Monday Night Combat presents itself as a television show, complete with a funny host and cute hostess, based around two teams of combatants battling for big money.  The first things you will notice when MNC begins is that the character designs seem very similar to Team Fortress 2 as well as some of the character classes.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but that’s about where the similarities end.  MNC is set on maps that are arena based.  Classes can upgrade their abilities.  And lastly, almost everything costs or pays you money.  MNC is about making big bucks and using that money to assist your team in beating the rival team.  Beating the rival team is done by destroying their money ball within their base.  Sounds simple, but it’s not!

The strategy behind Monday Night Combat is the proper utilization of the six character classes and proper use of gained money.  The classes in-game are Sniper, Tank, Assault, Gunner, Assassin, and Support.  Each has their own special weapons, skills, strengths, weaknesses, grenades, traps, and personality.  As for the cashflow, you will earn money for every kill and assist.  But you will also need that money to upgrade the three active and one passive skill that each class owns.  Your hard earned cash will also be needed to build a variety of four types of upgradeable defense turrets inside your team’s base.  That’s right, any class can build and upgrade turrets.  Money will also be spent on jump pads, ejectors, and the tide changing Annilhilator.   One of the most important uses of money will be spawning the various types of A.I. controlled robots.  Those robots are the only thing that can bring down the shield of the opposing team’s money ball and make it vulnerable to attack.  Spawn them and escort them to their destination as best as possible.   Win and add to your overall money stats that can be used to purchase Custom Classes that allow for added perks called Endorsements.  Endorsements range from a variety of passive enhancements like Critical Shot, Accuracy, Regeneration, etc.

Monday Night Combat is easily one of the best games released on XBOX Live Arcade in a long time.  For 1200 Microsoft points this addictive game is well worth it.  It’s fast, furious, funny, has lots of personality, offers a different perspective on third-person shooters, and is unique amongst the other game selection on XBOX Live period.  It would be hard not to recommend Monday Night Combat to gamers looking for something different from the norm or gamers who have gotten weary of Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2.  And it’s almost a given that console Team Fortress 2 players will be enticed to try this cool game out.  Monday Night Combat is waiting for the next contestants so come on down!  They have bacon!