Metal Storm

"In space, no one can hear you get blown to pieces by enemy robots..."

Metal Storm is a great action game for the NES, and it's unique usage of gravity makes it even more interesting. Read on for the full analysis.

Graphics (7/10)

The animation, for both the robot you control, and the enemies themselves, looks pretty good, and certainly better than what may be found in many other NES action games. Also, the backgrounds have a lot of variety to themselves, making them look rather nice. All of the attacks look cool too. Overall, it's definitely not bad for NES at all.

Sound (8/10)

The music is pretty good, mostly made up of techno-like themes that suit the game well. The sound effects are on the money for the most part, and, although they're definitely not that different from other NES action game sound effects, they still get the job done. Overall, the sound and music is a bit tinny, but this has more to do with the NES's lousy sound processors than it does with the actual stuff itself.

Playcontrol (9/10)

The best part of Metal Storm comes from the ability to manipulate gravity effects. With a simple press of Up and A, the gravity of the stage is instantly reversed. Using this is necessary to make your way through the stage. Also, enemies react accordingly to gravity change, making it a useful technique to simply change the gravity to change the positions of them. Jumping is easy enough, with just a press of the B button, and you can also duck to avoid certain attacks. The default weapon your M308 Gunner is equipped with is just a machine gun, but can be upgraded into more powerful weapons, and can be aimed in all directions, which is helpful. Overall, the gameplay is simple and easy to learn, yet complicated to master, which can be appreciated by old-school action fans.

Entertainment Value (8/10)

Metal Storm is, in a word, hard. You only get one chance to make it through a stage, if you get hit even once, you're killed, unless you have a shield on. In addition, you only get two extra lives as you start the game. Fortunately, you can choose to restart any stage you're on if you lose all your lives, so you won't have to restart the game completely, which is nice, considering how long and difficult each stage can sometimes be. Each stage also comes with a time limit, and if you can't beat in it time, you're dead. With gameplay similar to the highly-esteemed Contra, and difficulty to boot, Metal Storm is worth a look from any NES-loving action game fan.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/09/01, Updated 11/09/01