Novastorm

The Good
After you've finished playing with the functional menus, right from the beginning this is a very slick production. Although the acting is very much sub-par, the other animations are extremely well executed.

Then once you start the game proper, the music kicks in and you know you're in for a thrilling ride. The game is "on rails" but you still need to keep a mind out for the scenery to avoid losing precious shield to canyon walls, Easter Island style heads, ice barriers, and other obstacles.

Although blocky by today's standards, the landscapes animate well for a mid 90s game, and is some beautiful scenery to fly past. The enemy ships are not so well animated and drawn, but are functional enough to work.

Back to the music. The varied soundtrack moves from rock to Asian-influenced melodies to techno effortlessly, and although at a low bit rate still sounds superb. I would recommend turning off SFX if they weren't so useful in making ship upgrade decisions. The ship's computer lets you know which power ups are available and when.

The difficulty level is about right and once you learn some of the attack patterns you can build up some pretty beefy weapons. You lose your last upgrade and a power level every time you lose a life, so players that plan around this when on low shields can employ strategy to reach the end, which is another dimension that makes this not just another humdrum shooter.

Finally the cheat mode has also been thoughtfully and hilariously implemented. It has to be seen even by those who don't wish to cheat, even if they stop the game at the end if they don't wish to see the final chapter.

Novastorm can be played on today's PCs via Dosbox at full speed.

The Bad
I wonder if your briefing giver, the Star Force Command guy, is a robot. His acting evokes such thoughts as 'wooden' and 'cheesy'. He doesn't detract from the game though, really.

The Bottom Line
The PC version of Novastorm employs superb streamed landscapes, many varied boss enemies, frenetic flying and shooting, and the soundtrack makes the whole thing an immersive fun experience.

The Good
Novastorm is a solid example of what an arcade shooter in front of a motion video backdrop should be. The gameplay is challenging without being frustrating, the graphics are good, the powerups are balanced, and the end-level bosses are creative in appearance (as opposed to simply being huge things you pound on at the end of a level). Of particular note is the music soundtrack, which consists of several high-energy, light techno tunes that match the urgency of the gameplay well.

Another nice touch is a small radar screen in the upper corner that shows you where the end-level boss you're currently fighting is vulnerable, and how much stamina he has left.

It's also apparent that a lot of time went into creating the pre-rendered 3D graphics and sequences.

The Bad
The music was apparently sampled at 11Khz to conserve space and processor time. The music is so good that you lament you can't hear it at a higher quality.

The Bottom Line
A good arcade shooter with good music and some creative end-level bosses.

The Good
Novastorm shined in two departments: a solid, pre-rendered atmosphere heightened by an excellent electronic soundtrack. The game came out during the infancy of "high speed" CD-ROM drives and the proliferation of full-motion video driven adventures. As a shooter it held up well: exciting, unpredictable fly-throughs and interesting level bosses. The first level threw the player into a lava-laden planet surface and later took him/her into icy terrains as well as space. Novastorm's weapons were the standard pea-shooter as well as a smart bomb or two. It was basic, but the variance in levels kept things fresh and challenging.

The Bad
Because the entire backdrop was pre-rendered full motion video, I never quite knew what zones would damage the craft. As such, certain segments became a case of trial and error.

The Bottom Line
Novastorm was a computer-fair showcase alongside the latest PCs of the time. Although most computers won't run it now, Novastorm will be remembered as a creative shooter that fans should not have missed. Arguably one of the best soundtracks in a shoot 'em up.

The Good
Most of it - it's very addictive and quite challenging as well. What I particularly liked was the soundtrack - varied, flowing and fits the game like a glove. The graphics are quite good as well.

The Bad
The cutscenes are really dumb and the bosses are usually easier than the preceeding stage. Also, you can't quit the game, which is really annoying. The controls are a bit difficult as well (you'll need a good joystick to play this the way it was intended to be played).

The Bottom Line
A really good 3rd person shoot-'em-up. Get it and play it - you won't regret it (for a while, at least).

The Good
I recently played Novastorm again (and finished it --yeah, quite easy) and I enjoyed the game as I did in my first experience. Once again I saw how good Novastorm was (sure it still is).

I didn't play many shooters in front of a motion video backdrop (maybe none, I don't know) but I guess as Trixter says, "Novastorm is a solid example of what an arcade shooter in front of a motion video backdrop should be". The game almost did every element of itself absolutely right to be an adequate reason for this opinion and I still can't easily forget the taste I got from Novastorm...

However unfortunately Novastorm wasn't appreciated by most of the critics and has never earned a place in good games' heaven. Just look at what PC Format was saying in their issue 39 (December 1994), "... Highly unoriginal in both concept and execution, Novastorm is yet another unsatisfaying CD-ROM game with an over-long intro sequence, far too much emphasis on the graphics and not enough on gameplay." Was it? Absolutely not...

The Bad
I like Novastorm so much that I can't find an appropriate flaw for it 8-)

The Bottom Line
Novastorm is still the best Psygnosis game (in PC platform of course, who can forget Agony and their other masterpiece creations made for Amiga?) and sure one of the best shoot'em ups ever made for PC with Raptor, Tyrian and Xenon 2 (Xenon was a good conversion)...