Omega Boost

"Fast paced action, repetitive but great shoot-em-up fun ! one fo the best full 3d shoot-em-ups"

One of the genres that has not made the best 2D to 3D jumps was the shoot-em-up. 2D side-scrolling shoot-em-ups were fun because with relative ease, anybody could blast dozens of bad guys in a single level without having a phD in flight simulation. Most 3D shooters to date had the one problem of complex controls. Omega Boost brings the 2D glory of the genre into the 3rd dimension, and this game is no failure.

Story: 5
Typical shoot-em-up story where a whole army of robots have gone mad and threaten the VERY EXISTENCE OF HUMAN HISTORY !!!! bla bla bla, all of humanity rests on ONE lone super powerful battle robot. But hey, this is a shooter not an RPG!

Graphics: 9
Cool 3D Graphics, 30fps and just occasionnal slowdown no matter the number of missiles flying around, some of the best lighting effects on the psx, and the menus have a cool techno futuristic look. The CG animations are pure eye candy, except for the cheap real life actors

Sound-Music: 6
Boom Boom Boom Boom... No not that vengaboys song, the sound effects in the game. Tons of explosions, and an occasionnal computerized voice are the only sounds in the game. The music is average, good ole techno... gets repetitive, and it isn't the best techno in a game soundtrack.

Gameplay: 10
This game excels where so many other 3d shooters have failed: gameplay. The controls, analog or not, are extremely responsive. Effective use of the shoulder buttons make it extremely easy to fly around in perfect control of you robot. The targetting system is great, the game automatically locks on to a target as long as you have a clear shot to it. And all target points are shown in gray squares, which makes a very simple targetting system. 1 fire button for 2 weapons is a great way to keep things simple, your robot automatically fires missiles if you have a lock on target, and if you don't, you fire a machine gun.

Replay Value: 7
Can't expect too much replay from a shooter, although there is a time-attack like mode that lets you perfect your scores and unlock secret missions. The shoot-em-up fan will appreciate that mode.

Buy Rent???
Buy for any shoot-em up fans, this game is the closest thing to the good old R-Type in 3D If you aren't a shooter fan, at least give this one a couple of rents for the fast paced action.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/00, Updated 01/10/00