Even though it’s eroded grammar, civility, and our reflex to cringe at spectacles most people decry as “unnatural” and “offensive to anyone without a chemical imbalance,” the Internet has done some good to offset decades of depravity.

It was a boon to indie developers, allowing two dudes in a garage to bring their concisely coded masterpieces to the masses. But until recently, producing content for consoles (the platform most people associated with the term “video games”) wasn’t feasible. Unless you had a spot on one of the major development teams, the financial auspices of an opulent entrepreneur, or some super embarrassing beach photos of Howard Stringer, producing a game on Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo’s turf couldn’t be done.

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In military speak, Zone of Fire means “an area into which a designated ground unit or fire support ship delivers — or is prepared to deliver — fire support. Fire may or may not be observed.”

In Duality ZF, a new 2-D shooter from Xona Games, fire is observed like Flag Day in a Midwestern town. With a full range of gameplay options — from flying the noob-friendly skies to straight up Bullet Hell — Duality ZF has something for everyone.

I chatted with Matthew Doucette, one half of the duo behind the soon-to-be-released Xbox LIVE Community Game, about what’s revolutionary, what’s old school, and what’s just damned cool.
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