Scrolling Fighting Games #3

Robo Army (1991)
By: SNK  Genre: Scrolling Fighting  Players: 1-2  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: SNK Neo Geo MVS First Day Score: 10,500
Also Available For: Neo Geo AES & CD

Ask most people what kind of game they associate with the mighty Neo Geo and most will undoubtedly say one-on-one fighting games. This is understandable since the machine is positively flooded by games of this type, and mostly good ones too, but what of scrolling fighting games? Well, unknown by me until recently, there is one that goes back just about as far as the Neo Geo itself does! The moment of revelation for me came at the recent R3Play Gaming Expo in Blackpool where my friend Rich and I discovered the only AES at the show was running a game of the type in question. So, I'd discovered its existence, but the fighting game pedigree of the host console gave it a lot to live up to. Is the system as adept at the scrolling variety of fighting games?


Near the start of the first stage...

The first thing I noticed about Robo Army, which shouldn't have been surprising given its name, is that there's nary a Human in sight! Apparently a 'mad scientist' has decided to create an army of robots to destroy the city, capture all the citizens, and use their brains for more robots to take over the world. The fact that the only Human's in the game seem to be scantily-clad girlies in prison would seem to suggest he's been at least partially successful too. Eeek! All is not lost though, as you and a friend can help to save these girlies, and indeed the rest of mankind, by assuming control of a pair of cybernetic soldiers, Maxima and Captain Rocky, and punching the crap out of all the stupid robots that stand between you and the 'mad scientist'!


Jump back and forth between ropes to escape!

The distance in question spans six 'areas' and includes such locales as a jungle, city streets, a factory, and of course the main enemy stronghold. Populating all of these areas are robots of various kinds comprising the 'army' of the title. Some of them are mere drones but there are several special kinds too, including mid-bosses, and even some robotic birds and dogs and other animals. Progression to the next area is guarded by a robotic boss, often a larger version of one of the animal robots. The heroic soldiers have a few attack moves to see off the invading hordes though, including punches, reverse kicks and flying kicks, and they can pick up things to throw at their attackers such as barrels and even vehicles! They can use the limbs of defeated robots as clubs too, and there are also power-up icons to be found periodically. Most of these build up your 'special attack' power (which damages or destroys all on-screen enemies) but there's another which transforms you into an invincible armoured car for a short while!


Watch out for mines in this area...

Aside from the awful title screen (see above!), the presentation and graphics are pretty decent here for an early Neo Geo game. There are some cut-scenes between levels (which I'm afraid I can't follow as I have the Japanese version of the game!), the sprites are big and nicely drawn, and the backgrounds are packed with detail for the most part and feature nice use of colours. The only problem is the lack of variety. Despite being set in pretty diverse locations, most of the levels have a very similar feel to them. The only moment in the game where it seems like the designers are trying to mix it up a bit is the rope section where you must climb down the screen whilst attempting to see off the many foes at the same time. The same can be said for the sprites really. As you play through the six levels you will encounter new ones but a majority feature little variation besides their torso colour, although they do all explode satisfyingly when beaten!


Robocop MkII?

I guess you could say that's the only major problem the game has - it's very repetitive. Control over your cyborg feels a bit clunky but it's pretty good for the most part and the music, whilst fairly average in itself, helps to keep things lively - the sound effects in particular are good, with lots of nice metallic clanging noises. None of this does much to diversify the gameplay though. Your cyborg soldiers are pretty limited as far as their repertoire of moves is concerned and considering the number of buttons available on Neo Geo systems, there's not much excuse really. If they at least had a decent selection of attacks it might help you to overlook the repetitive levels and enemies, but alas, there are few. Robo Army is great fun when played with a friend though, and I suspect it was designed with this in mind. With a few more coats of polish this could've been a cracker but as it stands it's merely average.

RKS Score: 6/10

Music #3 - Pete Droge

As was the case with Dressy Bessy in my last music piece, it was also movies that introduced me to Mr. Droge. It was 1995 and the film in question is slightly less embarrassing than the rather girlie film that introduced me to Denver's finest. This time it was while watching the highly amusing Dumb and Dumber, starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as the buffoons of the title, that I first heard the catchy melodies of 'If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)', the tongue-in-cheek song that accompanies Harry's (Daniels) attempts to steal Lloyd's (Carrey) unrequited love, Mary!

Almost as soon as the movie was over I was trying to find out who the song was by but, what with this being the days before the internet (at least for me), it wasn't as easy as you might think! I did find out in the end though, with the help of Metal Hammer magazine as I recall, and thus my Pete Droge fandom had begun. Born in 1969 and growing up in Seattle, Pete had the unfortunate distinction of sharing his fledgling musical years with the rise of Seattle's grunge scene, and specifically that of Nirvana. Not all the bad luck was on his side though as he also became friends with a certain Mike McCready who would go on to find fame as Pearl Jam's guitarist. Around the time his friend's band were hitting the big time, Pete had his own band, Ramadillo. They did not share the suddenly popular sound that music fans were flocking to Seattle to hear though, so sadly they didn't achieve much success. However, through his continuing friendship with McCready, he got his lucky break soon after relocating to Portland. Pete's friend passed a recording of some of his solo songs to Pearl Jam's producer, Brendan O'Brien, who was so impressed he helped Pete get his first major record deal.

His first album, released in 1994, was 'Necktie Second' and happily it contained the splendid song from Dumb and Dumber. The remainder of the album is not really of the same sort of style as 'If You Don't Love Me...' with Pete instead taking a more moody, reflective approach to the predominantly acoustic tracks. He wrote all the songs himself and they're a mixture of upbeat, rocky numbers like 'Two Steppin' Monkey', soulful ballads like 'Northern Bound Train', and the deeply personal 'Fourth of July' (about a friend's suicide). For a debut album it was a fantastic effort with high production values, thanks to O'Brien's efforts, complimenting the well-crafted, soothing sound of all the songs, and it was a decent hit for Mr. Droge. Soon after this he put together a regular band and by 1996 they had released Pete's next album, and their first collectively, called 'Find A Door', put out under the name of Pete Droge & The Sinners.

Pete's second effort saw a more refined sound, with him apparently growing more comfortable with his own style, and the result was a more bluesy, yet more upbeat and positive record. It featured electric guitars this time as well and was full of catchy tunes like 'It Doesn't Have To Be That Way' and 'Mr. Jade' as well as some more moody acoustic tracks like 'Sooner Than Later' and 'Out With You' which were more reminiscent of his first album. Despite the more confident sound and further critical plaudits, however, the album sadly did not fare as well as the first. This was mainly down to the fact that the label, American Recordings, were suffering some internal strife at the time and the album received almost no promotion or airplay. Those who were big enough fans of his first album (like myself) did manage to find this follow-up though, and whilst it's unfortunate it didn't earn Droge the success he clearly deserved, it remains a superb listen full of infectious tunes.

A further two years later, after doing a lot of touring with the likes of Tom Petty and Neil Young, to whom he has often been compared, he put out his third album, 'Spacey and Shakin', on Brendan O'Brien's own label, Fiftyseven Records. For this release he dropped '& The Sinners' name but continued to use the same band. He also adopted a heavier sound to better suit the bigger venues he was now playing and the result was his most ambitious record yet. If there's one thing that's immediately obvious, it's that this is his loudest release yet, featuring huge guitars and crashing drums amidst hook-laden songs like 'Motorkid' and 'Evan's Radio'. Its psychedelic vibe was again warmly received by a majority of critics and this time saw something resembling a promotional push too, and it ended up as "one of the most outstanding examples of the year in its overcrowded 'guitar-rock' category".


The Thorns perform live on a radio show...

Since then, Pete has been involved in a number of projects. He worked with Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam guitarist) on his solo album, Bayleaf, but his next album release proper was one released by the 'super group' project in which he was joined by Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins in 2003. Their Brendan O'Brien-produced album features a lot of harmonising as the three talented singer / songwriters pool their efforts but there are also many moments allowing one of the trio to shine on their own too. Another solo album soon followed the same year called 'Skywatching' which revisited his more laid-back, acoustic-based work, and it was once again well-received. Among its more mellow songs was 'Small Time Blues' which he could previously be seen performing with Elaine Summers (frequent backing vocalist for Droge and now his wife) in the semi-autobiographical Cameron Crowe film, Almost Famous. His most recent solo album, 'Under the Waves', followed in 2006, and was another insightful collection of emotionally-charged songs featuring his trademark captivating lyrical musings, drawing from his own experiences as he often does. His most recent project is a collaboration with wife, Elaine, for whom Pete has produced some solo work. Now they've joined forces musically as well and created 'The Droge & Summers Blend'. To be honest, I've yet to hear this album, but if the consistently high standard of his previous work is anything to go by, I'm in store for a treat!

Pete and his wife, Elaine Summers...

I've been listening to his songs for many years now. I still have most of them on my MP3 player and I've never got bored of them. Droge's bluesy vibe has also proved highly infectious to near enough everyone I've played his music to and it continues to frustrate me that talented musicians like him don't enjoy anywhere near the level of success that most of the countless talent-vacuums that dominate the charts do. As well as his superb guitar work and appealing voice, Pete is one of the most brilliant lyric-writers I've personally heard. To be honest, I don't often pay too much attention to lyrics - I guess I'm not the most analytical music-fan in the world (although it helps me enjoy foreign-language music too!) - but I can't help but listen to the words he sings. Some of his lyrics are touching, others amusing, but they're never anything less than thought-provoking. If you're a fan of actual musicians music rather than pop-pap, do yourself a favour and check out some of the music of Pete Droge. You won't regret it.

Single Screen Platform Games #4

Kid Gloves (1990)
By: Logotron  Genre: Platform  Players: 1  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Commodore Amiga  First Day Score: 48,550
Also Available For: Atari ST

The poor old Amiga games industry was ravaged by pirated copies of games flooding the market and friends copying games for each other, it was this more than anything else that brought Commodore down in the mid-90's. I've always tried to avoid that sort of business but when I belatedly got my Amiga, a friend gave me a box of discs with copied games on. Some didn't work, others were pretty sucky, but of them all Kid Gloves is probably the one I played the most, guiltily of course, but seeing as it was later given away free by Amiga Power magazine I don't feel so bad now! However, since I no longer have my Amiga and have developed a deep fear of using WinUAE, it's been a long time since I played this game. It's not looked upon too favourably by the Amiga community these days, I wonder if I'm about to destroy my happy memories of playing it too...

Lucky the goblin thing isn't hurt by the fire, eh?

It's a pretty simple game which sees you, as Kid, attempting to rescue your kidnapped girlfriend or some such nonsense. In order to do this he must make his way through the danger-filled, flick-screen world between him and his goal. Each of the screens are populated by various creatures and obstacles, such as pigs, goblin things, whirly blades, etc, which move in short, simple patterns, and some which remain still, such as fire. Contact with any of these objects means instant death for our hapless hero. Fortunately he can fight back, against the creatures at least, by firing coins at them, and there are other weapons available in the shop that appears periodically including Flames, Deathstar, and Megalaser. Many of the screens also contain other items like food (for points), keys (to pass barriers), money (to spend in shops), smart bombs (to clear screens of enemies), and ankh's (for extra lives) and he can also use magic to turn the barriers into food too.

Those orange blocks can be dropped down...

If there's one thing about Kid Gloves which is still as true today as the first day I played it, it's that it's a pretty tough game! Some screens have objects such as blocks that fall down when you touch them to help you reach certain areas. Not only does this kind of thing kill you if you go so much as a pixel too close, but they can also have the opposite effect and prevent you from accessing an area. Most of the enemies in the game either walk backwards and forwards on platforms or bounce on the spot but there are also some that appear some time after you entered a screen. These ones can move freely around the screen and pursue you like Baron Von Blubba! Luckily, unlike the Bubble Bobble meany, these can be shot, but they always appear in the same place regardless of where you are on the screen which means they might appear right on top of you if you're not careful! There are also some fireball things that move much more quickly around the screen if you hang around for too long, and these cannot be shot. However, leaving the screen then returning to it will reset everything to its original place, except the enemies which do not reappear.

Angry bouncing snake bars the war forward...

That's pretty much the only problem with this game. I knew even back then that it was a simple game, looking more akin to a Public Domain game than a full-price release. The backgrounds and sprites look okay but are poorly animated and hardly push the Amiga to its limits. There is some nice sampled sound effects and speech though, and a pretty decent title-screen tune, but there's no in-game music. None of this is really reason to dislike the game, it just has a few minor gameplay flaws that are so frustrating. The collision-detection is pretty shocking for one thing which obviously doesn't help matters, and the controls can be really fiddly too - you try going up or down a ladder in a hurry! I never could get very far in Kid Gloves and that hasn't changed since I started replaying it. Every time I think "right, I'll get really far into it this time" it just ends up annoying me too much and I play something else. I don't think it's aged too badly, but it's flaws are more apparent to me now. Ultimately it has a certain charm but this is a very average game that could've so much better with a few tweaks.

RKS Score: 5/10

Master System Shmups #3

Fantasy Zone 2 (1987)
By: Sega  Genre: Shooting  Players: 1  Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Featured Version: Sega Master System  First Day Score: 40,000
Also Available For: Arcade, Nintendo NES, MSX
Download For: Wii Virtual Console

Sega pretty much invented the quickly-dubbed 'cute em up' sub-genre with Fantasy Zone and it was an interesting fusion of gaming styles. The bright, colourful graphics full of funny-looking creatures and cute characters belied the tough shooting action the game provided, but it proved to be very popular and was converted to several platforms of the time. Set ten years later, this inevitable sequel tells pretty much the same story as the first game - the now-expanded territory of the Fantasy Zone has come under renewed attack from the evil Menon Empire who are once again attempting to construct a huge fortress in the Fantasy Zone. He's getting on a bit now but Opa-Opa still springs into action to save the day!

The first stage is quite similar to the first game's one...

Fantasy Zone 2 The Tears of Opa-Opa, to give it its full title, initially appears to be more of the same from Sega, and there is in fact little difference between this and the first game beyond the cosmetic, but that's certainly no cause for complaint when the first game was so good! There are again eight stages and each but the last is a free-scrolling, looped stage featuring a constant stream of small enemies, usually moving in formation or patterns, whose sole job it is to prevent you from destroying the larger, enemy-spawning Menon 'bases' on each stage, of which there are substantially more this time. Eliminating them all will lead to a boss fight before progressing to the next round.

Those crab things are awesome...

The biggest difference between this and the first Fantasy Zone game is that each round is now divided into several different areas. Destroying enemies still releases coins (and notes now, too) of varying value but some Menon bases leave behind a blue warp instead. These allow you to travel back and forth between the areas, each of which generally contains four or five bases. There is also one base that will leave behind a red warp when destroyed. This leads to the boss but you can't enter it until all the bases are destroyed. Opa-Opa's basic armaments remain his weak but rapid-fire twin shot, and slow-firing but more powerful bombs. Fortunately there is again a shop to help him out which this time stays put once it appears rather than floating around for just a few seconds as before. Most of the old engine and weapon upgrades return, such as the jet engine, wide beam, laser, seven way shot, and twin bombs (which are much more useful this time) and there's a few new ones too like the big shot, three way shot, and twin big bombs. As before, the speed-ups and twin bombs will last for the remainder of that life but the other shot and bomb upgrades are time or shot-limited.

The nicest looking ice level until Thunder Force 3!

The eight rounds are all set on new planets and as such there are many glorious new wonders to behold here, and that's perhaps one of the biggest draws of Fantasy Zone 2. Not only does each round have its own background, but most of the areas within each round do too, and they are mostly superb! As well as being unique (and very colourful, as you might imagine!), they are much more diverse than in the first game and feature particularly impressive ice and fire stages. Each stage is also home to unique enemies who are varied and superbly detailed for the most part. There is a little slow-down when things are at their busiest, but this remains one of the prettiest, most vibrant games available for the Master System.

Eeek! Even the bases look angry on the fiery level...

Anyone who's played Fantasy Zone will know exactly what to expect here. Sega has tinkered with the premise very little for the sequel and, aside from the new graphics, sound, and level structure, this is essentially the same again but even better. It remains a pretty tricky game, with some smaller enemies moving very quickly and occasionally seeming to appear from nowhere, but it's not unfairly difficult and playing though it is great fun. As well as taking you to new areas, the warps are extremely helpful for escaping from oncoming hordes of enemies, and thanks to the easier access to the shop, it's now possible to buy weapon upgrades and save them for the bosses, so you could say the going is a little easier here. In fact, the only thing here that's worse than the first game is the music which is still pretty good but not as memorable as the first game. Overall, this is a fantastic sequel that retains all the charm of the first game and adds more of its own.

RKS Score: 9/10

Top Five Kylie Photoshoots

Kylie Minogue... For many of us she's been with us since we saw her fixing up her old Mini back in the heyday of Neighbours, or at least since we were swamped by the out-pourings of Stock, Aitken, and Waterman through the late 80's and into the 90's, but even her biggest detractors would have to admit she's persistent, remaining as popular now as ever after nearly around 25 years in show business. However, just as her biggest critics would begrudgingly give her her dues, her biggest fans would be hard-pushed to claim her enduring fame and success is down to raw talent either. She certainly has some talent, but a big part of her success could also be largely put down to her... *ahem*... physical attributes! Luckily for her many fans, she has rarely seemed shy about giving us a closer look, apparently quite happily getting her kit off to some degree or other on a large number of occasions. To that end, here I've selected her Top Five photoshoots. Hope you enjoy! ;)

5. Tous Spring/Summer 2009 Collection

She's wearing an uncharacteristically large amount of clothes in this advertising campaign, photographed by Ellen von Unwerth, and I don't generally have much love for loads of make-up, but this is a particularly stylish shoot with Kylie looking a mixture of elegant and sultry.

4. i-D December 1996

Each issue of fashion and culture magazine, i-D, usually features many ladies in various states of undress so with their special December 1996 issue being dubbed the 'Undressed Issue', I expected to see a fair bit of skin. What I didn't expect was to see Kylie stripping off in the back of a car!

3. Official 2003 Calendar

Kylie's official calendar is a moment to behold in itself each year but this particular year happened to coincide with her launch of her Love Kylie underwear range. What better way to promote it than to wear it herself on that year's calendar? I certainly wasn't complaining!

2. The White Thing

Yes, Can't Get You Out Of My Head was a great song, one of Kylie's best ever, I'd say, but I can't imagine too many viewers of its video heard much of it with her prancing around in this outfit while it was playing! Luckily for its fans, there was an accompanying photoshoot too!

1. GQ July 2000

There was several things that contributed to the resurgence of Kylie flagging career around the turn of the century, and one of the big reasons was this photoshoot! It was accompanied by startled headlines from the newspapers ("Is there nothing Kylie won't do for publicity", they cried!) but I don't think too many people were complaining about her most revealing shoot yet, with the little minx even appearing topless (though strategically covered for the most part) and in wet shirts in some shots!

F-Zero Series - Part 3

F-Zero X (1998)
By: Nintendo EAD  Genre: Racing  Players: 1-4  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Nintendo 64
Also Available For: Nothing
Download For: Wii Virtual Console

Despite being a highly accomplished racing game, the original F-Zero was perhaps most highly regarded for its admittedly impressive technical prowess. When news of a full sequel (F-Zero 2 was more like a 'data-disk') on Nintendo's brand spanking new 64-bit powerhouse emerged, mouths began to salivate at the prospect of what wonders might befall gamers. However, when it finally arrived it wasn't as instantly mind-blowing as many gamers were expecting. After the bar-raising the original did, a similar advancement was expected here, but the graphical detail was actually notably inferior to most of the other N64 games that had been doing the rounds, nevermind markedly better. This was apparently done on purpose by Nintendo so they could achieve a constant silky-smooth frame-rate of sixty frames per second. Their decision wasn't met with much enthusiasm at first though. Was it worth the risk?

This course twists so you always race in a straight line...

Questionable graphical detail notwithstanding, if there's one thing that F-Zero X is, it's bigger. Bigger and better than F-Zero in pretty much every area. The objective remains the same - to win races - but the courses over which this is done really are something else. One of the few criticisms levelled at the SNES game was that the courses were all completely flat. That situation has been rectified here and then some - I'm pretty sure there's not a single flat course to be found in F-Zero X! They are all suspended high above the surface of their respective planets and their features range from gently twisting roads with slopes and the usual chicanes and hairpins to full-on roller coaster-style courses full of downhill plummets, uphill climbs, huge banked corners, corkscrews, massive ramps, loops, tunnels and everything inbetween!

And this course twists from side to side...

The single player game modes available here include Grand Prix, Practise, Time Trial, and Death Race, and a majority of your time will most likely be spent on the first of these (in single-player, at least). Grand Prix's are contested by thirty racers, each with their own distinctive 'machine', over one of the leagues. There are initially three available - the Jack, Queen, and King Cups, with each of them consisting of six courses. Points are awarded after each race based on your finishing position, from first down to thirteenth, and successfully winning the three initial leagues will open another one, the Joker Cup, which has six more courses. There is also a fifth and final league - The X Cup - but unlocking this takes a bit more work. It's worth it though as it's a test for even the most talented of racers as its courses are randomly generated each time you race so there's no opportunity to learn them first!

Eeek! A foreboding view from the top of Fire Field...

The Practise and Time Trial modes are self-explanatory, although it's worth mentioning that the latter lets you race against staff ghosts. This way you can see if you're better at any given course than the people who actually designed it (and I'm sure a few obsessed individuals have devoted a lot of time to this pursuit)! The Death Race takes place on a basic course and sees the aggression level of each of the thirty racers cranked up a notch! Using your machine's meagre attack moves (it can charge to the left, right, or perform a spin), the object is to take out as many opponents as you can while they all try to do the same to you (and each other). Another criticism the original game received was its lack of a multi-player mode. This is another area in which F-Zero X bests its forebear thanks to its fantastic Vs Battle mode where between two and four racers can compete at once.

Racing through the tunnel that spans Sand Ocean...

One of the first things you'll notice about F-Zero X is that it's fast. Very fast. The Dash Plates make a welcome return here, as does the Super-Jet (or 'Boost Power' as it's now called) and, unlike F-Zero where you only got one boost per lap, you can now use them as often as you want after you've completed your first lap. Each time you use it drains your machine's energy though, so keep a plentiful supply of this by visiting the pit areas regularly. It seems that the various pilots have modified their machines since the last game too. They are faster anyway but you also now have the option of changing your engine settings by altering its top speed / acceleration ratio too. This combined with frequent use of the Dash Plates and your Boost Power, especially in conjunction with one another, can see your speed reach quite staggering levels, even hitting four figures on occasion (my current speed record is 1,527kph!).

I always start at the back beacause I always win ;)

There's quite a lot to F-Zero X for an arcade-style racer but it would all be for nothing if the widely-criticised graphics kept gamers away. Personally though, I can't see what all fuss is about! I asked earlier if Nintendo's decision to sacrifice graphical detail for increased smoothness and speed was worth the risk. Well, in my opinion it was an excellent decision. The backgrounds may well be somewhat sparse but they are colourful and varied but that's not hugely relevant anyway - the on-track action is so eye-meltingly fast, you'll barely even get a chance to look at the backgrounds unless you come off the track and plunge into them! That said, it is impressive to see the horizon rolling around as the track meaders all over the place, or to be staring straight at the ground as you plummet down a collossal ramp (see the Fire Field screenshot!).

Yep, we're racing on the outside of a pipe!

In addition to being really fast, each race is chock-full of action. The N64 throws the thirty racers, each in their own distinctive machines, constantly jostling for position, around the courses with apparent ease. A mere six of them are available to use at the start of the game (including those from the first game) but winning the various leagues gradually unlocks the remainder, each of which has differing grip, boost power, and body strength. They all look really nice too (plus you can change their colours!) and you can quickly build up genuine rivalries with many of their pilots, some of whom are more agressive than others. The game has a fantastic atmosphere which is helped considerably by the awesome rock soundtrack, featuring wailing guitars and thundering drums, and the courses that share names (but little else) with those in the SNES game are also graced with superb remixes (yes, including Big Blue!). It's those courses though, that keep you coming back to the game.

Good old Blue Falcon on one of my favourite tracks...

Any game featuring jet-powered hovercars racing over tracks in mid-air is likely to feature lavishly-designed courses, and the opportunity here enabled the designers to really go to town! To this day, F-Zero X still features the best-designed courses I've ever raced on. Each of them is distinctive and memorable, and they really are thrilling to race on, something helped by the extremely precise controls afforded by the N64's splendid analogue controller. Everything is so smooth and zooming along, weaving in and out of the other racers with pixel-perfect accuracy is exciting and great fun. There are also four difficultly levels and, thanks to the X Cup, you'll never run out of new courses to race on! The game builds up a fantastic sense of competition too, but there's not really any one thing that makes this such a great game - it's just a perfect blend of everything. Still probably the greatest racing game I've ever played.

RKS Score: 10/10

Star Control - Part 2

The first Star Control title really is a game of two-halves. The 'Main' game is seen as the strategy side of the game with its turn-based, territorial expansion-based shenanigans, while the 'Melee' mode is seen as the action, shoot 'em up side, but it is a lot more strategic than people realise itself. Each of the fourteen starships in the game has many variables, as can be seen in some of the screenshots below and, while it's possible for any one ship to defeat any one other, there are certain ships that are better or worse against certain others, and many crafty tactics can be employed to exploit their weaknesses. There really is nothing like an epic Melee battle between two experienced, well-matched combatants. Each lurking on opposite sides of the screen trying to guess what the other is thinking, the occasional skirmish to test each other. They can be very tense affairs! So, for the benefit of any budding Melee-Masters, the next installment in my series of Star Control features will take a look at the ships used by the seven races that comprise the Alliance of Free Stars (the 'good guys')...

Chenjesu Broodhome

Arguably my favourite ship in the game! This is the flagship of the Alliance fleet, used by the crystalline Chenjesu species. While not particularly quick, it's big and powerful enough for that not to matter most of the time. It's primary weapon is the Photon Shard which is a round projectile with an infinite range - when you launch one, keep your finger on the fire button and the shard will continue on for as long as you hold down the button! It's the longest range weapon in the game and causes devastating damage with a direct hit (some smaller ships can be taken out with one strike), but you can only fire one at a time. When you release the fire button the shard will fragment into eight smaller pieces that travel a short distance causing minimal damage.



A Broodhome (with DOGI on the right) in combat...

The Broodhome's secondary weapon is the D.O.G.I. Creating one of these will use all the fuel supply but the D.O.G.I will then home in on the other vessel and each time it makes contact (and makes an amusing 'barking' sound!) it will drain your opponent's fuel. These are very useful, and you can deploy up to four of them, but some of the ships with powerful, short-range weapons like the Avenger and the Drone can take them out with ease. The Broodhome's biggest weakness is its lack of maneuverability which, amongst other things, means that it's the ship most vulnerable to planetary gravity, with each high-velocity collision causing a significant percentage of its crew complement to be lost, but it's still a imposing, numerously-crewed vessel that you'll do well to come out of a battle with alive!

Ship Rating: 5/5

Yehat Terminator

Smaller and more agile than the Broodhome, this nippy craft crewed by the Pterodactyl-like Yehat is a formidable offensive and defensive craft. It's armed with twin, rapid-fire Pulse Cannons which can pepper an adversary's ship with many small, weak shots which can collectively cause a lot of damage, especially to larger ships. The defensive side is catered for by an impenetrable Force Shield which can be activated at will. Both of these eat through the Terminator's fuel reserves though, and it doesn't have very big tanks! Luckily its refuel rate is pretty high which, combined with its speed and maneuverability, makes it a tricky opponent that's hard to beat in the hands of an experienced player. The cannons have a decent range so you can hover just inside it, popping off occasional shots, and using the shields to protect you from the shots you can't avoid. The cannons have a great sound effect too!

Ship Rating: 4/5

Mmrnmhrm Transformer

The Mmrnmhrm are best mates with the Chenjesu, a friendship that would lead to the creation of the devastating Avatar battleship in Star Control 2, but in this original their ship is interesting, but ultimately pretty average. As you may have guessed from its name, this craft is able to alternate between two forms. The first and default form is a slow but maneuverable one with twin short-range Laser cannons. With the tap of a button, however, its wings sweep back and its powerful afterburner kicks in, turning it into a fast, long-range craft which fires twin, long-range homing missiles. Both forms come with problem though - the first form is very slow and the second has a horrendous turning speed meaning it's basically only usable in a straight line. The trick is to attack with the lasers, retreat with the faster craft, wait until the fuel reserves build back up, then zoom in close to your opponent and, change back, and let rip with the lasers. It's a sound tactic but the ship is pretty clumsy in practise. It can be reasonably effective but isn't particularly enjoyable to use.

Ship Rating: 3/5

Ariloulaleelay Skiff

They're a brainy bunch, those Arilou, so it's odd that the Skiff is one of the weediest ships in the game! This is one of three ships that can be destroyed by a single shot from one of the larger vessels, but of those three, it's almost certainly the handiest. It's very fast, has the tightest turning circle in the whole game, and most impressively it comes equipped with an inertialess propulsion system. This means it can reach maximum velocity instantly and stop just as quickly, and is also unaffected by planetary gravity too. As those with a knowledge of astrophysics will know, that makes the Skiff one agile little bastard, and it can even hide next to planets to lure larger ships into the gravity well! On top of all this, the Skiff is also equipped with a 'Hyperdrive Shunt' which basically teleports the ship to a random location in the playfield (whilst making a funny noise). This is extremely useful for escaping from any hairy situations, and with the Skiff's meagre crew complement, there are many! Its weaponry consists of a short-range, rapid-fire, auto-aiming laser, which can do a decent amount of damage if you can get a full volley off without taking any fire. The best tactic with this little ship is to sneak up behind a ship, pummel them for as long as possible with the laser, then 'shunt' out of harms way. Repeat until ship is defeated!

Ship Rating: 3/5

Syreen Penetrator

Clearly a riff on the sultry green alien women from Captain Kirk's adventures, the female-dominated Syreen race is one with whom you can have many interesting encounters in the sequel to this game (including shagging one of them!). Here however, the innuendo's are limited to their ship (and its name) which is pretty fast and armed with a fairly weak Particle Beam. The ship's most helpful feature though, is its ability to project the hypnotic songs of its crew outside the ship. When done in close range, the song lures crew from the opposing ship out of their airlocks and into space where they can be collected by the Penetrator, adding them to its own crew roster. This can be done until even the largest enemy ship is down to a single crew member so you just have to finish them off with a single shot!

Ship Rating: 3/5

Earthling Cruiser

Hooray, it's our ship, and a pretty decent one it is too! It takes a while to get going and even then it's a bit lumbering and not particularly fast, but its armaments make up for that. The Cruiser's main weapon is a plentiful supply of Nuclear Missiles which do a decent amount of damage and have a range bettered only by the Broodhome's Photon Shard's and the Podship's Plasma thingies. This means it can stay as far away from its enemy as possible, using its excellent turning speed to whip round and fire off a missile before continuing on its way. Any time an enemy does get close enough to shoot at the Cruiser, it can take down weaker projectiles with its auto-targeting Point Defense Lasers which can shoot up to four things at once. This means its the only in the game ship to be effectively immune to the Dreadnought's bloody fighters (much to its users chagrin!).

Ship Rating: 4/5

Shofixti Scout

The Shofixti are a proud and courageous species modelled on the Japanese of old, so it's a shame their ship sucks ass! It's pretty fast and maneuverable, but has a weedy Energy Dart as its main weapon which, contrary to the picture, can only fire one shot at a time doing minimal damage to your opponent. That's assuming you even get a chance to shoot as the Scout has a tiny crew complement and can be destroyed by a single shot from larger ships, and still in seconds by some lesser ships. The only thing it's remotely useful for is its Glory Device - a self-destruct which, when detonated close to an enemy, can do a decent amount of damage. When under computer control, they bide their time waiting for a chance to get close enough to deploy the Glory Device, then blow themselves up! That says it all really...

Ship Rating: 1/5

Alliance Ships Total Rating: 23/35

Top Five Amiga Shmups

It's generally accepted that, outside of the arcades at least, shoot 'em ups have always been the province of consoles. There were a few good examples on the Spectrum, Amstrad, Commodore 64, Atari 400 & 800, etc, and the arrival of the more powerful 16-bit machines should've heralded even more, but they never really came, despite the genre's enduring popularity. Few could argue with either the quantity or quality of offerings on the likes of the NES, PC Engine, or MegaDrive, and I myself, in my days as a die-hard Sega fanboy, used to champion the latter console as Lord of Shmups. Of all the computers, however, it was arguably the Commodore Amiga that fared the best with its shmups with not only some decent arcade conversions but also a good few original games too. In fact, I believe all the games in this Top Five were Amiga exclusives! Here they are:

Games-Related Top Fives Disclaimer: Unlike my usual Games-Related Top Five Disclaimers, which cover my arse by mentioning that the list was compiled only from games that I already know and love, and that any great games not featured may well not yet have been played by me, this one is different, mainly because I never was a big Amiga gamer and probably hadn't even played five shmups on it! Therefore I had to research this list thoroughly by playing each game via emulation. However, to finally get to the actual 'disclaimer' part, there was a few supposedly great games that I wasn't able to play (because they didn't work). Therefore, assuming I ever am able to play them, I'll make a revised list accordingly. Phew!

5. Agony (1992)

Regarded as something of a tart by many Amiga owners, it's easy to see where Agony gets this reputation - the presentation and graphics really are something else and leave the gameplay with a lot to live up to. It's certainly a pretty original concept, with you in control of an owl which uses echo-location to take down the masses of evil creatures spread across the six worlds that lie between it and the 'Cosmic Power' that it seeks. The intro/loading screens feature beautiful artwork and music, and in-game action is similarly gorgeous. This certainly isn't the most playable shmup I've played, even just on the Amiga, but at the same time its reputation seems a little unfair. Besides its stunning aesthetics Agony is a unique and enjoyable horizontal-scroller which would've blown my socks off if I'd discovered it when it originally came out!

4. Project-X (1992)

Released to much fanfare by Team 17 during their superb run on the Amiga, this is another one with amazing aesthetics. It's far less original and moody than Agony, being a somewhat generic game set in space and across all the usual landscapes, but it nonetheless comes closer than any other Amiga shmup to duplicating the arcade/console style of shooter. The hi-res graphics are beautifully drawn and feature some amazing effects, and the sound is equally impressive with some great music, effects, and speech that MegaDrive owners (myself included) would've killed for. In fact, the only thing stopping this from taking top-spot is its insane difficulty level! Even at the peak of my skills I couldn't get anywhere near the end of this otherwise ultra-playable game. Responding to pleas from gamers, Team 17 did release a Special Edition of the game which toned down the difficulty though, and if I get around to buying that version perhaps it will feature higher in the list next time.

3. Scorpio (1989)

This is one I had absolutely no knowledge of prior to looking into this Top Five but I'm very glad I found it, for it's one of the most addictive little blasters I've played! Initially seeming to be a very basic and fairly uninspiring game, it soon reveals itself to be a tough but rewarding, not to mention highly enjoyable shooter. Its creators had clearly been sniffing around the back-catalogue of Irem though, as this is basically a vertically-scrolling take on R-Type! Your little ship can be equipped with a Force-style attachment, the weapons are a copy of those from Irem's classic, the power-up capsules themselves look the same, and there's even a circle of guns! Some of the the 'homages' are far from subtle, but it's hard to complain when it's as well done as this.

2. Datastorm (1989)

Here's another one that takes its inspiration from elsewhere, this time from both Defender and Dropzone, the latter of which is itself a Defender clone! The object is to rescue at least one of the eight pods drifting along the floor of each stage and drop them at a portal while pesky Landers try to steal them. Millions of other enemies also swarm each stage and all must be eliminated. Datastorm is a tough, fast-paced game that rewards practise and is a fantastic score-attack game! This is one of the few Amiga games I really have spent a lot of time playing, first on my friend's Amiga, then on my own when I finally got one, and now again via emulation, and it's never gotten boring. Fantastic music and sound effects too.

1. Apidya (1992)

For some reason I never knew about this one when it came out but I've heard about it repeatedly over the intervening years and know how highly regarded it is amongst the Amiga fraternity. Having finally played it for this feature, I can see why! Much like Agony, it's a unusual premise for a shoot 'em up. Here, you take control of a magical honeybee (although it looks more like a wasp to me) and must battle against other insects, garden beasties, and all manner of other monstrous adversaries across five stages. The game has nicely detailed, colourful stages and great music, but it's the finely-honed gameplay that is most responsible for Apidya's grand reputation. The stages and weapons are nicely designed and it's a real pleasure playing through this interesting and unique shooter.

Mobile Games #1

Angry Birds (2010)
By: Rovio  Genre: Puzzle  Players: 1  Difficulty: Medium
Featured Version: Android  First Day Score: 108,400 (single stage best)
Also Available For: PC (forthcoming), iPhone/iPod, Symbian

You know, the progress of mobile communication technology really has been remarkable. After many years of refusal to conform, I finally had to yield and buy my first mobile phone, and even to this day I'm only on my third phone. I had no intention of ever using any of them to play videogames and, were it not for a quirk of fate, I'd still be using my second phone and continuing to not play games on it! Through much of this time, however, I had been watching, with a certain degree of envy, admittedly, the evolution of the iPhone as a legitimate gaming platform, yet no single game tempted me enough to take the plunge. Until this one.


The head pig is well protected on this level...

Actually that's not true. I still don't own an iPhone, despite trying to get one almost purely to play this. I knew from the first moment I saw a shot of this that I wanted to play it, so I found it frustrating that I was apparently unable to. Then, with the aforementioned quirk of fate, my phone was broken. Since it was too old to be fixed or replaced, I was instead given a state-of-the-art (for about five minutes) Android phone for which I found out Angry Birds was due for release. Hooray! Even better, when I was finally able to download it, it was free! This in itself made me very happy, but after all this waiting, was the game actually any good, or had I built it up so much for myself that I was in for a disappointment?


A red bird tries to topple the boulder...

Like most puzzle games, the concept behind Angry Birds is a simple one which doesn't really need a detailed backstory. Suffice to say, some evil (and for some reason, green) pigs have stolen the eggs belonging to a group of birds. This has understandably made the birds angry who have decided to channel their anger into a direct assault on the pigs who have barricaded themselves in and around various strongholds. It is then your job to launch the birds at the pigs using a large slingshot with the eventual aim of defeating them and reclaiming the treasured eggs. This is achieved either by direct contact, or by causing nearby structures to collapse onto them. Those pesky pigs have built some elaborate defenses though, so it won't be easy!


The vital slingshot from which all birds are launched...

According to the walkthough on the Rovio website, the game consists of five 'themes' each comprising of twenty-one levels, but there have been other sets of levels made available to download so the exact number is hard to say, but it's a lot! Each one features a pig, or pigs, on the right of the level and your slingshot and quota of birds on the left, and there's usually various obstacles between the two. The structures the pigs are usually protected by are made of glass, wood, or stone, each of which is obviously progressively harder to break through, and are more often than not made of strategic combinations of several materials. To break down/through these structures you have six different types of bird at your disposal.


Boom! Those pigs are done for...

The first bird you'll use is the red one which is a tough sonuvvabitch but doesn't really do much beyond collide with whatever you fire it at. Next up is the smaller blue bird which will split into three separate birds in mid-air when you touch the screen. After this helpful fellow you'll encounter the yellow, and possibly angriest of all the birds. A tap of the screen while he's in flight will see him increase in speed and plummet kamikaze-style in a straight line, causing greater damage. Next is the heavy black bird who self-destructs in a powerful explosion after he makes contact with any structure. Soon after him you'll meet the white bird who, with a tap of the screen, will drop an egg bomb. Last but not least is the green bird who can reverse his course in mid-air. Each level gives you a pre-set quota of these birds that you can use to defeat all the pigs on that level, and careful planning is needed to make best use of their abilities.

A fully zoomed-out level...

The pigs have a few tricks up their sleeves too though. The smaller ones barely need a touch to be defeated, but the larger ones are tougher, some of whom are equipped with helmets and armour! Some are so tough you'll need help to best them. There are often strategically positioned rocks or other objects, for example, which, with a well-placed bird strike, can fall and cause an extensive chain-reaction of destruction. Some levels even have carefully placed boxes of TNT which can be ignited with the strike of either a bird or object of any other kind. The pigs don't seem to care though, and sit there looking at you, blinking, sometimes grunting, and laughing when your attempts to reach them fail! Completed levels will give you a Star Rating out of three depending on your points, which can be earned for destruction of structures as well as a 10,000 point bonus for any unused birds.


Where have our eggs gone? :(

The first thing I noticed about Angry Birds is how slickly presented everything is. You can breeze through all the menu screens and suchlike in a flash, which might not sound like much but it really is a breath of fresh air, with many games these days, mobile or otherwise, having clumsy interfaces and long loading times. Here, if you fluff up a level, two touches of the screen and a similar number of seconds later and you'll have restarted it! The visual style used here appeals to me a great deal too. Whilst obviously far from the pinnacle of modern technology, it suits the game perfectly and is very easy on the eye. There's even some amusing cut-scenes! Whilst there's no in-game music, the sound is also of a decent quality, with many amusing sound effects befitting the style of the game, and several catchy tunes and ditties on the various screens between levels. All the flashy front-ends in the world can't disguise a sucky game, but luckily Angry Birds is anything but that.


A yellow bird-strike takes out most of the building!

The best games on a platform as limited as a mobile phone are ones creatively programmed to make the best use of its unique features, and it's here that Angry Birds excels. The game was created originally for the iPhone but, since Android devices use near-enough identical technology, it works just as well here. The touch-screen controls are simple and precise and I don't think it's possible for the game to work any better. The physics are spot-on too, with partial destruction of some structures leaving the remains teetering and swaying, sometimes taking thirty seconds or more to finally collapse. This is one of those games that you can play for five minutes but often end up playing for hours on end, constantly adjusting your birds trajectory until you get exactly the shot (and ensuing destruction) you want! Even if you manage to finish all the levels on offer, there's still the challenge of achieving a three star rating for each of them. Angry Birds is such a simple concept but it's supremely playable and unbelievably addictive. I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for these silly games - I was exactly the same with LocoRoco for the PSP - but everyone should at least give this one a try. Android owners don't even need to pay for the privilege. Ready. Aim. Fire!

RKS Score: 9/10