Timeless arcade action (Asteroids)

Member Name: Burning_Darkness

Product:	Asteroids
Date:	03/09/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Simple, tense and exciting gameplay

Disadvantages: basic graphics

First released back in 1987 by Atari, Asteroids is an incredibly simple yet addictive little game which, as the title suggests, pits you against an endless stream of asteroids that air hurtling through space. You play as a small spaceship and the controls are innovative and very simple: left and right will rotate your ship 360 degrees one button fires your cannon and another activates your jet boosters to propel you forward, your momentum and speed depending on how long you hold the button down for. Should you fly off the edge of the screen (top, bottom, left or right) you will simply appear at the opposite side to that which you just left. The asteroids also operate in this manner, and when shot at they break up into smaller and smaller chunks frequently requiring you to change course to avoid being destroyed. They also move more and more quickly as they become smaller, and contact with an asteroid destroys your craft instantly, making for tense and exciting gameplay.

Asteroids is a very satisfying gaming experience, combining as it does elements of contemporary gaming classics Pong, Space Invaders and Missile Command, and from its origins as an early arcade game it has been ported to practically every gaming platform know to man, even modern consoles such as the Xbox 360. There have also been subsequent variations on the game's theme, such as Pang (also known as Buster Bros), in which you play as an explorer who must shoot burst bubbles that operate in the same way as Asteroids' asteroids by firing at them with a grappling hook, twin harpoon gun and a machinegun. The amiga version has appealing and nicely detailed graphics but is essentially just the same as the original arcade machine in other respects, and is still a joy to play, given its emphasis on simple physics and uncomplicated yet strategic gameplay.

Summary: Simple and immensely fun