New Rally-X on XBLA

Rally driving doesn't wait for anybody, not even Jesus. So, while we were indulging in the Christmas festivities, retro-heads at Microsoft squeezed this 1981 classic online.

Released on 27th December for 400 Microsoft points, New Rally-X lets you turn back the years and enjoy its Pac-Man inspired gaming in glitzy HD.

Originally the sequel to Rally-X, the game challenges players to negotiate a maze, collect flags and avoid enemy vehicles. The flags increase in value as they are obtained, but reset to the base 100 points if you happen to die. To make things a little bit trickier, you also have a limited fuel supply. Once this runs down you'll slow to a crawl, becoming a sitting duck for the evil red cars.

The release also includes other features such as the Lucky Flag that rewards you points depending on the amount of fuel you have left, and the smoke-screen ability that stuns those pesky enemy drivers.

Unfortunately players seem far from impressed with this recent download, belching concerns that Microsoft should either concentrate on releasing newer and independent games, or make better choices about which archaic romps to regurgitate.

"I've had more fun falling down the stairs," claimed 'Wet Vein' on the Major Nelson blog-site, whilst 'XanderSan' rated it a whopping "Disappointment / 10."

Perhaps following Small Arms, RoboBlitz, and Assault Heroes was always going to be a tall order, but we can't help thinking that finishing a successful 2006 with New Rally-X was a little underwhelming.

What's more, it's not even available in Korea. Tsk!