STAFF REVIEW of Diner Dash (Xbox 360 Arcade)


Tuesday, November 24, 2009.
by Ken Laffrenier

Diner Dash Box art Who among us has never wasted 'productive' hours dreaming of discarding our stressful 'careers' to live out the adventure and excitement that can only be offered by operating our very own restaurant? Can there be a more rewarding life experience than to see the expansion of your life's work in terms of 'two tops' and 'four tops'? Our story begins with office worker Flo dealing with stress by doing what most of us only dream of; running a 2 star restaurant.

The porting of this "time management" style game comes to us courtesy of Hudson Soft. Created by Gamelab studios and published by PlayFirst, Diner Dash first entered the scene in 2004, wowing most casual players with it's ability to bring out the completest in any who attempted to turn the game off after 3 hours play. The series has spawned several sequels and many new variations of play.

The Xbox 360 Live Arcade version has carried over the frenzied activities and also offers new and exciting rewards; yes, even online multiplayer. Those new to the series will find there is a lot to see and do; from dealing with unruly customers to catering to some unique clientele such as the restaurant critic.

The Career and Endless play options have come through very well with the addition of achievement points for successful completion. The career and endless play have been the staple of the Dash series but the producers have included a very stimulating multiplayer online addition to the game. Online there are co-op and competitive modes for going one on one with friends and team battle mode for up to 8 players which ran very well with only the rare lag in play.


I will say this, both of my daughters have enjoyed the challenges in learning to control the on screen character but they have also become frustrated to the point that they have returned to playing the PC version rather than continue the Xbox offering (which frees up the console for me, hehe).

The visuals are better than expected. The layout has moved beyond to become more immersive but it can be easy to miss some of the more subtle details because of the amount to take in. There are minor issues (see: table dodging) but these become an issue as the game progresses.

The biggest disappointment in the game is the sound. The sound has the usual fare but certainly adding more variety could have been an option. Much of the gameplay consists of the digital dings and pings (outside of the occasional 'hrumph' and a few others) but the opportunity to offer more and even a few real voices was overlooked in this offering.

The sound is a sour point for me but it doesn't take away much from the enjoyment and playability. The controls are tricky and are not at all designed for kids, but as you adapt to the controller scheme you quickly see your overall control increase.

Overall this is a typical XBLA porting of a great game; easily identifiable, playable and most of all enjoyable. At 800 Microsoft points this is can be a great game to crowd (62mb) some of your hard drive space but I encourage you to try the demo first; if you enjoy the demo at all then you'll love the game.





Overall: 8.0 / 10
Gameplay: 8.0 / 10
Visuals: 8.0 / 10
Sound: 8.0 / 10

Comments

Site Statistics

Registered Members: 81,171
Forum Posts: 725,969
Xbox One Titles: 6,502
Xbox 360 Titles: 1,086
Xbox 360 Kinect Titles: 95
Xbox 360 Arcade Titles: 586
Original Xbox Titles: 987
Staff Reviews: 2,612
Member Reviews: 10,339
News Articles: 16,557
Screenshots: 39,558
Xbox 360 Achievements: 45,112
Xbox 360 Faceplates: 2,016
Cheat Codes: 1,706

Latest News

Bulwark: Evolution Out Now on Consoles

Bulwark: Evolution Out Now on ConsolesThis major free update, which has already been successfully launched on Steam, brings a new layer of depth, strategy, and innovative gameplay mechanics to the immersive world of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles.


Thrustmaster Unveils T.Flight Hotas One

Thrustmaster Unveils T.Flight Hotas OneThrustmaster’s best-seller is back with a new look featuring the official license of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This complete, precise and easy-to-use hands- on throttle and stick (HOTAS) is the ideal companion for Microsoft Flight Sim 2024







See News Archives

Community Forum Activity

KeyWe Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 28586 Views

2021: XBA is still here
Post by shrew king
40 Replies, 275824 Views

Watch Dogs: Legion
Post by Nato King
0 Replies, 128905 Views

Xbox Series X or S
Post by Nato King
5 Replies, 147215 Views

Spellbreak Grand Magus Pack (3) and Starter Pack (7) Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 133495 Views

I pay $ 1000! I search the Element 54 Canadian launch Team signaturen Faceplate
Post by Smill
0 Replies, 157618 Views

Xbox one no signal
Post by debrartin
0 Replies, 146605 Views

do you remember?
Post by SnoochyBoochy
3 Replies, 220465 Views

i haz xbox
Post by SnoochyBoochy
0 Replies, 177349 Views

Claiming the first thread of 2020
Post by Kraft
7 Replies, 269066 Views

Important! I pay $ 1000! I search the Sweden launch and the Element 54 Faceplate
Post by Smill
3 Replies, 151932 Views

Squad Up
Post by samslophead
0 Replies, 261957 Views

TERA Skinned Xbox One X Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 181398 Views

Starfield Release expectations?
Post by DJ tx
4 Replies, 314498 Views

Issue with Xbox live on Xbox home
Post by rcmpayne
0 Replies, 169972 Views

© 2000-2024 XboxAddict.com - All rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft. XboxAddict.com is not affiliated with Microsoft.

Made in Canada
Site Design by Cameron Graphics