9: The Chaos Engine

Number 9
(231.2 points)
The Chaos Engine
1993: 14 (34.8)
1994: 29 (43.2)
1995: 22 (63.2)
1996: 11 (90.0)

The Bitmap Brothers just can't stay away from this list, and with good reason. This is one of their later entries and is in my top ten despite never managing that in the original lists - but it won't be the last we'll see of them.

The premise of the game is for a pair of skilled operatives to roam an area from a top-down perspective, shooting at anything that moves and activating nodes which allow you to exit the level. Occasionally you have the chance to spend all the money you have collected in the levels to boost your warriors' abilities. What sets it apart is the cooperative two-player game, which can really draw you in.

The Chaos Engine is one of those games I've always been well aware of - I even have it on the Super Nintendo - but until now I've never properly sat down and given it a try. It's nice enough, though I'm sure I'd enjoy it more with a second human to play with. It's the kind of game that seems quite simple at first glance, but you still end up playing for a long while. Not sure about the AGA version, though: the muted palette of the original game really suits the aesthetic, but on the AGA one they just seemed to make it super colourful because they could, and it looks a bit crap. Stick with the OCS/ECS original.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Chaos Engine, The (1993)(Renegade)(Disk 1 of 2)[cr FLT]
Chaos Engine, The (1993)(Renegade)(Disk 2 of 2)[cr FLT]
Chaos Engine, The (1994)(Renegade)(AGA)(Disk 1 of 3)(Boot)[cr FLT]
Chaos Engine, The (1994)(Renegade)(AGA)(Disk 2 of 3)(1)[cr FLT]
Chaos Engine, The (1994)(Renegade)(AGA)(Disk 3 of 3)(2)[cr FLT]
Chaos Engine, The (1994)(Renegade)[!][CDD3445] (CD32)