|
|
Starshot
|
|
|
|
|
|
Graphics & Sound:
The graphics in Starshot look like a cartoon. Just like a cartoon. The animation reminds me of a 'Bugs Bunny' cartoon, except, of course, for the very wacky, very French character design. If you're familiar with 'Rayman', you know what I'm talking about. If not, think 'lots of bright colors, star effects, and comically exaggerated features.' Unfortunately, while the graphics themselves look good, the game seems to slow down from time to time, if the screen gets too crowded. Also, there is no option to automatically follow Starshot with the camera. Instead, you will have to adjust the camera from time to time to see what you need to. The music in Starshot is very 'Circus', but each song is too short for the size of the immense levels. This leaves you with a song annoyingly looping over and over that might have been great if you only had to hear it once or twice (...or three times...).
|
|
|
Gameplay:
Take 'Link', dress him up like a character from Sega's 'Nights', give him a couple of whimsical side kicks and the ability to throw star projectiles, and 'Voila!'- you have Starshot. Unfortunately, the controls leave a lot to be desired. The game has immense levels, and boasts of 300 different characters to encounter, but with the difficulty of maintaining control of Starshot, it's doubtful you'll ever get to see them all. The real shame of the matter is that it is obvious that a lot of work was put into the character design. The characters are all comical, and the 'dominatrix'- looking police woman has excessively interesting, um.. features. If you are a die hard 3D platform gamer, AND you love the French flavored animation style, you may want to check this game out, but the controls in the game will take quite a bit of practice (and patience). I only wish I could play the game that Starshot could have been.
|
|
|
Difficulty:
Starshot is a very hard game to play. Unfortunately, a large factor in the difficulty is simply managing your character's movements. Unpredictably, the camera will change positions at some critical times, making it extremely difficult to make certain jumps, run across certain bridges, etc. Trying to fly with your sidekick, 'Willfly', can get you lost quickly while trying to gain you bearings after your camera angle swoops around... Also, certain powerups are hard (if not impossible) to get back to. This means that if you run out of them without achieving the task you needed them for, you may as well start over from the last place you saved your game.
|
|
|
Game Mechanics:
Starshot just doesn't feel 'comfortable' to play. Although the graphics are absolutely beautiful and the premise is unique, the gameplay suffers greatly from a few technical problems. The most obvious of these is the unpredictable camera angle. The camera is not completely stationary, but does not always swing to a helpful view. It appears that an attempt was made to provide more cinematic views of the gameplay, but inconsistency in camera views tends to lead to confused gameplay. Another problem that is control related is the analog stick. The handling of the stick seemed to be too sensitive, leaving very little throw before Starshot is at a full speed run. This makes it very difficult to pull off moves that require precision. Another odd note is that Starshot doesn't support the Rumble Pak feature. This is especially strange considering the number of times it would fit perfectly; whether it be the rumble of your sidekick rocket, 'Willfly', as you hold onto him and fly around, or the blast from being hit by an enemy's weapon, or the thud of being hit by (or even just near by) volcanic boulders rolling down the side of a volcano. Not only that, but Starshot doesn't support the Memory Pak either, because it allows you to save your game internally in the cartridge. The only reason I can assume this was done in this manner is so that anyone that rents this game can benefit from any progress that a gamer before them may have achieved.
|
|
|
-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications AKA Ashley Perkins |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
