Bliss Island

GamePro (US) (4.5 out of 5)

The game offers a lot of variety with 25 unique challenges across 9 different levels so there's always something different to do, and if you do get tired of playing by yourself you can play with friends online. The only thing Bliss Island is missing is a more complete multi-player experience. This game was meant to be played with four players instead of two, but considering how much fun you get for the price, you shouldn't be deterred from buying it.

Thunderbolt Games (6 out of 10)

Bliss Island is a good game holding some equally good minigames, however as a package it doesn't fare as well as it should. It's at times a blissful experience, and at times a total joy, but at others it's frustrating, and shallow. With its pricing on Live Arcade at just 400 points however, it's worthy of you money, and serves as a cute diversion for when those games of Halo beat you to a pulp.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (5 out of 10)

We gave the PSP version 4/10, and this largely identical Live Arcade version only scores higher because the price is much more agreeable, the multiplayer more workable and some of the irritations - such as having to unlock everything in the laughably titled Adventure Mode - have been removed.

TalkXbox (43 out of 100)

There are three forms of multiplayer that includes little variety. Fluffy football, the game's main role of online play, is a soccer match where you push (there are no legs to kick with) a ball into the other side's goal post. Brick Invaders and Forest Frenzy have the same construction as the single-player versions, but slightly changed rule sets that govern competition. The audio doesn't show any hard effort either, considering you can easily notice four-second loops being repeated infinitely during certain events. There isn't a lot to do here, and what it offers isn't exciting or interesting. Even at four hundred Microsoft points you'll hardly find any fun in this title. An unoriginal set of mini-games, terrible story and dead multiplayer makes Bliss Island one where you would build a raft and sail off soon as possible without ever looking back.

GameSpot (3.5 out of 10)

Bliss Island is a game without an audience. Casual players will be turned off by the difficulty, while more hardcore players will scoff at the paltry offering of minigames and lack of customization. Don't be fooled by the cheap 400 point price or misleading name. Bliss Island isn't anywhere that you want to visit.

IGN (3.5 out of 10)

Bliss Island is ostensibly aimed at the casual market with its bright visuals and simple design, but even that target is missed thanks to aggravating levels of difficultly in the latter stages. There is a challenge here for those willing to take it. Playing through the adventure will probably take you four or five hours on the first try, longer if you want to win all of the medals and achievements.

Xboxdynasty (XD) (3.2 out of 10)

Wenn ich auf einer einsamen Insel stranden sollte, dann bitte nicht auf Bliss Island. 400 Points und 7 Mini-Spiele, besser könnt ihr eure Points nicht zum Fenster raus werfen. Jeder der sich Bliss Island für 800 Microsoft Points gekauft hat, wird sich nach kürzester Zeit darüber aufregen. Egal, ob liebevoller Papi, der seinem kleinen ein Knuddelspiel gönnen möchte oder junger Spunt, der vielleicht seine Freundin mal vor die Konsole locken möchte, keiner wird mit diesem Spiel länger als 30 Minuten glücklich.

TeamXbox (3 out of 10)

Bliss Island is one of those games that falls apart right from the start, and never digs itself out of that hole. At its best, it’s a testament to mediocrity. At its worst, it’s a textbook case of what not to throw into a minigame collection. A weak plot, a subpar multiplayer and a relatively boring collection of games all add up make Bliss Island one place from which gamers will be eager to get rescued.

Wonderwallweb.com (2.8 out of 10)

As previously mentioned the look of the game is appalling and cheap, I feel sorry for saying this as someone has taken time to drawn these awful creatures. The game is very colourful but this then just makes everything else look even worse.

360 LIVE (2 out of 10)

(...) Sicher, das Spiel ist auf Gelegenheitsspieler zugeschnitten. Die werden aber bei dem rasch steigenden Schwierigkeitsgrad ebenso schnell die Lust verlieren wie alle anderen auch.

Totally Gaming Network (2 out of 10)

So in essence, Bliss Island lacks the incentive to get involved enough with the game to beat it in its entirety. Without a subject young enough to test my theory of the game not even appealing to kids out on, it’s difficult to say whether Bliss Island might find a following amongst young gamers just cutting their teeth on the first faltering steps of their gaming “career”. Personally I don’t think kids should have their intelligence or spark of interest dulled by games like this so I’d probably recommend something a bit meatier such as Viva Pinata or The Spiderwick Chronicles rather than foisting sub-par stuff like Bliss Island on them.