Genre: Action
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: The Behemoth
Release Date: Summer 2008

Microsoft is the undisputed king when it comes to online gaming, and Xbox Live has long been a haven for wonderfully creative games that are just downright fun to play. One of the most beloved XBL titles in recent memory was Alien Hominid HD, a devilishly enjoyable side-scrolling shooter that was equal parts challenging and hilarious. Well, the team at the Behemoth obviously knows a good thing when they see it because they're bringing back all of the things that make their last title so great in the fun and frantic Castle Crashers.

Hominid featured that art design of Dan Paladin, and his work is back again for this new adventure. You play as one of four skeleton knights, each with a distinct set of weapons and powers. Each knight is color-coded, and there can be only one of each color in the game. That restriction doesn't really hurt things, though, as each character is just as adept at laying the smackdown as any other. Combat is simple, with two buttons devoted to attacks: one for jumping and another for magical attacks. The title is a pure throwback to the side-scrolling beat-'em-ups from the glory days of the video arcade, and complicated strategy is eschewed for the pure joy of pounding the snot out of someone.

When you aren't beating nameless baddies to death, there will be a few other mission opportunities of which to take advantage. One level we saw featured the knights riding adorable baby deer in an attempt to escape from a giant, nightmarish creature. I mentioned to the developers that the mission brought back some BattleToads flashbacks, and they mentioned that they had been hearing that a lot. The developers didn't discuss how many of these segments there will be, or if this is the only kind of mission aside from straight fighting, but it should be interesting to see what they roll out in order to keep gamers interested.

While Castle Crashers can be played alone, this is really meant to be a multiplayer experience. We had a four-player game going during our demo time, and it seemed like the title could only really be enjoyed to the fullest when played with others. With four-player online and offline co-op, it shouldn't ever be hard to find a game to jump into, and the cooperative aspect means you won't likely have to deal with too many 15-year-olds shouting obscenities and calling you a noob.

Castle Crashers is shaping up to be another must-own game from the Behemoth team. The interplay between cute, cartoony characters and gory, bloody combat is just too delicious to pass up, and the simple, enjoyable gameplay makes this the perfect title to start up when you need a quick gaming session to blow off some steam and cleave some heads. Keep an eye on Xbox Live Arcade this summer. The invasion is about to begin.