Project-X

It's not hard to see where Team 17's bunch of talented coders have looked for their inspiration (R-Type 2 and Nemesis fans will instantly be at home), but the finished product has been finely honed into a distinctly original product which makes other games from the same genre pale in comparison. An outstanding arcade-quality blast.

Project X has that special ingredient that makes it compulsive to the point of insomnia. Those of weak will power, beware. The best shoot-em-up for a long time.

Project X is admittedly just another horizontally scrolling shoot'em-up, but it's worthwhile because it has been executed so well. Technically, it's outstanding. The screen update is smooth throughout, most of the sprites are huge, and the sound, particularly the speech, play a vital role in the game. Thankfully, the gameplay hasn't been neglected. The main sprite is responsive and the weapons and power-ups are plentiful throughout. Project X is a graphical and aural treat, which may prove to be the Amiga's finest shoot'em-up to date.

Parasta Project X:ssä on se tunnelma, jonka upea grafiikka, loistavat ääniefektit ja selkeät opastavat puheosuudet luovat. Pelattavuus ei kaikilta osin ole moitteetonta, mikä estää pelin nousemisen klassikoiden joukkoon. Lisäksi peli on aavistuksen liian vaikea ollakseen todella nautittava. Se kuitenkin näyttää upeasti, mihin Amiga pystyy parhaimmillaan. Shoot 'em up -fanaatikolle Project X on ehdoton hankinta.

Kunnolliset 2D-räiskinnät ovat PC:llä harvinaista herkkua, ja Project-X on oiva lisuke lajityypistä kiinnostuneiden valikoimiin. Täydellinen se ei ole ja allekirjoittaneelle liiankin tuttu. Ilmeisen ohjainbugin takia peliä voi suositella vain varauksin. Erityismaininnan ansaitsee erittäin vaikealukuinen kopionsuojauskoodivihkonen.

Project X - well, what can I say? For starters, it's a great game which is destined to become one of the bestsellers this year in the shoot'em up stakes. (Blimey! steady on! Ed.) One of the first things that struck me was how similar in playability it ws to Rainbow Arts' Z-out. It may be slightly too tricky for beginners, but hardened games players will have little trouble fighting off the alien basts.

Team 17, Englands neuester Stern am Softwarehimmel, leuchtet weiter. Dem bemerkenswerten Einstandsspiel Alien Breed folgt nun mit Project X eine reinrassige Horizontalballerei à la Nemesis.

Project X isn't short on good points. You can select one of three ships of differing characteristics for your mission, allowing you to tailor your tactics a particular way. The weapons and ship interact imaginatively, with powerful weapons both detracting from the other weapons and hampering the handling of your craft. The speech samples are atmospheric and helpful. The graphics are stunning (see for yourself), and Team 17 have listened admirably to criticism of their earlier Alien Breed, which said it was too easy to complete. Unfortunately, they've gone hurtling off in the opposite direction and made a game that only a superhuman's going to see the end (or even the second half) of, Project X doesn't even apparently have a cheat mode, so unless you're the kind of person who found R-Type II just all too easy, forget about this forever.

Zu bemangeln findet man hier wenig, vielleicht dass die Sprites gelegentlich etwas holprig animiert sind, die Feindformationen nicht ewig Spass machen und wirklich ausgiebig nachgeladen wird - letzteres ist bei satten vier Disks jedoch kein Wunder. Unter dem Strich kommt Project-X also nicht ganz an die Ballerkrone von "Apidya" heran, aber "Agony" muss um seinen Vizetitel zittern...

It would have been nice to see a simultaneous two-player mode, and maybe something unique to Project X. As it is, the only new thing Team 17 have brought to the genre is the longevity of the whole experience. This is no bad thing, but these days you have to do something more pioneering to make a name for yourself in this industry.

Keskitasoa paremmat pisteet kertyvät vähäisestä kilpailusta, sillä kaupallisella sektorillahan PC:lle ei paljoa räiskintäpelejä ole. Vaihtoehtona kannattaa tutustua Share Warena levitettävään Raptoriin.

Un soft indispensable pour les amateurs de jeux de ce style, qui pourrait en faire accrocher d'autres tant il est bien réalisé.

Weltraum-Ballerspiele sind auf dem PC eher eine Seltenheit. Wen wundert es da noch, daß die Amiga Haus- und Hoflieferanten von Team 17 ihren Ballerspaß Projekt X auch für den PC konvertieren?