Thrill as the Unstoppable Gorg twists tower defense on PC, XBLA, and iOS!!!

It's amazing what a strong setting can do for a game. Unstoppable Gorg is Futuremark's newest title, and with a release on the PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and the iOS platform it's a much less ambitious project than the zero-g shooter Shattered Horizon. Giving the game such an iconic feeling is a smart move, as inventive games like this have done much to prove that the tower defense genre still has room to grow.

Unstoppable Gorg takes place in the pulpy world of classic sci-fi movies, complete with wailing theremins and busty dames. The aesthetics immediately set the game apart from other tower defense titles.

What's unique in Unstoppable Gorg is how comfortable the game is with a smaller scope. We've seen games like Anomaly and Orcs Must Die that both increase the size and immersion of tower defense games, but in Gorg you can see everything you need to on a single screen at all times. This is a plus, as you need to be constantly aware of the health of your towers, their placement, and how much money you're pulling in for upgrades and new defenses.

You're defending a structure surrounded by concentric circles in the center of the screen. You place your defenses on predetermined spots on those circles, and use those defenses to destroy the ships that are coming to attack your base. The twist—both literally and figuratively—comes when you realize you can spin these circles like a record, and thus change the position of your turrets on the fly. This gives you an extra layer of freedom and choice when you're making tactical decisions. You also have to place generators that give you money to buy more defenses, and research labs that allow you to upgrade your turrets. You're denying yourself offensive power when you fill a slot with a generator or research station, but you need them to become more powerful and ultimately win the game.

Unstoppable Gorg is still under development, so the code I'm playing may be significantly adjusted before the game's eventual release. But I can say the setting and unique gameplay made this a very enjoyable preview to write, and I can't wait to see what's coming next.