Novastorm

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
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)...

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).