For a long time the PlayStation minis have represented bite
sized chunks of cheap fun, ideally suited to the pick and play mechanics
offered by first the PSP and then the PlayStation Vita. However, though fun,
many have been nothing more than attempts to replicate games often found on the
iOS and Android systems. Velocity represented a departure from this and in
doing so created a new standard for what can be achieved with a mini.
With Velocity Ultra, FuturLab have taken the original game and
upped the level of the presentation to make it seem a perfect fit for the
Playstation Vita. What they have managed to create is the greatest vertically
scrolling shooter from yesteryear that you haven’t yet played. But to merely
categorise it as a shooter is doing it a disservice. At its heart there are so
many different mechanics going on that it’s something with much more depth than
that.
Each of the fifty levels (plus Bonus stages), requires players
to juggle with a number of different objectives. First of all, players must
blast enemies and simply service in classic shooter style. Secondly, there are
pods spread around the level containing survivors which need to be rescued and
last but not least each level is a deadly race to the finish as a clock
continually counts down. As you progress the focus changes in each stage with,
for example, a static comic book style screen popping up displaying a message
to tell you if you can take your time or need to boost through until the end.
It is within the mix of these games mechanics that things become
very interesting. Aside from the usual weapon power ups and bombs your ship can
also teleport. The levels often descend into crazy scrolling mazes with dead
ends, when this happens you need to teleport into a clear section of the level
to continue. Holding the right trigger button also speeds up your craft as it
moves up the level. This leads to many levels turning into more of a maze race
than a shooter, especially when the time limits are set incredibly tightly.
New for the Vita version is the ability to teleport using the
touch screen. We found it a little tricky compared to suing the analogue stick.
Seemingly so did Futurlab but because fans asked for it the option was left in
for those that want to try their hand at using it.
This would be hectic enough but there are even more fiendish
things afoot. At a certain point players gain the ability to drop teleport
pods. Sometimes these are infinite and sometimes highly limited in use. This
allows the player to teleport back to any one of the pods they have dropped and
continue the level from there. The reason you need this is because at higher
levels there are complex laser shield defence systems that need to be
deactivated. This generally consist of anywhere between ten and thirty colour
coded nodes that need to be destroyed in numerical order from lowest to
highest. Hit one in the wrong order and the whole grid reactivates.
The nodes are of course spread out all over the levels requiring
the playing to bounce back and forth around the map to hit them in the right
order. There can also be numerous sets of nodes, all in different colours.
Couple this with the continued threat of enemies, the time limit and the need
to rescue survivors and everything gets incredibly, addictively hectic. Oh and
of course hitting any of the laser shields results in instant destruction.
As well as this there are hidden areas spread around the level
that unlock trophies and further bonus missions. This, along with a tough medal
grading system based on your performance within the level means there is a
staggering about of replay value in the game. Just in case that isn’t enough
for you there is also a complete version of mine sweeper and a few takes on
classic games such as thrust hidden away in the extras section.
Velocity Ultra is an exceptional and in many ways ground
breaking game. It was always simply too good to stay a mini and perhaps should
have made the jump straight to Vita in the first place. In truth, Velocity Ultra
is a must have game. There isn’t much here aside from improved presentation to
set it aside from it’s Mini counterpart but it currently stands as one of the
best games available on the PlayStation Vita and we can’t see this changing any
time soon.
In short it was a classic mini and now it’s a classic Vita game.
We said before that if this had been made on the eight or sixteen bit consoles
it would be lauded as an all-time classic and we see have seen nothing since to
change that opinion. This is still about as essential as you can get and shows
an imagination, design level and craft that many of the industries big hitters
could learn from.
10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment