Cosmic Commando

The Good
Cosmic Commando is the latest game from Anirog to cater to 16K VIC-20 owners. It also takes advantage of the Stack Light Rifle, but if you haven’t got this accessory, you can still play the game with the joystick. However, it is much easier to just use the SLR. The game makes good use of overscan to make everything extend past the border. The only other game I know that uses this kind of overscan is Bewitched, which I own, alongside my real VIC-20.

The game is presented in a first-person perspective, with a runway that occupies most of the screen. About seven alien vultures emerge from what appears to be a TV screen one by one and fly around this runway for a minute, then go off the screen. Your job is to kill these vultures before time runs out. Once you kill all seven, you proceed to the next wave. You can’t afford to waste ammo; it is easy to miss the vultures because they fly in and out of your crosshair just like that. If your time or ammo gets wasted, the game is over.

I like how you get a helping hand in wave two, you have a robot that can grab vultures if they come into contact with it, then take them away to be killed. I don’t know if he reappears later. That way in the event that you miss the vultures, you can let the robot take care of it. I only got up to wave four. I assumed that this robot appears every second wave, but this is not the case.

Upon loading the game, you are greeted with some wonderful neon lights that make up the text (If a developer is making a 16K game, why wouldn’t they do this?), along with the top-five high scores. I like how the runway is animated, just like the runways in which airplanes land on at night. I also like the overall look of the readouts.

Sonics are not bad, either. A laser sound always signal the beginning of a game. When you fire in the game, it sounds like a laser firing. I like the sound effect when the robot is kililng one of the vultures.

The Bad
This game is flawless!

The Bottom Line
Cosmic Commando is a great game for 16K owners that has superb sound and graphics that will have you begging for "just one more go". The game has an original plot, too. The game utilizes the Stack Light Rifle, and it is best played with it. But those without this accessory can still play via joystick. VIC-20 owners who happen to have the 16K expansion can feel right at home here.