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4 Smileys - 1 Smiley Poor, 5 Smileys Excellent
Platforms: Mac OS, Windows 95/98 , Playstation,
Gameboy Color (non Mac versions from Activision)
Ahh... Nostalgia My first encounter with Asteroids involved a machine of the monochrome-arcade-monstrosity variety. As I recall, it was as big as a table, and the scan rate on the blue display was so slow I swear you could watch it redraw. A few months (or was it years?) later, I spent many hours in front of my beloved Atari 2600 blasting away at asteroids and racking up high scores. The Atari version seemed like a big improvement in those days. I mean, it actually had colors! Several of them! Ahhh, yes...those were heady days indeed. We didn't need fancy graphics or expensive sound tracks -- we had gameplay! And after all, isn't that what really matters?
The course Activision has chosen for Asteroids (released for the Mac by MacSoft) is more of the latter -- in this case, keep the gameplay, update everything else. So how does it work? I think it works remarkably well. They have kept the gameplay true to the original... this is not a 3D space-shooter with an old name tacked on. This is Asteroids, and it plays like the game we know and love. There are many additions and enhancements, like offering a choice of ships, but they have wisely kept the gameplay just as it should be... the same as the original. While the game is 3D, it is still has the top-down perspective, and it feels like it's predecessor, only better.
Installation Installation went smoothly on my iBook, after I followed the instructions provided and turned off any unnecessary extensions. The first time I tried to install, with all my various third-party extensions loaded, the install froze my machine. Since the instructions clearly warn you against this, it may be a known issue, and if you do what you're told, it's not a problem. I also can't be sure that it has anything to do with this specific application, since I am also testing Mac OS X beta on my iBook, which installs the "classic compatibility" extensions in the Mac OS 9 folder, so all bets are off with regard to odd problems.
Gameplay If you've played the Asteroids of the past, you already know how to play. Your essential controls are rotate-left, rotate-right, thrust, fire, shield, hyperspace, flip, and wildcard weapon. The object of the game is simple: blast everything! You steer your craft in order to avoid being obliterated by large floating objects, and to pick up wildcard weapons and power-ups. Speaking of power-ups, there are a lot of them in this game. One minor complaint I have about the included documentation (in the CD-booklet), is that while all the weapons and power-ups are listed, they are not easily identifiable. The manual is printed in black and white, while many pickup items are distinguished only by color, so the writers had to write out the color next to the item. (Ex. "Armageddon - purple") This works I suppose, but it would be a lot easier if there was a chart printed in color.
When you begin Asteroids, after selecting single or multiplayer mode, you have your choice of three ships. One is slow but has very strong shields, one is fast but has weak shields, and one (your default ship, the Dagger) is a balance of the two. Personally, I found the strongest shields to be very useful, as I found myself relying on shields a lot more than I expected to. The interface is simple but effective, and you can change the control configuration, and adjust the music and effects volume levels. However, on my system, the levels I set were not preserved after I quit and re-launched the game, but again, it could just be a quirk with my setup. So you choose a ship and you're off. But before you are dropped into the action, you get a nice 3D-rendered cut-scene, and a text-based mission briefing complete with voice-over. This happens once for each zone you enter. The addition of the cut-scenes and voice-overs enhance the overall effect of making this game feel like a modern title. There is a nice little backstory about the "Astro-Mining Corporation," whom you work for, and the need to clear asteroids and other debris for mining and shipping purposes.
Controls The only option available is to use the keyboard. Using a mouse or trackpad is not an option... at least it wasn't for me. I have a game pad, but the game didn't recognize it. While my controller isn't Input Sprockets compatible, I didn't find an reference to Asteroids supporting Input Sprockets either, so you may be out of luck if you want to use something either than a keyboard. Being limited to the keyboard is not as bad as it may sound, because it works quite well for this type of game. I was comfortable with the controls in a very short time.
Graphics and Sound
Miscellaneous When I first read the documentation, I was a little concerned that all the additions -- the weapons, power-ups, and enemies -- would take away from the elegant simplicity of the original. But what I found when I played the game, however, was that my concerns were unfounded. Items and enemies are introduced slowly throughout the levels, and it doesn't take much time at all to get used to them. There can be a lot going on on the screen, but generally all the additions work very well. I especially liked the semitransparent regenerating crystal asteroids. Also, the obstacles in the later "zones" (the black hole, etc.) make for a nice variation and added strategic challenge. I was fairly excited when I heard that Asteroids had multiplayer mode... thinking of the latest popular trend of playing games online with friends. Asteroids has multiplayer of the old school mode: the cooperative two-player shared-screen variety. You and a friend can take control of different halves of the keyboard and play together. Despite the obvious spatial limitations of sharing the keyboard, it is pretty fun. And no, I know what you're thinking: you cannot shoot your fellow player!
Conclusion This is a great update to a classic game. We have seen so many games in recent years that are just variations on the same old themes, with maybe one flashy addition or two, that I can really appreciate a game like Asteroids Here is a game that is based on pure gameplay, and doesn't require me to spend endless days and nights in front of the computer killing skeletons or solving riddles in some ridiculous "massive 3D world". I definitely have a place on my hard drive for a game I can jump into, blast some stuff, and then get on with my life. I think you probably do too. Not only will it help you recapture the glory days of your misspent youth, but Asteroids is a lot of fun, and it looks good too. Unfortunately, no demo is currently available from MacSoft... something we really like so that you can see for yourself. Asteroids has earned a solid 4 Smiley rating in my opinion.
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