With the amazing dark look, the awesome soundtrack and the superb narration by Patrick Stewart, War of the Worlds is one of the best XBLA games I have played in a while. And, for only 800 MS points, you would be silly to pass up this gem.
The War of the Worlds winds up being a competent action/platform game in the end, and a fun one for fans of the genre. The debatably antiquated gameplay style and mechanics might be a turn-off for some, but those who enjoy those trappings should be satisfied.
The War of the Worlds is absolutely not for everyone – those with high blood pressure or weak wills need not apply - but if you fondly remember the games name-checked above, or if you enjoyed Limbo but want something less artsy, less creepy, and less spider-y, this is certainly worth a shot. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't have issues or that it didn't drive me half-mad with frustration, but equally I'm not going to hide the fact that I had a lot of fun dying my way through a ruined London.
The War of the Worlds has the trappings of a solid game. But because it's such a frustrating chore to play, in the end it only proved extremely effective at stressing me out with little reward. Good games just don't do that.
Say what you will about the 2005 Spielberg film adaptation turning the invasion literature into an explosive action romp, it probably would have been a better starting point for the game adaptation. Then again, maybe this is a project that should never have got off the ground to begin with; after all, some pages are better left unturned.