Thu, 25 Dec 2008
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Kneejerk Review - Super Stardust Portable (PSP)
Super Stardust Portable is a very current interpretation of Asteroids with Robotron-style fire control. My armed space ship sits in the middle of the screen while zooming around outer space and in each new level becomes surrounded by an ever-intensifying crush of danger and malevolence in the form of asteroids and alien craft. I purchased and downloaded it with my PSP from the PlayStation Network.
I've only just unlocked the second planet in this game but I'm ready to say that I think it's a lot of fun. Most reviews complain about how poorly the controls migrated from Super Stardust HD and the dual sticks of the PS3 controllers. Whatever. I can't say because I've never played that version. The developers cleverly worked around the issue with the face buttons by concentrating rapid fire along the compass directions if a button is held, and distributing fire out in a 90° spread if the button is tapped repeatedly. If only I'd had that kind of control in Asteroids! And I need it, because the screen is almost always filled with things that want to crush or otherwise disintegrate me. Bonus: when these forces are successful in their nefarious pursuits, the resultant explosion from my engine core breaching vaporizes everything on screen. Yet, for a game which loves to deal out one-hit player deaths and still uses limited lives, it's surprisingly un-frustrating. It's fun to wield and power up the various weapons, it's fun to escape from inevitable crushing defeat with smart bombs and booster rockets, and the game looks and sounds excellent. The controls work really well, which I've realized is The Only Reliable Way To Make Me Happy when it comes to video games. It's satisfying to play and it's only ten bucks!
Rating: +
(on a scale of - to + where "meh" means I don't care one way or another)
Also, get flOw (+) from PSN, too, because you'll need an excellent way to chill out.
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