277: Photon Storm

Number 277
(1 point)
Photon Storm
1992: 96

Jeff Minter is a name that any old-school computer gamer will know, but this is one of his lesser-known productions. It's a space-based shoot 'em up, very much in the vein of Sinistar.

You have to zoom around space, shooting enemy ships and collecting Plutonium to take back to your Stargate, all the while making sure the enemy Battlestar doesn't get too much Plutonium for itself, or it launches an all-out attack on you. If you think that sounds a bit like Sinistar, that's because it is, except this has Jeff Minter's distinctive style consisting of flashing colours and twitchy controls.

I'll keep this short: I'm not a fan of this. Granted, I've never been hugely enamoured with any of Jeff Minter's games, but this one was just too difficult to control, and even when you get the hang of that, you die in one hit, usually from bullets or spaceships that you have no chance of seeing until it's too late. Sinistar didn't have so much of a problem: you could bump up against rocks and enemies, and the field of view was greater, so you had a chance of seeing things before they hit you. The only way I can see this game being played is by going as slow as possible, spraying lasers all around, but I don't have the patience for that.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Photon Storm (1990)(ARC)[cr Flashtro]