Moonsweeper

"Looks good, but looks aren't everything."

Back to the bargain bin. Yes, my father had once again decided it was time I got a cheapy game to add to my esteemed Atari 2600 collection. There I stood, the beaming eyes of an excited 9-year-old looking for a game to pick up. My only hope was that a game that I had wanted for ever so long had finally dropped down into the cheap range. Among the derelict, forgotten, little known, and over-looked titles that swarmed the bargain section, one seemed to scream out to me. It was the voice of an unwanted Imagic title that I had never heard of. I was weary about it at first, but remembering the games that Imagic had delivered before (particularly Pitfall 2 and River Raid), I snatched up the game Moonsweeper. The name sounded interesting, as did the premise of the game as I read the instruction manual. Okay, I more or less skimmed because I was a lazy 9-year-old American. The gameplay had an interesting hum to it. Reading it actually gave hope of a definite end to the game. Now, I mean a real end. Not one that came because they couldn't fit anymore on the cart, like so many other Atari 2600 games. One that actually gave you a clear sense of accomplishment, like the earlier mentioned Pitfall 2. After a few minutes of testing the game out, I concluded that the ending was a bit hard and tedious to get to (if such existed), that the graphics for this game were rather exquisite, and that the game really got repetitive after a while. Not the good kind of repetitive, the one that makes you play more, but the evil kind.

Sweep Those Moons! Chop Chop!
In Moonsweeper, you play as a ship that is supposed to get enough of a rocket force to go around the sun. However, it seems very difficult to go around the sun, so you must land on several different planets and pick up the proper material needed to complete this task. As you start the game, you are in front of the sun (more or less) while a ton planets and stars circle around it. As you touch a planet, your ship lands on it and you'll fly through the level (that is, the surface of the planet) destroying enemies. Your first objective is to find and bring home several miners. These are the people waving their hands out on the open plains. Secure them, and it's on to the next phase of the planet. Every once in a while, you'll see what looks like a couple of claw-like objects. You must use these objects to get off the planet. After you've done that, you repeat the process. The instruction manual says there is a way to complete the game (or more or less alludes to it), although I never have.

Sound like an interesting game idea? Well, sure it is! This is the type of thing that some game developers come up with when they try to go against the grain. That seemed to be the aim that Imagic had in mind for this game. They wanted to get away from those average, every day shooting games and take us to something a bit more exciting. Sure, many of us look at this game and laugh at the tragic idea of realism in an Atari game. At the time this was as real as it got, despite the ironic abstractions within the game. So the idea came in that instead of us trying to shoot as many hostile aliens as we can, why don't we just try to propel ourselves around the backside of the sun? A great idea that begets a decent game, but fails in the attempt of absolute greatness.

The gameplay does bring us something fresh and new, while at the same time seems to falter after a few sessions of playing. You start out in space facing the sun, waiting for an unsuspecting planet to get close. Then, it's time to start our mission of rescuing people we don't know and killing aliens which are sent down from a huge mothership (which you can fire at if you hold down and hit the action button). At the same time, you are to avoid towers that come at you. What do we do after that? The same thing again. Yes, it's unique and yes, many Atari games are repetitive. The only difference is this isn't the type of repetitive that sustains a suitable addiction to the game. However, that doesn't demean the replay value of the game enough to never play the game after a few sessions. The game is still fun enough to play in small doses, which is completely fine!

Graphics
Adjust your eyes just enough to collect the proper lights that make up the wonderful graphics of this game. For the most part, it is the environmental graphics that we see on the planets that seem to beget the best graphics. This is not to deny the coloration within the game, which may be somewhat simplistic, but still adds the right amount of life to the game. Yet another stripe for the graphics department to add to its shoulder is the fact that the designs of enemies, the ship- pretty much everything- looks spectacular. Rather than being given incredibly obscured and blocky objects like many games, the designs seem to denote some form of detail, giving the game a more authentic feeling.

Audio
In an older version of this review, I misjudged the sounds completely. The sounds to this game actually hit the target (the target they aimed for, anyway). By the sounds of it, Imagic was going for a more arcade sound for the game. In many ways, they hit it. Many of the sound effects sound almost authentically arcade-esque. The explosions, the sound effects that play when you die, the sound that tones when you land... Very well captured. We are even given a nice treat in the flight sounds in this game. While they do sound for the most part abstract from what true flight might sound like, they add an extra level of atmosphere that is much needed in this game (and possibly bumped up the grade another notch). All in all, the audio department of this game worked out very nicely... Okay, except the game over music. I can't stand that dull, monotone crap they play!

Final Word

Where, oh where did this go wrong? This is a decent game, sure, but it just doesn't feel like a fully likable attempt. The impression that I'm getting here is that they spent too much time on graphics. Sure, the game is fun, but it gets dull after a while. I felt they really needed to do something a bit different with the planets. You know, give you maybe a couple more things to fire at once in a while. The game also felt somewhat frustrating the first time I played it as I didn't fully understand the concept.

The emphasis on graphics, however, wasn't such a bad thing, though. It did save it from a fate worse than death (or a bad review from me, anyway). I could've easily given this game a 3 or 4 if not for the good graphics. Many people say, ''Graphics don't matter! It's all about gameplay!'' Now, think of what it would be like to play a game like Shenmue with Atari 2600 graphics. I'm not saying Atari 2600 is a bad system, but I'm saying imagine what the game would look like if you were just a stick figure running around a pixel town talking to other stick figures. You probably wouldn't have as much fun, would you? Graphics aren't everything, no, but they are a good contribution. Graphics can help a game work and play a lot better. Why is it such a taboo to be amused by eye candy? Who cares if it's a ''distraction'' from the true stigma of the game? The whole idea behind gaming is that you enjoy what you're playing. It's not a contest to see who can find the most flaws and perks to a game. It's all about what goes on in your head while playing it. There are some who ridiculed Bangai-O because it ''looked like an NES game with 128-bit graphics. Personally, I think Bangai-O rocks. Okay, that's enough of my rant...

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: Very good 10/10
Sounds: Some are very annoying and others are just bearable 8/10
Controls: A bit over-responsive 7/10
Plot/Storyline: Well, why exactly does he want to go around the sun? Sure, it's different, but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense... 6/10
Gameplay: Fun at first, but seems to get a bit frustrating and boring after a while 7/10
All Together: 7/10

Perks
*Excellent graphics
*Interesting game idea and concepts
*Somewhat original gameplay

Downers
*Easy to tire of
*Some aspects of the game could've used a little touch up

Hilarity- There really is nothing funny about this game.

Recommendations
Play this once just to see if you like it, then give it whatever judgment you see fit.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/31/01, Updated 01/12/03