XNA Challenge: Final Stand
by Kyle Orland 
{ Mar 7th 2007 at 7:45AM }
Josh Butterworth is probably better known to NeoGAF readers as Ghost, the author of XNA space shooter Last Alarm. The game got him noticed not just by the NeoGAF community but also by Microsoft, who invited him to take part in the XNA Challenge to create a game from scratch in four days at the Game Developers Conference.
Butterworth's creation is Final Stand, a "static-screen shooter" that he admits draws lots of inspiration from Geometry Wars, right down to the dual stick control scheme. Where Final Stand tweaks the formula is in its multiplayer mode, which will allow four people to work together to kill as many of the swarming yellow enemies as possible. The game is intended as a co-operative exercise, but Butterworth said he'll be leaving friendly fire on so "if you're losing in the scores and have two seconds left and have a missile in your pocket and you see your friend over there, you can feel free to shoot him." Think of it as Space War meets Geometry Wars.
Butterworth is impressed with what he's been able to get out of the XNA environment after only a few months of experience, but he isn't really trying to compete with his more experienced challengers. "It's not really a competition," he said. "It's about showing what's possible on XNA." Watch a video of the work-in-progress after the jump.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
congruent @ Mar 7th 2007 8:13AM
You mean the dual-stick control scheme that was used in Robotron, and half of all the robotron clones that have been made in the last 25 years?
nick @ Mar 7th 2007 8:23AM
Your Last Alarm link is somewhat outdated.
Here's the more current link
http://www.grassrootsgames.co.uk/Last%20Alarm/
Matthew Lenz @ Mar 7th 2007 8:30AM
RE: congruent
preach on brother.
benjamin @ Mar 7th 2007 8:32AM
No relation to Mrs. Butterworth (of syrup fame).
Karttikeya @ Mar 7th 2007 8:38AM
@ 3 Matthew Lenz
That was completely lame.
@ 1 congurent.
Duh. But if you have seen Space Wars, it graphically looks a lot like Geometry Wars with its partical effects. Plus Kyle was trying to make a more recent game reference, that more Joystiq readers could relate to. We don't refer to Wolfenstein 3D every time a new FPS comes out.
Myke @ Mar 7th 2007 8:39AM
I wonder how many Red Bull's and cups of coffee are averaged by these one-man teams over thier 4-day mission.
Myke @ Mar 7th 2007 8:42AM
Karttikeya - yeah, but if you google the term "Wolfenstien clone" you'll see that phrase was used for a number of years to describe first person shooters, and then it turned into "Doom clone" and then finally the modern FPS term we use today.
mj @ Mar 7th 2007 9:35AM
Robotron? Robotron? Is that on XBLA or Wii VC?
sheppy @ Mar 7th 2007 10:03AM
everytime I hear the name Robotron, it reminds me of the Freezepop song. Don't know why, exactly.
Regardless, seems like a waste when, on the XNA challenge, the guy who has a chance to dazzle and get some financial backing is going the route of a clone. "No, no, it's like Kid Icarus... except with multiplayer so it's completely new, see?"
J.Goodwin @ Mar 7th 2007 10:22AM
Yeah, Robotron is on XBLA.
Vidikron @ Mar 7th 2007 10:31AM
I just want to know we can hope to see some XNA creations officially on XBLA. I know I can pay $99/yr for XNA and have access to all of them, but I've not a dev so I'd rather just pay $5-8 at a time for the best ones.
ill trooper @ Mar 7th 2007 12:55PM
Actually, it seems to look a lot like the old Cinematronics arcade game 'Armor Attack, which then showed up on the Vectrex.
http://images.webmagic.com/klov.com/screens/A/wArmor_Attack.png
I was hoping the large red 'buildings/canyons' that you could scroll over as you moved toward the edges, "Rally-X' style. But it appears in this clip that they remain still and that's the way it stays. Maybe it's one 'level' of many... But it _is_ only 4 days worth of work - I'm sure it could turn into something more intersting and engaging.
Brandon Paddock @ Mar 7th 2007 2:57PM
So he's cloned XNA Asteroids, which was also the first thing that I did when I got my hands on XNA :)