Dollar Dash has just hit Xbox Live Arcade and it brings with it some old school fun with a bit of a Bomberman-esque feel to it. Dollar Dash is best played as a couch co-op game with friends in the same room. When playing with friends on the same couch as you it is always fun to trash talk and joke around with each other and you don’t have to worry about some of the pitfalls that you might find online. During the times that I did play Dollar Dash online it seemed to run fine but when you aren’t playing with friends the shortcomings of this game become very evident.

Dollar Dash does not feature a single player campaign. It is online only and if you don’t have friends to play with then you will play against bots. You start out with ten different maps which is a great number but the overall game just didn’t click with me. Funamentally the game is sound and it runs fine. If there had been a campaign along with the multiplayer portion than I’m sure I would have had a lot more fun with it. The action can get really chaotic at times which can be a bit confusing to players who aren’t used to this sort of gameplay.

Dollar Dash features three different modes. There is the “Dollar Dash” mode where you collect money and secure your newfound wealth in a getaway vehicle when it appears. The second mode on offer is “Hit ‘n’ Run” which is where you need to knock out your enemies to earn money. The third mode is “Save the Safe” and the object here is to spend more time with the safe than the other players. You do that by carrying the safe around on your back and running around the map trying to avoid the other players. The other players meanwhile are trying to knock you out so that you drop the safe and they can pick it up. The more time you spend with the safe the more money you get and the person with the most money wins. Pretty much the only objective in any of the modes is to have the most money by the time the game ends. By doing so you will unlock various items in the shop that you can use to customize your characters. Upgrades include things such as being immune to your own cacti attack and increasing your tazers range. You also have other upgrades such as being able to change your hats, different perks such as being able to carry more money in your bag and more. There is a decent amount of content here and if you are someone that really enjoys these types of games then you will probably have a lot of fun unlocking everything.

The problem Dollar Dash faces is that it is online only as I mentioned above. Dollar Dash is a $15 dollar downloadable game and I’m not sure there is going to be a big enough community to sustain this game and keep the servers full. Perhaps if this game was a bit cheaper it would have a better chance but even then this game seems like it is going for a niche market. For me there isn’t a hook here that will keep me coming back other than having a fun party game to play with friends that are visiting. If this happens to be your type of game though then by all means be sure to download the free demo and see for yourself. There is nothing bad about Dollar Dash but for me there isn’t anything that stands out either.

Score: 6/10

Originally posted on Totally Gaming Network