Is the crazy, split-brained, Xbox LIVE original too weird, or does it work?

What happens when you take the shooter formula in Geometry Wars, mix in the polarity of Ikaruga, and then make the player float around with no guns? Insanity is what you get, and I am positive that is what developer Torpex had in mind when aptly naming their newest LIVE Arcade release, Schizoid.

Schizoid places you, in a top-down arena, much like we saw in Geometry Wars. Aside from having no guns, lasers, or any kind of projectiles, there is another catch. One player takes control of the blue spacecraft, the other controls its orange brother. Enemies have a specific color, like Ikaruga's polarity system, and are only be destroyed by being rammed by a player of their same color. The enemy can vary in personality from hunt-you-till-you-die, to hit-and-run annoyances.

These evil little orbs of light are smarter than your average shooter fodder as well. Just as you are bearing down on the last one of your color, it will try and bait you into a slew of opposing colored enemies. Situations like this generally end in you retreating screaming for your wingman to rush in and save you.

It is because of these situations that Schizoid is being advertised as "the most co-op game ever", and we can't argue. Since the whole game is played with a player and a wingman (either controlled by the computer, or another player via LIVE or local play) and working together is crucial to surviving the 120 levels of the game. The system works well, and is a blast when playing with friends. Playing simply with a computer counterpart is fairly lame by comparison. Not because it isn't competent, it is, but more because it just feels empty.