POSTED 17/2/10


PIXELJUNK SHOOTER

Sony
PS3/PSN

Sony’s PlayStation Network has booted plenty of goals with brilliant titles that, if not for being downloadable and (usually) cheap, may not have seen daylight. PSN users should be familiar with the PixelJunk range of games, but not necessarily with the newest addition to the series. So, let’s fix that.

When it comes to games, the word ‘shooter’ can conjure up many styles – this one’s strictly old school. Think space, fighter ships that go “PEW! PEW!”, nasty nemeses and bizarro worlds. So far, so awesome, right?

What PixelJunk Shooter does superbly is amalgamate bits and bobs from oodles of yesteryear classics into a game that’s at once both new and exciting, and incredibly familiar. We could list all manner of classics it plunders… and we will. Asteroids, Choplifter, Moon Cresta, Lunar Lander and Scramble just for starters, and that’s without mentioning computer and console-based variations for lack of, ironically, space.

Players must guide their ship through various stages on three different worlds, liberating trapped workers who just stand about flailing arms wildly. Honestly, use some initiative people! No matter, being their saviour is fun, as is seeking hidden gems as you wrestle with the often annoying physics of fire, ice, gas and more. Then there are the gargantuan end of level bosses, who certainly ain’t picnicesque.

Japan’s Q-Games have delivered another PixelJunk winner here. We could pout about its brevity, with only three worlds each divided into five levels, but for a paltry $12.95 we reckon there’s plenty of ace “PEW!” for pennies here.

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