Just recently, here at our squat just outside Amiga Computing Towers, we've been inundated with shoot-'em-ups. I'm not too sure as to the reason behind this. Is it because every software house has suddenly become infested with dangerously deranged psychotic menaces for programmers? Or is it that we're now on the run in to the jolly Christmas festivities?
If this is the case, then they all want to unleash an orgy of destruction and mayhem on a blood hungry general public at this time of peace and good will.
Blastar could be described as one such product. However, when it first reared its shooting frenzy-
Meet Blastar, (put on a poor American accent) with its unique 24-blade system, Blastar is the perfect Christmas gift, Blastar is the ideal companion wherever you wonder.
In the garden, you can weed, mow, plant, sink a pond and landscape it all with Blastar's interchangeable hads. In the home, Blastar's interchangeable heads. In the home, Blastar's your best buddy. Maybe it's a simple loft conversion you're after? Or maybe you've always wanted to alter the roof of your humble abode into something more elaborate?
Blastar comes equipped with a pioneering system that allows you to turn your two up, two down into the Taj Mahal or any other wonder of the world. Having problems with your seweage? Blastar comes complete with 40 metres of high tensile steel cable to flush out those awkward pieces that got stuck. Dog need de-warning? Blastar comes with 40 metres of high tensile steel cable.
CAT O'NINE TAILS
Old Skip will howl out with joy when feeling the difference. If you're pushed for time and the kids are playing up, Blastar comes with its very own cat a nine tails - they'll never give you lip again! All this can be yours for $9.99, or for a further $5 Blastar Blastar is nothing of the sort, but anycomes with its very own combine harvester, milking machine and wife quietener.
Blastar is nothing of the sort, but any inquiries from interested readers should be directed towards Ronco. In Blastar you take on the unenviable role of have to plough your way through five galaxies, each one comprising of two sub-levels. To make matters worse, in true shoot-'em-up style there's a rather huge nasty at the end of each sub-level.
On each stage there are a set of targets to search out and destroy in order to complete the level. These vary between such things as strange alien organic defence systems, weird lavic generators and extra-
As you progress through the levels at various stages you will be rewarded with the option of docking. It's at these docking bays where you can enhance your armoury to give you a greater chance in the ensuing levels.
Blastar features some nice graphics, especially some of the backdrops of the alien environments which stretch and warp producing a very surreal effect. The multi-
The play in Blastar is fast, furious and full to the brim of different nasties. However, this is where it runs into its first problem. The control system just isn't up to the job. Your ship seems to struggle to turn in time, the net result being that you end up careering into enemy craft.
As the joystick doctor, I also diagnose that the controls seem to suffer from a deep rooted sensitivity psychosis bought on by a prolonged trauma, in what Freud termed as the programming stage. Or, in layman's terms the controls are crap and you can't destroy that amount of aliens in time. On the plus side however, it features a thumpering techno choon for you to blast away to.
Blaster's not a bad shoot-'em-up at all. It has every feature that all the classics have, but somehow it just misses the mark. It's a shame that the controls couldn't have been tweaked a little before release because this is where the main criticism lies.
I think most gamers will like the look of Blaster and immediately want to take to it, but I reckon just like myself you'll end up throwing your joystick down in frustration at the difficulty induced by slack control.