Tempest 2000
Format:ย Atari Jaguar
Year:ย 1994
Publisher:ย Atari
Developer:ย Llamasoft (Jeff Minter)
It has been a long time coming.ย Nineteenย years to be exact.ย Nineteenย years to finally take Jeff Minterโs game for a proper review spin.
Tempest 2000, the beefed-up remake of Dave Theurerโs 1981 arcade classic, was Atariโs ย killer game that helped it shift lots of Jaguarโs upon its release in 1994. This game was never going to be a straight โpretty upโ by Jeff Minter. The great Yak added his usual quirkiness to this seminal favourite. What he produced was nigh on perfection.
You may ask, what is so damn good about Tempest 2000. Well, if you are patient for one second, I will let you know. Yak (Jeff Minter) took a first generation arcade game and injected crisp 3D polygon graphics, an awesome techno soundtrack andย oodles of new enemy types and obstacles.
Donโt think that Tempest 2000 is just an audio visual enhancement to the original โ Yak also added 100 varying webs (levels), newย opponents, collectable power-ups like the particle-blaster/laser, jumps, and A.I. Droids who destroy anything that gets too close. Thrown in this awesome gaming mix was the newย โMelt-O-Visionโ transition effect โ very psychedelic (very Jeff Minter) indeed. Add the different types of play options โ two-player cooperative andย competitiveย play modes and you got yourself one awesomelyย gorgeous masterpiece.
No game, no matter how great it looks and sounds is complete without a complimentary control system.ย There is only one way to play Tempest 2000, and that is with a rotary controller. You could use the standard Atari pad, but it just doesnโt do the game justice. The rotary control enhances the enjoyment of the game and itย definitelyย helps inย achievingย those lucrative high scores. Tempest 2000 is aย an incredibly great title which was released on an incredibly obscure system. This game is the jewel in the Jaguarโs crown. If you havenโt played it, you are missing out big time!
Graphics | Superbly crisp 3D polygons that only the Yak can produce. Yes, the Jaguar can handle it. |
90% |
Sound | A perfect techno soundtrack. Light-synthesizer tunesย throughout with very meaty sound effects. It is an awesome aural pleasure. Turn it up! |
95% |
Playability | Getting into the game is quiet easy โ spin around on the web and blast away the encroaching enemies. To truly experience this game, it must be played with a rotary controller. |
90% |
Lastability | Considering there are 100 levels to complete, this game will last forever. |
91% |
Overall | Jeff Minter can seriously do no wrong. The Yak knows how to produce brilliant games. This one is no exception. Even Dave Theurer approves of it (I made that up)! Get it and play hard. |
91% |
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