Windows

Starshot: Space Circus Fever

Het moest maar eens afgelopen zijn met de matige verkoopcijfers van geweldloze platformgames op de PC. Starshot is echt niet kinderachtig, speelt heerlijk en biedt volop weirde aktie.

Starshot is gewoonweg een leuk platformspel met een grappig verhaal en verslavende gameplay. Als je bereid bent om met de enerverende besturing te leren werken, is Starshot zeker en vast de aanschaf waard!

The game has a lot of inventive elements, but overall it just feels smaller than the system it's running on. Most of the fun revolves around the elaborate plot, which concerns talking bombs, evil circuses, bank debts, and a environments like a theme-park world dedicated to weaponry. It's fun to watch Starshot mumble through scenes like a giant tank salesman who seems more in place in Grim Fandango than Infogrames platform entry into the PC market, but get him moving and the fun quickly begins to fizzle. Unfortunately this isn't an adventure game, and it can't rely on plot alone. Hurling balls of energy at enemies, and back-flipping on Hippos stomach's is entertaining, but it's gets old quickly. Overall, Starshot has got to be the most fish-out-of-water game I've ever played, not really fitting in with the PC hardcore crowd, or the N64 platform arena. Poor Starshot will just have to do a bit more juggling if he's going to impress either camp.

Es ist zum Weinen: Endlich mal wieder ein Jump-and-run für den PC, noch dazu in knuddligster 3D-Grafik, mit schicker Musik und einer abgedrehten und witzigen Story, die obendrein liebevoll deutsch synchronisiert wurde. Garniert hat man die Geschichte mit wohldosierten Adventure-Einlagen und stimmungsvollen Video-Sequenzen. Tja, alles für die Katz, weil ich vermute, daß ein Manager bei Infogrames entschieden hat, daß das Spiel dann fertig ist, wenn man ein wenig Grafik sieht und Sound hört. Dem ist aber nun mal nicht so, weswegen das sonst wirklich witzige Starshot auf ödes Mittelmaß abrutscht. Der Grund: Die Steuerung ist nervenaufreibend hakelig, die Kamera zeigt alles mögliche, nur nicht das, worauf es ankommt, und das Leveldesign ist alles andere als rund.

The verdict? "They should probably cut down on the amount of information provided, but I would probably buy this game if it came out on the Playstation," Patti said. "It's my type of game."

If it's not already clear, let us make this abundantly clear: this game bites. As soon as I finish taking screenshots for you all to laugh at, I'm going to stick the CD in our microwave and fry it. I hated writing this review, because it involved playing the game for more than about a minute. Do not buy this game, do not download a demo. Its only redeeming value is the mockery factor (well-taken advantage of in this review). Starshot is years behind the times, and it's simply not good. I'm surprised that it was released at all, and I pity anyone who had to work on it.