Boring old asteroids again?
Yep, once again, the galaxy is overrun with rocks that need smashing to smithereens. Well, it is Asteroids! Rocks everywhere of all shapes and sizes plus some rather strange ones too: Popcorn rocks which bloat before eventually freezing. Red rocks that leave behind crystals to conveniently recharge your shield. So are you ready for more rock blasting?
I hope so because this game is frantic and we're not alone! Along with rocks, aliens frequently rear their ugly heads! These should be killed quickly to reveal a range of nifty power-ups - such as a double shot or the impressive Ripstar.
Okay, let's end the pointless chitter-chatter with some screenshots...
Who ya gonna be? Quite the selection for different gamers.
But how tough are ya? Come on, be brave and don't wimp out on me now!!
It's all rocks and aliens!
Blasteroids is split into segments with those split into smaller sectors. These must be completed before reaching a gruesome End Of Level Boss - the monstrous Mukor!! Your ship is equipped with upgradeable weapons, a powerful shield, and the ability to transform itself. Once all the rocks are pounded into dust, a transporter appears to whisk you off to the next sector. Come on, don't be disappointed - how else could they glam up Asteroids without bloating and ruining it?
Once all sectors are cleared you will finally get to lock horns with Mukor, a festering evil entity who fires miniature spaceships using his tentacles - so shoot each of these suckers first. That's my big tip and then you can watch him scarper like the fatty bloated coward he is. I actually enjoyed our battles which are fun without being impossibly tough!
This game is superb fun and features cool graphics with a style I admire. Wanna see some screenshots...
Attacks from all angles and tremendous BAM BAM BAM fun!!
Asteroids, but with flashy backgrounds and colourful pixels? You are a cynic!!
Joyslick action?
Controls are excellent and responsive: rotate the ship using left or right, push up to thrust, and keep slamming on that fire button to shoot anything rocky. Predictable stuff but gravity and momentum play their parts to affect performance. Don't worry, your shield will help compensate for your poor piloting skills!! Not that I have any...ahem...
Pulling back on the joystick will transform your ship between three different models: the Speeder is agile, Fighter has great weaponry, and Warrior is a burly beast. Friends can jump in on the action - at any time - with impressive cooperative two-player support. Just like in the arcades - a superb feature you shouldn't overlook (I cannot stress that enough!!)
Fantastic stuff, right? Well, it's time to stop reading and view some rather cool screenshots...
The gravitational effect between sectors is superb...
...and then it's more rock-blasting again!
Aesthetics
Graphics are gorgeous - for what used to be a visually stark experience. I love the nicely animated rocks rolling through space. The enemy ships are superb and all other sprites are large, detailed and well-animated. Oddly, the backgrounds are 4-colours but you would never notice that due to their apt design and gorgeous artistic flair, which I admire.
Sadly, the audio disappoints with lame bleep-bleep sound effects instead of samples, which the ST would have easily handled for a game like this. Music is also a touchy subject as it soon becomes extremely repetitive. Thankfully, that can be switched off, but that only highlights those inadequate sound effects... catch-22. So, yes, I am disappointed.
Looks fantastic yet sounds poor. Can't have it all, eh? Let's view some more screenshots...
Shoot!! Kill!! Destroy everything!! <insert evil laugh>
BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! So-much-fun!!
The CryptO'pinion?
This is a great conversion albeit with a few niggles that spoil an otherwise great rock-smashing experience. Asteroid purists probably won't like it with all the extra changes and improvements but, keep an open mind, because this game is tons of fun. Ignoring the sound effects, they have improved the genre as best they could, without adding bloatware to ruin it.
If someone put a gun to my head and made me choose between this and
Stardust, I fear the latter would win. However, it wouldn't win by much, because Blasteroids is exceptional and utterly addictive. Make the time - play this!!
Oh yeah, baby!!! I own this beauty :-)
