Sonistar
Member
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2006
- Messages
- 245
- Age
- 37
- Location
- Airdrie, Glasgow, Scotland
- Website
- www.whitestarproductions.co.uk
VEKTAR - COMMERCIAL BOXED EDITION REVIEW (first edition - unpatched version)
Well, this game has come a long way since the entry for the GP2X Coding Competition of 2006 by Dzz!
For those of you new to the scene and interested in buying this game, please try the demo available at www.gp2x.co.uk
This is a game similar to Geometry Wars, but with controls similar to Asteroids. While the game resembles Geometry Wars in looks, the gameplay couldnt be more different. It has a completely retro feel, from the high score table that acts as a loading screen, (what could be a better loading screen than your high scores? i mean c'mon, thats awesome!) to the awesomely addictive soundtrack, this game does what the gp2x was made to do, bring you back to the old school world of retro gaming with a bang!
The controls are very straightforward, navigate using the control stick and fire using the B button. Y brings up a shield all around your ship, which you will find yourself regularly using (and cursing yourself for not using it when you blow up!)
There are power ups and extra lives in the form of little S signs and little stick men, however these can also be destroyed, so watch where your shooting at all times as these can appear randomly. More powerups i wont mention so as not to spoil the game for you.
The Game is shipped on a 128mb SD card and is ready to Plug and Play, Once the game loads up its a case of simply pressing the B button, selecting your level ( the first one is only available first time you play ) , and then the game begins. The game has a very good learning curve, the levels get gradually harder and walls start to form, making it harder to navigate and kill the enemies.
Speaking of the enemies, there is a very nice number of varieties and number of enemies on the screen at all times. They range from regular blocks which float around rather aimlessly, to diamond shaped long blue enemies i have taken to calling "spheres", from their attempts to fly at you quickly after floating about the map, to enemies that blow up into smaller enemies (which gets VERY confusing)
A nice thing incorporated into this game is the lack of loading between stages, the world just morphs around you, which is a very cool effect. This also means the soundtrack doesnt need to start over, and can continue its hypnotic beat. The soundtrack can also be customised to whatever music you want, as long as it is in a folder on your sd card called "custommusic". There can be ten tracks, they must be in .ogg format, be an average of 64kbps, and labeled 1.ogg, 2.ogg, etc.
The game will last you forever as well, there is 5 zones, with 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 waves (stages) of enemies between them. This game isnt exactly a pushover and will have you up many hours into the night trying to complete it.
With many features incorporated into the game such as automatic saving, new game options, and customisable music, Vektar is a great game to have for anyone with a GP2X.
Featuring a retro, yet completely original feel, this game strikes me as the first in a long time to give me that great feel i had playing when i first experienced the old classics as a kid.
I couldnt think of a better first commercial game for the GP2X, it completely captures everything it stands for. Fun, addictive, retro gaming thats easy to play, but insanely hard to master.
Vektar is available now at GP2x.co.uk for £19.99, and is worth every penny.
Well, this game has come a long way since the entry for the GP2X Coding Competition of 2006 by Dzz!
For those of you new to the scene and interested in buying this game, please try the demo available at www.gp2x.co.uk
This is a game similar to Geometry Wars, but with controls similar to Asteroids. While the game resembles Geometry Wars in looks, the gameplay couldnt be more different. It has a completely retro feel, from the high score table that acts as a loading screen, (what could be a better loading screen than your high scores? i mean c'mon, thats awesome!) to the awesomely addictive soundtrack, this game does what the gp2x was made to do, bring you back to the old school world of retro gaming with a bang!
The controls are very straightforward, navigate using the control stick and fire using the B button. Y brings up a shield all around your ship, which you will find yourself regularly using (and cursing yourself for not using it when you blow up!)
There are power ups and extra lives in the form of little S signs and little stick men, however these can also be destroyed, so watch where your shooting at all times as these can appear randomly. More powerups i wont mention so as not to spoil the game for you.
The Game is shipped on a 128mb SD card and is ready to Plug and Play, Once the game loads up its a case of simply pressing the B button, selecting your level ( the first one is only available first time you play ) , and then the game begins. The game has a very good learning curve, the levels get gradually harder and walls start to form, making it harder to navigate and kill the enemies.
Speaking of the enemies, there is a very nice number of varieties and number of enemies on the screen at all times. They range from regular blocks which float around rather aimlessly, to diamond shaped long blue enemies i have taken to calling "spheres", from their attempts to fly at you quickly after floating about the map, to enemies that blow up into smaller enemies (which gets VERY confusing)
A nice thing incorporated into this game is the lack of loading between stages, the world just morphs around you, which is a very cool effect. This also means the soundtrack doesnt need to start over, and can continue its hypnotic beat. The soundtrack can also be customised to whatever music you want, as long as it is in a folder on your sd card called "custommusic". There can be ten tracks, they must be in .ogg format, be an average of 64kbps, and labeled 1.ogg, 2.ogg, etc.
The game will last you forever as well, there is 5 zones, with 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 waves (stages) of enemies between them. This game isnt exactly a pushover and will have you up many hours into the night trying to complete it.
With many features incorporated into the game such as automatic saving, new game options, and customisable music, Vektar is a great game to have for anyone with a GP2X.
Featuring a retro, yet completely original feel, this game strikes me as the first in a long time to give me that great feel i had playing when i first experienced the old classics as a kid.
I couldnt think of a better first commercial game for the GP2X, it completely captures everything it stands for. Fun, addictive, retro gaming thats easy to play, but insanely hard to master.
Vektar is available now at GP2x.co.uk for £19.99, and is worth every penny.
