Armada
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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Some people think that the heyday of the mindless space-shooter is long past, but Metro3D is setting out to prove the naysayers wrong with Armada, a Dreamcast shooter that has its problems, but has the shooting part down pat.
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The Last Starfighter
It's way, way, way in the future, and mankind has evolved over the millennia into six distinct races, from the human Terrans to the sturdy Nomads and the photosynthetic Drakken. These years of expansion have attracted the attention of an enormous biomechanical Armada, bent on the complete destruction of the Earth-born races. You are the product of the hope of the Allied Command, a union formed of the six human races to vanquish their common enemy. You must take your meager weapons and tiny ship, gather some friends and save the world.
Armada will remind a lot of people of Asteroids, simply in the way it plays. Your ship is the center of the action, and you spin in a 360-degree arc to destroy ships coming from all sides. You have power pods that fuel your shields and your massive weapons of destruction, the huge bombs that damage almost every enemy ship on-screen. You have regular thrusters and warp thrusters that catapult you to the far reaches of the galaxy. But when it comes down to it, your ship seems insignificant next to the endless hoards of the Armada. And that's where it all falls apart.
Endless Armada
What's missing is the feeling of accomplishment you get from most shooters. Armada's world is so huge, and its RPG elements (yes, RPG elements) involve so much flying about and aimless shooting, just to gain enough levels to defeat the local boss. Enemies never seem to stop coming, so you'll never feel the satisfaction of having cleared a quadrant of enemy forces, but it's necessary for gaining levels for your ship. The controls are the same tried-n-true scheme that Asteroids used, so there's no way they can fail - you've all played a game like this before, and the controls are simple enough not to inspire any brain hemorrhages.
Graphically, Armada looks nice, if not a bit shallow or drab. Enemy ships seem to flex and pulsate as they soar about your ship, and the background is very simple and recalls a slightly-faster version of some classic SNES environments. Particle effects look very nice, though, and the fast action will keep you from complaining about the look of the game.
Armada's sound comes complete with great music (even if it doesn't have much to do with the action onscreen) and boomin' sounds that really sound like interstellar warfare (at least like in the movies). This goes a long way toward making excuses for the shallow graphics, and it really works.
Please Save Our Earth
Armada is a Dreamcast shooter fan's dream, and it recalls the classics of the genre, like Asteroids, Xevious and a touch of R-Type. Hardcore shooter fans might be put off by its wide-open, non-level-based structure, but anyone who likes a little bad-guy-blastin' action should at least give Armada a rent.
