E4: Every Extend Extra Extreme might be a lengthy and tongue-twisting name, but the gameplay itself is perfect for bite-sized gaming sessions. This game was released exclusively on the Xbox 360 and is an enhanced port / sequel to Every Extend Extra that was released on the PSP...which was an enhanced port / sequel to a freeware PC game called Every Extend.

The game was developed by Q Entertainment and fits rather well, aesthetically speaking, with their other games like Lumines, Meteos, and Child of Eden. It's certainly a different experience compared to those games, but as a fan of Q Entertainment's other titles, I felt right at home with E4.

All three of the "Every Extend" games feature the same core gameplay with your primary goal being to detonate your ship in such a way that you trigger chain reactions across the enemies that litter the screen. As you detonate, you'll catch any enemies in your blast radius and upon exploding, they'll capture additional enemies in their blast radius...and so on. While you're doing this, various power ups will appear, but you can only collect them after the explosions are complete (though you can manually stop the chain if you want). The overall concept is fairly simple, but there are some nuances that add depth to the experience and help provide the game with a "just one more round" kinda quality.

Even though this definitely isn't a pure rhythm game, it does have a rhythm / synesthesia type feel to it. The explosions you trigger will add a drum-like beat to the music and it's easy to get absorbed into the experience, much like Child of Eden or Rez. Even if it's not rhythm-based, the music is excellent and fits very well with the gameplay. Despite being 15+ years old at this point, the graphics in this game look great with lots of colors, flashing lights, and screen activity to have your senses working overtime.

E4 offers several different modes. The Game Unlimited allows you to play for as long as you're able to find time extension power ups. The Game Time Limited only lets you play for a strict time limit with no ability to extend your game. Wiz Ur Muzik lets you import your own songs in some capacity, though I didn't have any on my hard drive, so I wasn't able to try it out. The Revenge is the last mode and it's a drastic departure from the other ones and is more like a twin-stick shooter where you have to directly attack your enemies.

As I said in the very beginning, E4 provides bite-sized gaming sessions. The gameplay is fairly simple and works well if you just have a few minutes to spare. Overall, if you like to chase after high scores, I highly recommend checking out this underrated Xbox 360 exclusive.

Played On: Xbox Series X (Xbox 360 version)
Completion Date: 2/5/23
Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
Rating: 8/10