I have never been the greatest at strategy games. They always seem to take a while for me to figure out the patterns, usually after about the 10th death in a row. After a while I get into a groove, but more often than not, I never seem to finish them.

But the teasing of NinjaBee Games via their Twitter account about Avatars casting spells & battling giant bugs intrigued me. So a couple days before the Avatar update and new DLC was released, I found myself preparing with the game’s original star, Maal. We got off to a rough start; I was trying to get used to the controls, Maal kept getting into harm’s way. Once we got the ball rolling, I was having a great time. Maneuvering and getting used to the various characters (and their unit status) was a treat. Tiernan gave me the guidance I needed to learn how to defend myself and defeat the evil mosquitoes and spiders who lay in wait. (And I am a huge arachnophobe, so killing spiders is kind of liberating.)

On Wednesday, the Avatar support update became available. I had just crawled out of bed, queued up the DLC for downloading, booted the 360 and hopped in the shower to let everything be ready for when I was done. There were frantic messages on my computer screen. “Get on BoB! We are dying! We need a healer!” I joined my boyfriend and another of our friends in a round of Spider Hunter, and there I was! My Avatar, in all her green haired glory, was trying to avoid getting beaten to death by giant bugs while casting healing spells like crazy. We played for a few hours, my boyfriend casting Heat & Chill spells, which look really cool seeing the red fireball or icy blast hovering momentarily in your hands. Our friend was the muscle, armed with a very long stick. He ducked out for a minute to update his Avatar’s look, which sadly didn’t register with our game right away.

I decided to celebrate my Avatar’s new powers by giving her a bit of a make over. Decked out in the largest hat I could find, some dungarees and Crocs to match my ultra-cool hair, I’m rocking the BeeKeeper look while I kill as many evil bugs as possible.

After witnessing my usurping of Maal, I ventured into the Tales of Kaloki content. Ten more missions based around the Kaloki Universe. Tiernan is narrating the story of a brave space Captain who chases his nemesis across the galaxy. The DLC features various space ships and a whole bunch of new humor (the Home-Star button being my personal favourite). Yegg, your mosquito friend, even weaves a rather interesting tale for you to play out.

I have to admit that I am really loving this game. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the article, I am not the best at strategy games. However, my love of achievements and good multiplayer are keeping me coming back for more. I find myself replaying missions to get gold medals and lighting spiders on fire gives me a happy tingly feeling inside. If you are looking for something fun showcasing your Avatar, I highly suggest you grab Band of Bugs.

Some big updates are coming for Band of Bugs on July 8th. The first being an update that will provide Avatar support for the game. Your Avatar will replace the main character Maal, and you can battle it out “in person” against your friends in Spider Hunter mode. Just picture it! You and seven of your friends can all see yourselves on TV. It always seems like a lot more fun when I have the opportunity to watch “myself” pick on my friends. Being digital, it just means there are no physical evidence of any bruises I might inflict – just some ego bruising if there is a thorough thwomping! The update is free for everyone.

Friends Screen for Band of Bugs Theme

Ninjabee will be celebrating with a brand new premium XBL theme, for 240 Microsoft Points. I think it looks pretty awesome! For some reason it makes me think of Honey I Shrunk the Kids. You remember when they were running through the lawn? That right there!

The Tales of Kaloki DLC also is released on July 8th. This new content is going to give you a new story mode campaign and ties in with another of Ninjabee’s titles, Outpost Kaloki. This DLC adds some awesome intergalactic play.

Check out some screenshots from the new DLC:

Ground Combat

Space Battles

The original Band of Bugs runs 800 Microsoft Points, and the DLC is currently listed at 240 when it is released on July 8th. I’m really looking forward to trying out the new Avatar abilities, and I hope to see some of you on the battlefield!