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Tempest. The name alone can conjure up memories of the golden '80s in the arcade...but I never enjoyed those memories. Although I am a proud inheritor of an Atari 2600, I must say that before 1993, I hadn't heard about Tempest in my life. I wondered what it was that seemed to draw people to this simple game, and on one Summer day over two years ago, I discovered the power of Tempest. You press the power button on the toilet-shaped system and see the ever-familiar Jaguar and box logo...fair enough. Then, you're treated to some melt-o-vision graphics as the name "Tempest" seems to dissolve into the background of the title screen, and moody music plays in the background. You wonder what could possibly await you. You hit start, and that's when the magic begins. From the first second of play, I was simply captured by Tempest. The game itself has a simple premise: You're this C-shaped ship and you move around the perimeter of the "web" shooting the enemies as they emerge from the distance and travel up towards you. If an enemy touches you, you're either fried or captured, and they also shoot at you. When you shoot a certain number of enemies, the last enemy you killed is turned into a tunnel of particles which move up the web quickly, and if you catch the tunnel, you receive a bonus in the form of points or a power-up. These power-ups may included a droid that helps you fight, the ability to jump, or a key to a warp level. When you kill all the enemies in a certain level, you move through the web and to the next level, in which the web will have a different shape and more numerous and powerful enemies. Sound like an 8-bit game? That's exactly what it is, but with 32-bit technology (anyone who still thinks that the Jaguar is a 64-bit system should read more often). The graphics consist of gourad-shaped polygons against a star-filled background, which gives the illusion that you're moving through space. The effects in the game are excellent, the numbers and messages that fly at you from the background are still to be emulated in any game. The sounds in this game are nothing short of spectacular. Though not CD quality, the techno in Tempest 2000 is the best I've ever heard in any video game. Let me stress that. We're talking about Atari here. When you listen to the music that they put in this game, you won't believe that it's a cartridge, let alone one made by Atari. The soundtrack is not only excellent, but suits the game perfectly. There aren't many sound effects, but what is there is definitely top-notch. Bassy explosions and spacey blasts, along with appropriate voices, fill your ears with intensity that is characteristic of no other game. The control is simple, but takes a little getting used to. Although the traditional paddle would have been a plus, the controller is no hindrance with a little practice. In all, this is one of the best games I've played. If there was ever a reason to buy a Jaguar, it was, without a doubt, for Tempest 2000. What this game lacks in eye candy is made up for in game play. The intense shooting action in this game is found nowhere else, and it's almost as addictive at Tetris. Although I doubt any of you are going to go out and buy a Jaguar right now, I urge that you at the very least rent Tempest X when it's released for the PlayStation and Saturn. I've been through many games in the past years, and Tempest is definitely unlike anything I've every played. Every gamer should experience the Tempest. |
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