Iridion II
Is the second time a charm for Shin’en and Majesco?
Tags: Iridion II Categories: GBA Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Larry McCormick on Sep 20th, 2003
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iridion II (title page) | |||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
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When the GBA first launched a few years back, the original Iridion drew praise for its graphics and sound but jeers for its overly difficult gameplay. The game was an Afterburner-esque behind-the-vehicle view shooter and it was often tough to see enemies and their tiny bullets as they appeared in the distance. Now, about a development generation and a half later, Shin’en and Majesco have brought us Iridion II and this is one sequel that is much different than the original.
Much like the first game, Iridion II looks great. It uses full motion video backgrounds (they use a few tricks and just loop sectiona of the BG) along with foregrounds rendered using the in game engine. This time, the game is viewed from a top down tilted perspective much like Silpheed and it us much easier to see enemies and their bullets. The larger bosses and mini-bosses in particular have a very three-dimensional look. The entire psuedo-3D engine is very impressive for the GBA. Still, I have to say the design of many of the levels is still a bit on the bland side and many levels look and feel like those that have come before them. A side note: this game looks best when played on an actual GBA as opposed to the Game Boy Player. On the GBP you’ll be treated to pixelly, chunkadelic visuals.
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The sound quality is good but the music won’t appeal to everyone. I know this is sort of an obscure reference these days, but the music reminds me very much of mid-80’s Amiga music. Basically, it sounds like computerized 80s techno in mod form, so if you like that sort of thing you should enjoy it. Sound effects are competent.
With the new quasi-overhead view, Iridion II basically plays like a classic vertical shooter. This is generally a good thing since the small GBA screen lends itself much better to this format. At the beginning of the game (and each level) you select your main weapon from a choice of six. Each weapon can be powered up three times. The only weapons I really found useful were the standard blaster and the homing laser. When you pick up your first power up it adds small armor plates to either side of your ship that can block many incoming bullets thus preserving your shields. YOu can also unleash (surprise!) an ultra destructive bomb attack that mows down everything in its path. The in-level enemies all have basic patterns like the shooters of years gone by. Unlike the first Iridion, you now have to avoid ramming solid foregrounds as the screen scrolls. It’s a much more complete design than the original. So, all is rosey and happy in Iridion II land, right?
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Well… not quite. Now, I’ve been a big shooter fan since there were shooters, so I know to expect a certain degree of repetition and a lack of originality. But there is something just so supremely unoriginal about the gameplay in this one that it actually stands out. The pacing is also a little out of whack… there’s never any real intensity or build up. You just coast through level after uber-generic level without anything new ever being presented or any technique to employ. The final few levels aren’t much different than the first few. If you look at classic older shooters, you’ll see this isn’t the case. It’s like Shin’en was so jazzed that they finished the in-game engine that they just slapped a bunch of levels together without doing anything significant to try and truly differentiate them from one another or give them any unique challenges.
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Iridion II is very long, with 15 levels, so this lack of creativity is really a problem. The game isn’t a wash, but I just hate seeing the gameplay overlooked on a title with such accomplished graphics and sound. The developers tried to stretch things out a bit and make the game more appealing by adding a few extra game modes beyond the main story mode, but for the most part they’re fluff. Fans of the soundtrack will be happy to know they can unlock a sound test in the form of the Jukebox option after completing the game. Also, once again, a password “save” has been employed rather than a battery or EEPROM save. Why have we gamers been forsaken yet again? Sure, the game is cheap at about $20 brand new, but I’d rather spend an extra five bucks to get a real save feature instead of having to carry a pen and some paper around with me wherever go to keep track of my progress.
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Is Iridion II really worthy of your twenty bucks? Despite my complaints, it’s not a bad game. Sure, the password deal is an annoyance the lack of variety hurts it. But the fundamental mechanics, while they lack creativity, are sound. Add to that the visual pinache, good sound support and a few unlockables and you’ve got a nifty little package. The game could have been considerably better and doesn’t measure up to the classics, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing. Shooter fans can go ahead and snag this one, it won’t rock your world but it’s satisfying enough diversion while it lasts. If you’re a casual gamer and into action games in general, you’ll probably dig it, too.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
-Good graphics -High sound quality |
7.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
-Complete lack of variety -Password "save" |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Iridion II is a great looking, but somewhat shallow throwback to the overhead shooters of game consoles past. It's not a top tier game, but I'd say for twenty bucks, it's worth owning. | |
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Tags: Iridion II
Posted by Larry McCormick on Sep 20th, 2003 and is filed under GBA Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
