Blazing Lazers
Reviewed by Inkhands
Blazing Lazers is a name that applies very well. Once you
play this game you will see why. You will be picking up many
different lazer based weapons as you progress through the
game. There is a large variety to these weapons and in my
opinion this game has a very interesting upgrade system.
However, like most shooters, this one lacks any sort of real
storyline. The plot is essentially an evil force called the
'Dark Squadron' is nearing Earth. To save the planet you
must make your way through nine levels to face off against
the members of the Dark Squadron and any other enemies that
happen to fly into your path for victory. What it lacks in
plot it makes up with intensity and an amazing arsenal of
weapons. In all honesty, one of the major factors that
attracted me to this game, and kept me hooked, was the
selection of weapons and the variety that these weapons offer.
Basically, you have two types of weapons - cluster bombs and
the lazer cannon. You are only given three bombs per level,
but you can pick up more as you progress. Your lazer cannon
starts out very simple, with only one beam. However, you can
collect powerups by defeating almost any of the numerous
enemies flying about the screen. They all look very
different and they all have different patterns. There is a
wave type weapon, that will hit something on the screen and
bounce around hitting other enemies. There is also a type of
weapon that you can hold either left or right and the path
of the beam will be changed. There is also a powerful blue
stream that will take out one enemy and continue on to take
out others behind it. This one happens to be my favorite of
them all and when used in it's full force, is a very deadly
choice, as it tends to cover the entire screen with only one
touch of the button.
You can also pick up homing missiles, a shield, and side
weapons. Basically, pick up the powerup with the letter M on
it and you will have a small ship that will follow you do
the same thing as your main ship does. If you have two of
these, and a very poweful weapon, then you will be a force
to reckoned with, as little will be able to stand in your
way. It's also a good idea to pick up all the purple blobs
you can. These will upgrade the level of your ship after you
have collected a certain amount of them. They are called
gels and the more you get, the more powerful your weapons
will become.
The graphics in this game may not be the most spectacular to
be found, but I do like them very much. For the most part,
all the Turbo games I have played, have had outstanding
graphics. The backgrounds are very colorful and semi well
detailed. You have a basic black background, but you do have
a lot of stars. On top of these black backgrounds are
colorful red and gray structures. They look like some sort
of space station in some ways. The enemies are not great
looking and neither is your ship. The ending bosses aren't
quite done with amazing detail either, but I do love the
variety in how the weapons look. A lot of blue and green
beams streaking across the screen. Another interesting thing
is the fact you can actually scroll the screen just a little
to the left or right. In most shooters, if you move to the
bottom left corner, then that's where you are. In this one
you get a little extra space. Overall, I really liked the
colorful backgrounds and graphics that this game has to offer.
For the most part the sound is as intense as the action is.
The title theme is almost tecno sounding and is quite good.
The music in Area 1 is filled with tension, while Area 2's
music is a bit more sedated, but equally pleasant to listen
to. The sound effects are quite as well done as music, but
they will suffice. For the most part the sound effects are
just shooting, bombs, and explosions. Also, reaching a few
milestones in your score will give you a bit of fanfare
music. If you get to 20,000, 50,000, 100,000, and so on, the
game will celebrate so you don't have to. Overall, average
sound effects, but great music.
This is a highly challenging game. I will admit that, at the
time of the writing of this review, I still had not beaten
the game. I have little patience and I find myself
frustrated with games quite frequently. However, with this
game, the frustration level was quite low. I enjoyed playing
this game so much, that I didn't even mind when I lost. You
are granted four continues and about four or five ships per
continue. The game will usually start you back at a certain
check point after you die, but you do get to start back with
the same number of cluster bombs you had before being blown
up. If it gets to the end of continue though, you will have
to start over at the begin of whatever Area you were on.
However, the control is quite smooth. There is a button for
shooting your lazers and a button for the bombs. You control
your movements with the directional buttons. Playing the
game is never difficult due to control problems. It's
difficult due to the fact that the game never lets up. It
moves quickly and there are always a high amount of enemies
on screen at any given time. Not to mention the missiles and
beams they sometimes shoot themselves. Select button will
also allow you to just the speed between five different
levels. I'm not entirely sure what the purpose to the level
select is, but if I ever do figure it out, then I'll let you
know. This game has great control and a high amount of challenge.
Shooters are quite enjoyable for me, and usually they can be
some of my favorite types of game to play. This game is no
exception at all. It may be highly challenging, but it is
still quite fun for me. I have yet to finish the game, but I
can tell you that I have played it almost nonstop for a
while now. I believe the replay value is quite good on this
game. The fact it is still fun for me, despite how
challenging it is, is a great sign of a high score in the
fun factor category. Usually overly challenging games merely
get a few bad words and rarely a second look from me, but I
am highly addicted to playing this game.
Overall, this is a great overhead shooter and it has
fabulous gameplay. Overhead shooters tend to be my favorite
type and this one sits right at the very top for me. The
weapons are quite varied and just a ton of fun to use. There
are so many upgrades, you should go for all of them.
Sometimes it feels as though there are almost as many
powerups on screen as enemies. Sometimes I didn't know what
to move for or move away from, it gets that fast paced. This
game has a high amount of challenge and it proves to be a
very intense experience. The graphics and sound both have
their highpoints and there's really no major flaw in this
game. The Turbo was generally an overlooked console, but it
had a lot of games that were very much worthy of checking
out. I highly recommend you play this game. If you don't own
the system, you should buy it just to play this game, and
some of the other lesser known, but quality games, the
system has to offer.
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Control - 7/10
Challenge - 8/10
Fun Factor - 9/10
Gameplay - 10/10
Replay Value - 9/10
Overall: 10 out of 10
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