steger of Stegersaurus Games certainly thought the 2D rhythm-combat hybrid was pretty neat, and he decided to release his own take on the genre.

Battle Beat is the name of his new creation, currently available on the XBox Indie Games channel for the price of 400 Points. Battle Beat allows the use of common instrument controllers in its take on the 2D combat strategy idea.

Can you keep the beat and crush your foes? Battle Beat puts players in the shoes of a commander in outer space who must combine tactical wits with musical ability to save the planet.

Using instrument controllers, players coordinate squads of troops to battle over the fate of their nondescript post-apocalyptic home world, fighting off massive hordes of aliens. Battle Beat is designed to use controllers such as those that come with the Guitar Hero or Rock Band franchises (though a normal XBox360 controller may be used if desired) to give a fresh experience in rhythm game mechanics.

Battle Beat combines rhythm and combat in a way that will be familiar to many PSP owners.