Video of #1 Geometry Wars score: 16.6 mln
by Christopher Grant 
{ Feb 16th 2006 at 4:15PM }
Prepare to watch your self-worth plummet. Here's a video of current Geometry Wars leaderboard champ K4rn4ge's high-scoring run. It's a twenty minute video--and the recording doesn't even start until 12 million--but there's plenty to learn from them moves. I'm in awe.
See also:
Geometry Wars: 4.191 million score by xTHeDoGgx
Geometry Wars video: 2.1 million score by former world champion, "Striker"
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
murph @ Feb 16th 2006 4:30PM
holy crap that was amazing. i can't even get 500K.
GlitchCog @ Feb 16th 2006 4:40PM
I wish this game would come out for other systems. This game isn't worth the price of an Xbox 360.
James @ Feb 16th 2006 4:44PM
I have gotten to 750k but I feel extraordinarily uncoordinated after watching that monster of a run.
sanemadman @ Feb 16th 2006 4:59PM
Figures - There is always a 360 hater.
SuicideNinja @ Feb 16th 2006 4:59PM
The fact that someone would play Geometry Wars long enough to get that score is what amazes me. I couldn't watch the whole thing because it was way too long. Out of what games are available, I can't believe this game is the most popular. No wonder the PS2 still sells units.
Andy @ Feb 16th 2006 5:25PM
That is so awesome. I'm at 2.0 mil and I'm in awe. (Why does it take so long to post a comment?)
aDub @ Feb 16th 2006 5:26PM
That was an amazing run, after watching the video I unlocked the pacifism acheivement using some moves I observed in the video. Thanks for the demonstration K4rn4ge.
And #4, agreed; there always has to be a hater, my advice to #2 -get outside and set up shop where you can sell your hater-aid and maybe you could save your profits for a 360 of your own. Just a thought...
Art Guy @ Feb 16th 2006 5:36PM
Insane. The highest I have ever reached is 260k. LOL, I suck.
SandraCisneros @ Feb 16th 2006 6:00PM
He's an Xbox hater because he doesn't find one game to be a system seller? I feel similarly, and wish to see more games come out that I find appealing so I could get my hands on this monster of a game. I felt the same way about Xbox, though that deal never really came to fruition.
Moogle @ Feb 16th 2006 6:01PM
So that's geometry wars, eh? Looks like my proof of concept demo for the game my group eventually made for GATech's video game design class. Of course, mine was 500 rectangles that follow you around and couldn't damage you, but it had massive multiplayer (well, as many USB controllers as you could find, up to 127). I can kinda understand the attraction, my group wasted about 3 days of class playing with the demo.
Reminds me first and foremost of Crimsonland. And it makes me want to play Bangai-O again. That was one of the greatest games ever... *tears form in mog's eyes* *sneezes* stupid cold.
Jeremy Wright @ Feb 16th 2006 6:23PM
Cool, good on him. As far as bashing the 360... Y'know, there still isn't a single game that would make *me* buy a PS2.
That doesnt' mean it isn't a great system. And it doesn't mean it isn't absolutely freaking perfect for the 100M PS2 owners. But, the controller, the feel of the system and the exclusive games just don't call to me.
With the 360, more and more of these games do. And for my wife, they're huge. So, maybe we're going to see a shift. Maybe the 360 will be a 'casual gamers' system. It'd be a shame to waste all that horsepower on that, but we've all been waiting for a console to truly appeal to casual gamers, and if 360 is finally it then good on Microsoft.
guises @ Feb 16th 2006 6:29PM
all you geometry wars fans really need to play crimsonland:
http://crimsonland.reflexive.com/
similar, excellent, and the survival mode is an option - not the full game. not a fan of endurance games myself.
007craft @ Feb 16th 2006 6:33PM
Yet another post about gemoetry wars by joystiq. You guys are obsessed with this game. If I post the #1 video for marble blast ultra, will you post it on joystiq? I dont think so.
Jesse @ Feb 16th 2006 7:06PM
I agree with 007craft. I mentioned before in a *past* Geomentry Wars post that there were waaay too many posts about Geometry Wars. I once again suggest you start posting all of this on Xbox 360 Fanboy *OR* open up a Geometry Wars Fanboy site as since it might flood the 360 Fanboy site.
By the way that music is god awful.
jennie @ Feb 16th 2006 7:07PM
Send it in, 007craft--we're not ALL Geo Wars obsessives here.
(I only say that because I still haven't managed to legitimately get the 100k achievement. In my defence, I haven't been trying..)
phez @ Feb 16th 2006 7:25PM
geometry wars doesn't really get any harder as the points rack up; once you get past the 250k mark you'll notice there isn't so many more enemies on the screen as you'd think there'd be.
its really just a matter of survival.
dan s @ Feb 16th 2006 7:26PM
What difference does it make how many Geo Wars posts they make. If you don't like them, skip them. It's not reducing the amount of other content here.
As to bashing the 360, who cares if this is its best game. Why do people assume that no games will ever come out for this system. It'll still be 400 bucks when good titles appear. I remember when gamers welcomed any console that came out because it added new games and possibilities to the market. I don't want a PS3, but I welcome it because it will strengthen the game market for years to come.
matt @ Feb 16th 2006 7:39PM
The haters don't understand. XBLA is awesome. If you can get the wife to play games you are so good. Then they don't mind letting you play the other games you also want to play.
I love the return to "Classic Arcade" style games. I have wanted a simple game to play for a very long time now. I don't always have time to get into a retail game, but the XBLA games are perfect. Got a half hour? Play some XBLA.
GunForHire @ Feb 16th 2006 8:07PM
And yet I bet half of you didn't complain about all the many, many, many Revolution Interface videos that showed nothing of worth.
At least as a Geo Wars player myself this made me realise how much I suck at it (I can only get about 1.1M!).
Joey Geraci @ Feb 16th 2006 8:21PM
Just paid that Crimsonland game, and boy, oh boy, does it pale in comparison to GW. crappy graphics, uninspiring enemies, temporary powerups only, crappy weapons, ... $20!!! Are they kidding me? That is one of the best things about XBLA, reasonable prices compared to what some of these independent games publishers would charge themselves.
The music is the guys own, streamed onto the 360. As in, GW has no music. (The way it should be)
On the positive side, the makers of Crimsonland have a game on XBLA that is pretty innovative and addicting, Wik.
Kevin @ Feb 16th 2006 8:46PM
Actually, GW does have music, it's just not very good and by the time you start getting into the game you won't even notice it.
Will Strinz @ Feb 16th 2006 8:55PM
! @ Jesse: How can you not like less than jake? Ska is awesome...
Anyway very nice, im no good at GW :(
Paul @ Feb 16th 2006 8:59PM
"Yet another post about gemoetry wars by joystiq. You guys are obsessed with this game. If I post the #1 video for marble blast ultra, will you post it on joystiq? I dont think so."
Possibly because marble blast isnt the #1 selling game on xbox live arcade. And to whoever said the game doesnt get any more difficult after 250,000 hasnt made it very far past 250,000. The game gets incredibly difficult. And what has made the game so popular is it's addictive as crack. I thought it looked kind of stupid too til I played it. It's hard to walk away from
Jesse @ Feb 16th 2006 9:57PM
I don't hate Geometry Wars, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Microsoft or Old School Gaming. But I still hate that music.
It just annoys me that Geometry Wars gets more posts then Halo, Half-Life, Steam, Oblivion, .
Jesse @ Feb 16th 2006 9:58PM
There was *supposed* to be a (insert popular game here) but using...pointy brackets, it was taken as HTML code...
ill trooper @ Feb 16th 2006 10:35PM
I was hoping that watching that might offer some insight and inspiration on how to improve my own game of GW, but honestly, it's just what I feared - no super secrets, just lightning reaction times, keep fuXXing flying and firing, and an inspired use of bombs. Amazing.
It also occurred to me that this high-score game seems to have been played on a standard-def television, as the aspect ratio is 4:3, and whenever my friend comes over to play on my HDTV, he tells me 'this is a different game,' referring to the increased contrast and detail. I'm not sure if the increased detail on this game is a good thing; it might be more distracting to see all the detail of the grid and the stars.
Anyone else have any thoughts on that?
Jeb @ Feb 16th 2006 11:54PM
The game does keep getting harder for a while, but according to the developer it stops getting more difficult at around 5 million points and then it's just survival (forgot the developer's name - did I read that on Joystiq? or was it Bizarre's website?)
Not that I make it that far...
Brian @ Feb 16th 2006 11:55PM
Ladies! Don't get your panties in a bunch, quit your crying. If you don't like the 360 or Geometry Wars then why do you comment? Clearly you have more free time than someone who plays a game for 45 minutes because they actually enjoy what they waste time doing.
Trango @ Feb 17th 2006 12:53AM
ill trooper - I definitely agree with your theory about 4:3 vs 16:9. Last December I was trying my hardest to hit 500,000 in GeoWars playing on my very very nice HD projector with 92 inch screen. Then I went to my parents house for the holidays and proceeded to get 1.8 million on their standard def 30" TV.
After that trip, I experimented playing with the Xbox set to 480p (in 4:3 aspect) vs 720p (obviously 16:9). I consistently do better when playing in 4:3 aspect ratio. My current high score is just a touch shy of 3 million (something like 2.993 mil) but I can't break 2 million when I play on 720p.
My theory is that the game gives you roughly the same viewable area, but in widescreen mode, it chops off the top and bottom and extends the sides. That slight difference in viewing range up and down decreases the time you have to react to enemies coming on the screen from the top or bottom. Atleast that's my theory...
And now I'm gonna have to go play again... you know, to test the theory some more... :)
guises @ Feb 17th 2006 12:53AM
never seen anyone deride crimsonland before... of course it's not as shiny as GW, that's not really the point. one presumes that you enjoyed it more than you are letting on here or you wouldn't have spent the $20 for the full version.
regardless, the real appeal is that if you try and fail on a level in crimsonland you are out maybe 3-4 minutes, not 30. this is what i meant when i said that i wasn't fond of endurance games. this is also what a "return to classic arcade style" games means: things that never end. don't see why people miss these so badly.
CheekyLee @ Feb 17th 2006 8:56AM
What exactly is the problem with this (or any) site loving Geometry Wars? When a game is as good as this, then we have a duty to spread the word. If anyone had any videos even half as interesting from Halo then I am sure they would be posted, too.
Actually, I will concede one point to people wondering why that video was posted. Let's face it, after a couple of minutes you are just seeing the same thing over and over. Sure, I can't do it. But it doesn't really get any more impressive after 2 or 3 minutes into it. (That being said, it is EXTREMELY impressive to start with!)
K4rn4ge @ Feb 17th 2006 2:15PM
First of all, thanks for hosting my video on Joystiq. Hoped you all enjoyed and possibly learned from my video.
By the way, I know that I was only a couple thousand points away from 16.7 but its really not a big deal if they want to call it 16.6 million. I still actually want to improve on this score sometime and get 20 million but for now, I want to spend some time actually playing OTHER games... unless my addiction returns too soon.
Also in reply to the SD vs HD TV's, all I know is that I play fine on a 4:3 27 inch Sharp television but have never played GW on a HDTV.
If you have any comments or questions, feel free to flood my 360 mailbox but PLEASE do not send me a friend request. SORRY but my friends list is full and I get tons of friend requests every day. The only way I usually only add people I play with in different games often or sometimes people that post alot in the GW forums and who I already recognize. If Friends Lists allowed like 500 people, I would have no problem with this. Anyway, good luck to everyone in Geo Wars and thanks again to the staff at Joystiq for hosting my video.
K4rn4ge
kilo113 @ Feb 17th 2006 9:12PM
hey nice video, karnage! really puts me to shame :D
i play GW on my pc montior and tv, btw, and the game does look a lot different(more details) on hdpc display, but i don't think it changes gameplay much.
in fact, it might be advantageous to highdef players since it is in widescreen(eh?).
anyway, great vid again(cept for the less than jake or whatever ska stuff...original GW sounds is better and more hypnotising IMO :D).
sfajak @ Feb 18th 2006 2:26PM
@4 I only hate it because to costs WAY too much for only a couple good games (gameplay wise, that is... no need to say "THEY HAVE TEH BEST GRAFIX IN TEH WURLD!!" because that's kind of obvious.) Elder scrolls 4 and Halo 3 are the ones I'm most interested in.
Sean @ Mar 1st 2006 11:37PM
The guy is insane. I played it at my friends house and barely made it to 27,000...
I am one of the fence sitters playing a couple MMOs and waiting for the PS3 since all of us didn't have the money for the 360 in a preorder type deal but, It looks like a most promising buy from all the games at my friend's house I play. I especially like DOA4 as I loved DOA 3 and Ultimate and was quite good with Tina and Bass.
If the PS3 fails me..Which might be possible, I don't mind buying the Xbox 360. And actually look forward for some of the sequels to games that were back on the Xbox Like Halo.
And all of you haters of the Xbox 360, need to re- think your hate and actually play the damn system. You'll be surprised for I blindly hated the Xbox and then I found I loved it and now have it sitting next to my PS2 in my room.
I'll probably have years to wait until a 360 is on sale for me but, It'll give me time to catch up on allthe PS2 and Xbox games I have missed in the last two years.
Ashby Herman @ Mar 9th 2006 10:48PM
Where can I access this file for download?