Iridion 3D

"A bad game, or just really really hard?"

Iridion 3D, the infamous space-shooter you may have heard about. Is it really an awful game, the worst of all time, in fact? Certainly not, the only reason why people always talk badly about it is because many viewed it as a disappointment after building up their expectations as they waited for its release. So is it a bad game? Well, just read this review that I've taken my very important time to write.

Story 6/10
It's a shooter. Knowing this, you now won't expect it to be Shakespeare-quality. The story is basically about the Iridion empire, a far-off alien race, that has come to conquer Earth, and it is up to you, a lone pilot, to head to the alien planet and defeat their leader. For additional information, view the game's opening. It basically involves an alien ship appearing and them shooting stuff. Very informative. As far as shooter-stories go, it's pretty informative, because it tells you the name of the race you're fighting. That alone makes it deserve a 6 instead of a 5.

Graphics 10/10
If you've heard about this game, then you've heard that its graphics are incredible. Even so long after the Game Boy Advance's release, it's still incredible to look at, and showcases several beautiful landscapes for you to travel across.

Sound 8/10
Pretty generic, nothing special here, though a very nice feature is the option to change the volume of the sound effects and music as you please.

Music 10/10
This has an incredible soundtrack that's very fast-paced and perfect for this type of game. It sounds nice through the speaker, but hook up a good(meaning 'not broken')pair of headphones, and the music quality is fantastic.

Controls 7/10
...Pretty basic control configuration. Move the ship around with the directional pad and fire with the a button. It's quite surprising that they didn't give you the option of editing the controls as you wish. Maneuvering the ship, however, is a bit more complex. The way you move affects not only the position of your ship but also its line of fire. Its a little tricky at first to find a good strategy when playing the game, but you'll eventually get the hang of it.

Challenge 2/10
Unless you see this game for a really low price, you should definitely rent it. Even if you've always considered yourself a talented shooting-genre gamer, you should try it out first. Believe me. You start out with 5 lives, no continues, and have to go through 7 stages. You might get an extra life at the end of a stage, but at the rate that you lose them, it won't really help. This game takes a lot of practice to get the hang of, and is very tough. The enemies themselves are pretty sneaky, and fire dozens of well-aimed shots at you non-stop, making avoiding taking damage pretty challenging. What doesn't help is the fact that your ship can block your vision if you're firing at something, so hanging around the middle of the screen could be suicide. As for your own weapon, the default blaster is nowhere near as powerful as what you start with in games like Gradius, because even the most basic of enemies take more then one hit to take out(try beating the final boss like this). The bosses themselves are pretty heavily-armed. They have tons of ammo to fire at you, and don't hesitate to do so. If you're a casual gamer, then stay away from this. Stay away from it at all costs. If you're a true gamer, and willing to tackle any challenge, then try this game out, but be warned.

Gameplay 7/10
Pretty fun, if you ignore everything I discussed in the previous category. It's an enjoyable, if not incredibly difficult, game, and if you're good, will find enjoyable.

Replay 6/10
Nothing really here except codes that aren't incredibly satisfying. The gallery mode is nice, though not very time-consuming. As for beating your high-scores, that should prove easy,(too easy, in fact)because it has no save feature. Yes, this is one of those games that has a high-score chart but not a save feature. Joy.

Overall 7/10
A fun game if you're good. If not, stay away. This game deserves a recommendation to pros, but a warning to others.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/13/02, Updated 05/13/02