Windows

Asteroids

Overall, this is a great game that hasn't aged a second, and still holds its power to compel gamers to play "just one more game." Despite the tasty updated graphics, hyperactive folks addicted to blood and guts may not like it. Most gamers, though, will find a pleasant journey back to a time when happiness was a new high score and nirvana was only a quarter away.

I really enjoyed playing this game and I would suggest it to anyone who enjoyed playing the original Asteroids (or even if you didn't, this game is great fun). I'd definitely toss out some dough to own this one because it will keep you coming back for arcade action for months to come.

Asteroids is een leuk tussendoortje dat waarschijnlijk enkel door de echte fans van het origineel zal worden geapprecieerd.

Activision heeft met Asteroids een leuke game neergezet, vooral voor oude 2600-spelers. Het concept is in ere gehouden, maar de 3D departement is helemaal lau gegaan op de graphics. Leuk. Een nieuwe Space Invaders schijnt ook in de maak.

It's great that somebody is remaking old games and making them better, rather than just licensing names and tacking them onto non sequitur first-person shooters. Activision has a winner here. Asteroids is 100 percent true to the feel of the original, with terrific new power-ups to spice things up. Though not likely to make anyone quit his day job - how many times could anyone want to clear another screen of debris? - it's fun to give a damn about high scores again.

If you liked the original game and all its sequels, such as Asteroids Deluxe and Asteroids 3D, you’ll like this, but you’ll probably notice a pattern: not much has changed. The game is definitely much prettier to look at, and the side-by-side multiplayer and ship selection options are neat, but the game is basically the same. If that’s what you want from it, play to your heart’s content. However, after seeing what can be done to update other classic games, such as Centipede and Frogger, it’s kind of a disappointment to see no real changes in the gameplay. I would have been thrilled to find a 3D first person playfield, or ¾ view, or something besides just the flat wrap screen they have had for 20 years. If all you want is the original game experience, I’d rather spend my cash actually buying one of the original arcade machines. So much more could have been done with this besides just a face lift. Buy it if you must, but wait until it hits the bargain bins.

In the end, Asteroids is a good update of one of the greatest games ever made. Even so, it's still pretty damn simple. Worse still, I ran into several really wonky problems with controller set-up, video card compatibility and other little quirks that, while fixed fairly quickly, really should have been there in the first place. If you're in to straight arcade shooters, you'll probably get a lot of enjoyment out of Asteroids, if however, you're looking for the added depth that Activision gave to Battlezone, you're most likely to come away disappointed.

Mein erstes Videospiel-Erlebnis überhaupt war Anfang der 80er neben einer "Defender"-Kiste ein Asteroids-Automat. Um so gespannter war ich auf Activisions Update, bei dem die 3D-Karten zum Glück nur die herumfliegenden Gegenstäde darstellen - das Spielprinzip tasteten die Programmierer wohlweislich nicht an. Eine kurze Ballerei macht dem Retro-Fan auch heute noch Spaß, allerdings ist die Langzeitmotivation wohl in einem schwarzen Loch versunken. Dafür geht es schon im ersten Level hektischer als vor 20 Jahren zu.

No matter, though. Asteroids isn't about storyline, it's about the fun and addicting action of flying around space and blowing things up. In that regard, the game succeeds nicely. It's basically the original game with better graphics and more weapons. It's not the next generation of gaming by any means, but it is fun to play. And while it may be a little too easy to beat once you've mastered each level, it's certainly an enjoyable diversion for fans of the original.

In sum, Activision's version of Asteroids is a fun game, but not nearly the game it could have been. The conservative approach here to updating a video classic, improving graphics and sound while not introducing any real innovations in gameplay, is not as attractive as the more revolutionary approach taken by those (such as Astrorock 2000, Swarm, and Juggernaut Corps) that actually attempt to introduce significant new wrinkles while still keeping the spirit of the original. Because I am an arcade shooter junkie, I will keep playing all four of these games for quite some time to come; but for those of you who are more addicted to other kinds of games, I think all you need is one of these, and I would be really hard-pressed to recommend Activision's efforts over the others.

Unzählige Shareware-Klone haben das Ur-Asteroids schön aufbereitet, Activision versucht es jetzt zur Abwechslung mal mit 3D-Grafik. Die ist recht schick, und die Levels sind ideenreich, aber im Grunde taugt das Spielprinzip halt nicht zu mehr als ein paar schweißtreibenden Minuten am Automaten. Nach einer nicht allzu langen Weile wird Asteroids schlichtweg langweilig.

In the end, while Asteroids is just a rebirth of the original, one question still remains: is it worth dishing out hard-earned bucks for copy? Well, other than a few powerups, the gameplay is almost exactly the same as the original. So the bottom line is that, other than the impressive visual effects, Asteroids has no real advantages over the hundreds of other (free) clones floating around on the internet, some of which may support network play. Take it for what it is: the original Asteroids with a makeover.

In all, what you have here is an upgraded version of a classic that didn't need upgrading. It says in the manual that the classic game is hidden somewhere in one of the missions. Do yourself a favor, if you have already bought this game and can't return it, find the classic game. My bet is that you'll enjoy it a hell of a lot more. If you haven't bought it, pick up a copy of Microsoft Arcade and play the original version of this game. Then, you won't have to worry about having the latest hardware drivers.