Xevious

"This port of Xevious is just truly devious!"

When I saw Xevious laying around for the Atari 7800, I thought to myself, ''Great, the 7800 should be able to handle this with ease!'' So I took it home and hooked up my Atari 7800 and plugged the cartridge in and started to play. To my dismay, I discovered that the way this game was ported was not to the best they could have done!

Graphics: 7/10
The scenery is drawn fairly well, but it could've been drawn a little sharper. The water and forests look barely like anything I'd come to expect on the Atari 7800, and the enemies have hardly any detail to them. Even the title screen looks very drab. About the only saving grace is the fact they were able to recreate the original logo slightly.

Sounds: 6/10
The tune that plays when you start a new life is out of tune, and that annoyingly repetitive tune is still intact. The explosions sound not like something getting blown up, but rather like something falling on the floor. You're better off playing with the sound muted.

Controls: 5/10
Since the Atari 7800 has two buttons, you'd think one could be used to fire and the other to launch bombs, right? Wrong! Both buttons fire guns and bombs simultaneously, which is very awkward, and unfortunately, since you're stuck using this for the entire game, the gameplay feels more like you're playing this on the Atari 2600! (Yes there was a prototype of this game for the 2600 which I have read about and it is very similar in terms of controls!)

Story: 10/10
The story isn't that bad. A group of mysterious aliens from another planet claim that they're the original humans and are planning to attack us and reclaim their planet. Our only hope relies on the Solvalou, a ship with advanced weapons designed to fight off these evil creatures and save the planet Earth. Too bad, the storyline was great, so why couldn't the rest of the game be just as good?

Replay: 6/10
Xevious is just as tough as it was in the arcade, meaning that you'll be in for one heck of a space battle. The flying fortress is one of the toughest enemies in a video game, despite the fact that it only takes one hit to kill, but you've got to be spot on. Then again, it's unlikely you'd want to play this game again.

Overall: 6/10
If you're a diehard Xevious fan who's got to have every version of Xevious that was ever made, then you might find this version to be adequate for your tastes. Otherwise, this game was ported horribly to the 7800, I'm sorry to say. The controls and graphics could've been better, but as it is, this port of Xevious is rather devious!

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 10/17/02, Updated 10/17/02