"Atari's unfairly underrated shooting gem"

Built around much hype and some clever publicity, the Jaguar hit the game market back in the early 90's with a promise that the new game revolution had begun and we would never be able to go back to 16 bits after experiencing 64 bit power! As we all found out, Atari was a little less than truthful of its new baby's capabilities and stuck with their little untruths stubbornly even as gamers got wind of what was going on after the first batch of games. Well the beginning was hopeful, as Atari released two ground breaking console game titles that seemed to make the Jaguar's future look very bright. Those two game's were Cybermorph and Alien Vs. Predator. Cybermorph however was different in that it was the first ever free roaming space flight game to hit the console market. While severely flawed by today's standards, it can't be denied that this was probably the only Atari game that attempted to push the Jaguar's power.

Graphics: The beginnings of 3D gaming weren't pretty as demonstrated here. The untextured polygon models of the entire game is primitive technology. There is no detail but only flat and blocky shapes that fill the screen. All the levels look almost identical with the exception of their layout and color schemes; serious pop up issues are also present, as mountains will appear right before you almost hit them!

Music/Sound: Music? What music? The game has no soundtrack with the exception of the little tune at the title screen which is quite good. The sounds of weapons firing, your plane hovering and explosions of your enemies (or you) getting destroyed is the only thing that your ears will have to listen to. While this seemed like a bummer at first, the lack of any music seemed to really add atmosphere of desolate space after a while and became quite cool.

Gameplay: Ah, this is where Cybermorph shines. Even today in 2003 I found the game wholly entertaining and quite challenging towards the end levels. The controls work perfectly with responsive button commands and tight handling on your ship. It's very easy to stop and go which means you'll be able to pick up and play almost immediately. The main goal of the levels is to pick up a certain amount of pods (why I don't know) or to destroy a specific base or battle a boss. The levels are big but you'll never get lost because of the onscreen map that tells you where to go; and in true old school shooting fashion, you rank up a score which eventually gives you extra lives. The game uses a password feature to continue between levels, so have a pen and paper ready. Though there isn't much to the enemies or bosses, it still was a trip to fly around blasting anything away (again great controls play a major part in this).

Overall: Cybermorph isn't for picky gamers. Yes it is ugly to look at and yes the simplistic premise doesn't allow for much depth or replayabity. Once you beat it, there really is no reason to go back unless to beat a high score. However, much in the same way classic shooting games like Galaga and Defender are still a blast to play because of a simple interface executed with excellent control and challenging scenarios, Cybermorph fits the same bill. Old school gamers should have a field day with this one, if they aren't already having it!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/03, Updated 03/03/03