Sinistron
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
Have you ever played a role playing game in which you
breezed through a bunch of fields and dungeons only to be
annihilated in mere moments by some incredibly difficult
boss? And then you realized that you were still twenty
levels (and hours of experience building) away from having
any shot at beating that boss? If so, you have somewhat of
an idea of what it's like to play Sinistron, a shooter that
takes the idea of a 'difficulty curve' and throws it out
the window.
For those of you wondering what a 's inistron' is, it's the
name of some massive ship that likes to consume planets
(guess what planet it's headed for next). It may as well
have been called 'Unicron', because the story behind this
game is surprisingly reminiscent of the Transformers film
that appeared in the mid-80's, but I digress. The plot is
meaningless once you start playing the game anyway.
Sinistron is your basic six-stage, horizontally-scrolling
shooter with one notable twist. Your ship is equipped with
'Ramming Shield jaws' which basically cover the front half
of it. The jaws offer you some slight protection against
enemy firepower, but should you feel like opening them up a
bit, whatever weapon you're using will automatically gain a
'spread' effect, thus allowing you to cover a larger area
with your shots. However, the front half of your ship
becomes vulnerable each time you choose to open the jaws
(they can be closed, half-open, or fully open). Deciding
when to open your Ramming Shield and when to leave it shut
(not to mention figuring out which weapons work best with
which shield settings) adds a bit of a strategy element to
an otherwise straightforward game.
For the most part, the graphics in Sinistron are splendid
(the backgrounds in a few stages are a bit dull). The
enemies are huge and colorful, and most of the levels
feature some well done multi-layer scrolling. The music is
intense and pleasing to listen to; when it comes to the
superficials, Sinistron is a top-notch game!
Actually, every aspect of this game is nicely done except
for the difficulty curve. Within hours of purchasing the
game, I had breezed through the first three levels. Stage
Four starts off slowly enough; just navigate your way
through an asteroid field. I thought I was well on my way
towards completing the game in a single day.
Wrong. A barrage of asteroids came flying out of no where
and annihilated my ship. I tried again, and met with the
same results. By the end of the week, I was still on Stage
Four, and the outlook was bleak. Months passed (possibly
decades), and although I still played (and enjoyed) the game
on a semi-regular basis, I had basically given up any hope
of making it through that darn asteroid field. One day, I
guess through some sort of miracle, I completed the
once-impossible Stage Four. Well, the game doesn't get any
easier from there, but after putting so many hours into
beating that one level, there was no way I was going to give
up without completing the mission (thankfully, the game
grants you unlimited continues). A few hours later, I beat
the game, and enjoyed a very dull ending sequence.
Folks, I'm not an inexperienced gamer when it comes to
shooters; I've bought the best and I've beaten the best. But
Sinistron's difficulty nearly drove me crazy. You can't just
rely on your instincts in this title; you must memorize
every enemy's attack patterns and every level's layout
before you'll stand a chance of getting anywhere. Don't be
deceived by how easy it is to get through the first three
stages; the worst is yet to come. Granted, I was much
younger when I endured all my struggles with this game, but
I still have my hands full with that asteroid field today.
Amazingly, I always had plenty of fun while I was playing
Sinistron. It controls well, it has superb graphics and
sound, and it is extremely intense. Unless you have a very
low frustration level, this game comes highly recommended.
And for you shooter fans who are looking for a challenge...
have I found an asteroid field for you!
Overall: 8 out of 10
OR
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