Titan Attacks
Score: 95% ESRB: Not Rated Publisher: Puppy Games Developer: Puppy Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Arcade/ Classic/Retro/ Shooter
Graphics & Sound: Looking to rediscover the lost arcade space shooters of your childhood? Wondering what all the hubbub was about games like Galaga, 1942 and Space Invaders? If you just want to have a true "plug n' play" experience without all the complications of most modern games, you can turn to Titan Attacks. Retro gaming would seem to espouse substance over style, but not in this case. The Developer, Puppy Games, made Titan Attacks reminiscent of older space shooters, but nobody ever had it so good in the 80's. Lasers and bombs leave light trails behind, and even the pixellated explosions and bomb blasts are full of color. The neatest thing, for anyone who has tried emulation on for size, is how well Titan Attacks runs without any special video tweaks. The only decision to make is whether to run windowed or full screen. The music is nice and dramatic, and sound effects are cool without being exact samples of any actual classic game. Especially nice are the little screams of escaping aliens when you drill them with a well-placed laser beam. The little green goo explosions are pretty nice, also...
Gameplay: What I appreciate most about Titan Attacks, as a gamer who was around for all the originals, is how it manages to reference the classics without just being a clone. After seeing some relatively botched attempts to "update" the arcade classics, I've decided that with a few exceptions, I prefer the original issue. Problem is, playing the original issue these days either means you held onto that Atari system or else you are doing some kind of emulation. Either one is a bit of a distraction when what you'd really like to do is enjoy some retro on your new computer. Titan Attacks pits your lone space fighter against wave after wave of enemies. Marching side-to-side, spiraling down, raining lasers and bombs, the enemy action is pretty intense. The game is split between five levels, each given a planetary theme. To better prepare your ship for harder battles, the completion of each wave brings some prize money. There are special actions or skill bonuses that may earn you money, as well. Before a new wave begins, there are options to purchase shields, smartbombs (massive damage to all enemies) and upgrade your ship or your weapons. This is a cool feature, because you can actually adjust the ship to meet your style of play. Want a small, fast ship with rapid-fire capability? Or do you prefer a big ship with powerful (but slower) cannons? Titan Attacks lets you make some choices that change the flow of play and may make battles easier.
Difficulty: Battles can be made easier through upgrades, but they are definitely not for the faint-hearted. The shields are to Titan Attacks what extra lives are in other games. Unlike what you may remember from your days in the arcade, if this ship gets demolished, there's no second chance. So, a word to the wise: Buy all the shields you can afford! At least there is the ability to save and return to a level later, but some type of purchase option for additional ships would have been nice.
Game Mechanics: Controls "out of the box" are simple enough. Arrow keys move the ship, the Control key fires and Space drops a smartbomb. Couldn't be simpler, right? If you have a better idea for control, you can make changes or assign keys yourself through the preferences. Download and installing Titan Attacks is easy, and if you pull down the free demo, all it takes to register after you pay is an e-mail address. The $10 ($9.95 to be exact) is a pittance against the amount of fun you'll have with Titan Attacks. Plus, you get to upload your high scores, for maximum ego inflation! Mastery is challenging, but possible, and the upgrade system lets you go through and try different combinations. This keeps the game fresh. The old is new again, as they say, with Titan Attacks. Anyone looking for some counterpoint to the type of game where you read a 30-page manual and still have to keep a Quick Reference on hand? This is the antidote. Even in the 2080's, I imagine that gamers will pick this up and have themselves a good time.
-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock
Minimum System Requirements: Mac OS X (also compatible with Windows and Linux)   Test System: iMac G5, OS X (10.4)
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