Armada

IGN (9.1 out of 10)

In the end, Armada is a phenomenal first effort from the crew at Metro3D, combining solid control and presentation with heavy plusses in the areas that count: gameplay and longevity. It is easily one of the most diverse titles in the Dreamcast line-up, and for that matter, is one of the most unique games to hit the console market in some time. When you put all of this in perspective, you'll get a good picture of why Armada is my runaway pick for sleeper hit of the year. If you've had enough fighting and racing, it's high time you added a bit of spice to your DC library and picked this title up.

Adrenaline Vault, The (AVault) ( )

Gamers who pick up Armada looking for quick thrills will be entertained for a time, but are sure to power down their Dreamcasts unsatisfied. Those who are more patient will find an entire galaxy awaiting their exploration and exploitation, filled with horrors beyond their imagination and heroes in the making. As a bona fide action-RPG, Armada offers both button-mashing fun and plot and character development in equal doses, which means that while the game is enjoyable, it’s not as deep as a traditional RPG. Then again, while it may only appeal to a niche audience, Armada is still an ideal game for the casual role-playing fan.

GamePro (US) (4.5 out of 5)

Armada is a Dreamcast shooter fan's dream, and it recalls the classics of the genre, like Asteroids, Xevious and a touch of R-Type. Hardcore shooter fans might be put off by its wide-open, non-level-based structure, but anyone who likes a little bad-guy-blastin' action should at least give Armada a rent

Planet Dreamcast (9 out of 10)

Armada is definitely worth at least renting and is a must have if you're looking for a great multiplayer game to play with friends. Armada is well designed, original, surprisingly deep, and one hell of an engaging game. Highly recommended.

Shin Force (9 out of 10)

If you think Star Control, Starflight and Sinistar combined into one game would be good, then look no further. Armada features missions, power-ups, melees, and non-stop shooting action. Get something different, get Armada!

CyberGames (9 out of 10)

While Armada may not be very flashy, it's certainly an addicting and very enjoyable game which I highly recommend checking out.

GameSpy (86 out of 100)

I'm really surprised by Armada. After playing it initially for only a few minutes without reading the entire manual, I dreaded the thought of having to play yet another mediocre game. But with time, after learning how to play and figuring out what the hell was going on, I slowly began to really enjoy it. At one point, after winning an intense battle with a particularly nasty enemy badass and escaping by the skin of my teeth, I felt strangely satisfied, and dare I say, excited (no, not in that way). As a guy who basically plays games as a living, I can tell you that doesn't happen often. Then I realized I had been playing for almost four hours straight and had to drag myself away. Armada is definitely worth at least renting and is a must have if you're looking for a great multiplayer game to play with friends. Armada is well designed, original, surprisingly deep, and one hell of an engaging game. Highly recommended.

neXGam (8.4 out of 10)

Dem Dreamcast mangelt es wahrlich nicht an gelungenen Multiplayer-Titeln. Im Gegenteil. Doch Spiele, in denen Ihr die Kampagne zusammen im Koop (und das sogar zu viert!) durchspielen könnt, sind auf SEGAs GD-Schleuder rar gesät. Und wenn ein Spiel dann auch noch derart motivierend daherkommt wie Armada, sollte eigentlich jedes Koop-Spieler-Herz höher schlagen. Armada bietet schlicht und ergreifend eine der besten Koop-Erfahrungen, die man auf dem Dreamcast finden kann. Zugegeben: Solisten werden nicht annähernd so lange Freude an dem Titel haben, da sich irgendwann unweigerlich Monotonie im Shoot’em Up Alltag einstellt und die zeitlichen Abstände zwischen den einzelnen Level-Ups (also der Haupt-Motivationsquelle) im Singleplayer zu groß ausfallen. Man merkt einfach, dass Armada in erster Linie ein Multiplayer-Game sein soll. Und als ein solches gehört es ganz klar zu den Top-Titeln des Systems!

Defunct Games (84 out of 100)

On its own, Armada is a good, albeit short, game. But if you have friends with Dreamcast's, especially if they have other copies of Armada, this is absolutely worth your time and money.

Game Revolution (B+)

So, the Armada is threatening the existence of humanity . . . should you help? The answer is a resounding YES. Although it does have its fair share of problems, the pluses far outweigh the minuses. Play it alone or, even better, invite a few friends over and save the universe with the ones you love. Just remember to keep track of the time, this game sucks you in.

GameSpot (7.8 out of 10)

Armada arrived on store shelves without a lick of good press. Some hailed it as the Dreamcast's worst game, while others mockingly called it "Asteroids RPG" and ignored it. Armada was supposed to be an online multiplayer game. When Sega didn't have the gaming network ready, Metro3D was forced to cut all multiplayer aspects of the game and adapt what it did have into a good game. While Armada isn't for everyone, it is unique, fun, and original.

Gamezilla (77 out of 100)

If you are willing to give the game a chance to get going, you will find that it is pretty fun and addicting -- I was surprised that I liked it as much as I did. It is not the type of game that will appeal to every gamer out there but if you enjoy space combat games, you should have fun with it. I recommend getting a couple of buddies together and playing, because you can team up on the aliens and do more damage. Trying to play through the game alone in single player is one tough assignment. Good luck.

Video Games (7 out of 10)

Wie ihr auf den Screenshots erkennt, ist Armada grafisch nicht gerade der Überhammer, wenn auch das wenige, das zu sehen ist, sehr gut aussieht. Vor allem die verschiedenen Laser-Effekte und Sounds sind lecker gelungen. Läuft euer DC über eine gute Anlage, werden die satten Explosionen für einigen Ärger mit den Nachbarn sorgen - garantiert. Musikalisch werden uns klassische Themen geboten, die wie eigentlich bei vielen Sci-Fi-Filmen klasse zum Geschehen passen. Gut, abwechslungsreich ist Armada nicht gerade, doch der Trieb, sein eigenes Schiff immer weiter aufzurüsten, sorgt dennoch für mächtig Motivation zum Weiterspielen. Space, Babylon und Star Trek-Fans greifen zu.

Video Games (64 out of 100)

(PAL version)
Obwohl ich das Game an sich gut finde, wird es wohl den wenigsten zusagen. Mehr als durch den Weltraum zu tuckern und sein eigenes Raumschiff auszurüsten, ist nämlich nichts zu tun. Es fehlt einfach an der ursprünglich geplanten, doch aufgrund eines Versäumnisses von Segas nicht implementierten Internet-Unterstützung. Ich könnte mir vorstellen, dass Armada vor allem mit tausenden anderen Spielern einen Heidenspaß machen würde. Den Vierspieler-Modus könnt ihr eigentlich getrost vergessen. Oder habt ihr drei Freunde, die mal so nebenbei knapp vierzig Stunden Zeit für ein Multi-Player-Match haben und sich die Arbeit antun wollen, ihr Schiff bis zum Ende auszubauen? Wenn ja, dann wird’s sicher lustig.

HonestGamers (Staff reviews only) (6 out of 10)

Armada is sadly a fun game wrapped in repetitive missions and without any special details. Such repetition has unfortunately marred the game to the point that it becomes uninteresting fast. Sure, there is a breath-taking shock from the whole idea of this being a space shooter and an RPG rolled into one game, but that wears off once many of the missions are done.

Revista Oficial Dreamcast (4 out of 10)

Con lo dicho hasta aquí, queda claro que Armada tiene un planteamiento que intenta ser original, pero sus creadores no han sabido plasmar en la práctica todas sus buenas ideas.

The Video Game Critic (F)

It's taken me nearly an eternity to review Armada, mainly because this stupid game can't even maintain my attention long enough to write one. It's that bad! I've tried to get some friends to help me with it, but after a few minutes of pointless shooting, they're all like "hell with this!" And who can blame them? The game makes no sense at all.