Viewpoint

"Zaxxon is Back in the Form of Viewpoint on the Neo-Geo"

Remember the Commodore 64? Neither do I. Remember Zaxxon? Yeah me too. Heard of Viewpoint? Hmm... let's backtrack. The Neo-Geo Advanced Entertainment System, arcade hardware in a little black box. Sound familiar? Good. Viewpoint is an interest shoot em up for the Neo-Geo. It is an update of the classic Zaxxon, featuring a funky camera angle that gives it a 2D-3D look. The music is funky too. Everything about this game seems funky. It is a good game, worthy of play if you own a Neo-Geo and love shoot em ups. Featuring great graphics, huge bosses, cool music, and awesome control, Viewpoint is a thrill ride.

(gameplay - 7)
This game controls off the hook. It is awesome. You have a cool little ship with a charge shot and 3 bombs, and that's it. Move from side to side with the joystick, pull back to slow your roll. Easy enough. Yet this game gets docked 3 points due to its unfair difficulty. The whole game is very hard. This is disappointing because this game is really pretty cool with a fresh viewpoint (get it) and all... the controls are fine-tuned and responsive. But the game is very difficult. So be prepared to continue a lot. Become a masterful player and you may just beat the game. This game is not cheap, but it is challenging. If you die you can't blame it on the controls because they are spot-on.

(story)
There is no story. Seriously, none.

(graphics - 9, sound - 10)
The graphics in this game are great, they look very 3D due to the viewing angle of your ship. The enemies are well animated as is your ship, and the bosses are huge. There is a bit of slowdown in the game but only when the screen fills up with lots of enemy ships and bullets. Your ship rolls to the side which looks cool, and the bombs have some nice visual effects to them. Really this game is very unique in the way it is viewed from, and it gives this game a very personal feel. The bullets are colorful and easy to see, and the bosses are colorful and imaginative. Viewpoint rocks graphics-wise. Sound-wise Viewpoint is amazing. The music is so well done and the tunes are very catchy. This game has some great tunes in it and you may find yourself bobbing your head to the beat every now and then. The sound effects are good too, but are overshadowed by the music. Still though the sound effects work well in this game and really do sound good. I love this soundtrack, it's awesome. So basically you have really good graphics and an awesome soundtrack. Sounds like a great shooter to me.

(replay value - 9)
This game is very difficult and as such you may find yourself wanting to play through it over and over just to get better at it. The music is good and the visuals are excellent, so playing this game won't get boring. It offers a very cool viewing angle and a challenging AI so be prepared to die, but you will want to try again because this game can get you hooked. The replay value is high.

(recommendations)
I really like this game. I think if you are a fan of shoot em ups you probably will like this too. The music and graphics are top-notch and the challenging difficulty makes it all the more satisfying to complete this sucker. If you own a Neo-Geo and are looking for a shooter, this game is very unique and stands out as one of your few choices and also is one of the best. I recommend it to shooting game fans with lots of time on their hands because this game is frustratingly difficult. Be prepared to spend lots of time with Viewpoint if you want to complete this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/04