PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate Review (PC)

A few years ago PixelJunk Shooter first appeared on the PS3. Still one of the best games on the Playstation network it is finally now available on the PC. The first game had already been released but now the team have and combined Shooter 1 and 2 and spruced it up a bit to create Pixeljunk Shooter Ultimate.

The plot, such as it is, has you sent in to rescue your crew mates after mysterious goings on while mining on the planet of Apoxus Prime. To do this you have to fly your craft around tight underground caverns while using water, lava and magnetic black liquids to your advantage. It’s reminiscent of Thrust with its inertia and gravity based gameplay but your craft will stay still if left alone. You also won’t die from hitting walls (which is a good thing or it would have been nigh on impossible).

The game is a 2D styled shooter where you manoeuvre your ship around a section of an enclosed map. Normally you will have to get water to turn lava to rock or lava to melt ice or some other combination of dropping one liquid onto another. You’re doing this because you need to get to and rescue all the lost crew members in each area. If too many of them die you have to start the level again. It’s wonderfully inventive and a whole lot of fun and there are hidden areas and diamonds to collect along the way as well.

The level design is nigh on perfect throughout the game and the difficulty curve is just about right. The huge boss monsters found at the end of each world may cause some frustration but they provide tense and heroic showdowns of David and Goliath proportions and once you work them out shouldn’t take too long to get past. The difficulty level ramps up considerably once you enter the second part of the game (Shooter 2), but it’s all still achievable.

Shooter Ultimate is now split into six main areas each consisting of five levels. There are the initial outer rocky areas, the ice caves and then the mine. After the mine something happens which we won’t spoil but you’ll be dealing with a host of new gases and liquids.  Each individual level is split into sections which require everyone to be rescued before a bulk head opens to the next.  Each has its own tricks and traps and will keep you on your toes throughout. If it gets too much you can always call a friend in for co-op action.

You’ll also need to think quickly as the game has a wonderful way of getting you to forget what you’ve just learnt. For instance, for the first area you are trying to keep away from lava (overheating causes you to crash), but then in the ice caves you’ll come across an inversion suit which makes lava cool you down and water heat you up.

It’s a game that keeps throwing new ideas and things at you to keep you interested. The water suit and lava suit are just the start and you’ll soon be switching around and dealing with freezing lakes and clouds of gas as well as the usual lava and water. The key thing is that everything stays fun and creative throughout. Once you’ve completed the game you’ll probably want to dive back in to further explore the levels and find all the missing diamonds and any crew you missed along the way. There’s even a hidden level to try and unlock and online combat.

PixelJunk Shooter is a game we’re still playing on the PS3 to this day. The fact a whole new audience can now pick it up is great and this really is one of the best games of its type. Q-Games have crafted something special here and the years have done nothing to diminish its appeal. With PixelJunk Shooter 2 included as well it becomes an essential purchase for PC owners. We’ll be playing it through for yet another time and we would recommend everyone else do the same.

This was always going to be a certified hit with us as long as nothing had gone wrong in the conversion and from our experience this offers all the fun of the original. PC gamers really need to play this as it’s simply a masterfully executed, great little game packed with more invention and ideas than most massive AAA releases can even come close to.

Overall 9/10

 

PixelJunk Shooter Ultimate Review (PS Vita)

A few years ago PixelJunk Shooter first appeared on the PS3. Still one of the best games on the Playstation network it is now available with cross-buy on the Vita and PS4. It always looked like a game that would fit the Vita and now the team have got the physics engine working and combined Shooter 1 and 2 together you can enjoy the madness on the go.

The plot, such as it is, has you sent in to rescue your crew mates after mysterious goings on while mining on the planet of Apoxus Prime. To do this you have to fly your craft around tight underground caverns while using water, lava and magnetic black liquids to your advantage. It’s reminiscent of Thrust with its inertia and gravity based gameplay but your craft will stay still if left alone. Your also won’t die from hitting walls (which is a good thing or it would have been nigh on impossible).

The game is a 2D styled shooter where you manoeuvre your ship around a section of an enclosed map. Normally you will have to get water to turn lava to rock or lava to melt ice or some other combination of dropping one liquid onto another. You’re doing this because you need to get to and rescue all the lost crew members in each area. If too many of them die you have to start the level again. It’s wonderfully inventive and a whole lot of fun and there are hidden areas and diamonds to collect along the way as well.

The level design is nigh on perfect throughout the game and the difficulty curve is just about right. The huge boss monsters found at the end of each world may cause some frustration but they provide tense and heroic showdowns of David and Goliath proportions and once you work them out shouldn’t take too long to get past. The difficulty level ramps up considerably once you enter the second part of the game (Shooter 2), but it’s all still achievable.

Shooter Ultimate is now split into six main areas each consisting of five levels. There are the initial outer rocky areas, the ice caves and then the mine. After the mine something happens which we won’t spoil but you’ll be dealing with a host of new gases and liquids.  Each individual level is split into sections which require everyone to be rescued before a bulk head opens to the next.  Each has its own tricks and traps and will keep you on your toes throughout. If it gets too much you can always call a friend in for co-op action.

You’ll also need to think quickly as the game has a wonderful way of getting you to forget what you’ve just learnt. For instance, for the first area you are trying to keep away from lava (overheating causes you to crash), but then in the ice caves you’ll come across an inversion suit which makes lava cool you down and water heat you up.

It’s a game that keeps throwing new ideas and things at you to keep you interested. The water suit and lava suit are just the start and you’ll soon be switching around and dealing with freezing lakes and clouds of gas as well as the usual lava and water. The key thing is that everything stays fun and creative throughout. Once you’ve completed the game you’ll probably want to dive back in to further explore the levels and find all the missing diamonds and any crew you missed along the way. There’s even a hidden level to try and unlock and online combat.

PixelJunk Shooter is a game we’re still playing on the PS3 to this day. The fact a whole new audience can now pick it up is great and this really is one of the best games of its type. Q-Games have crafted something special here and the years have done nothing to diminish its appeal. With PixelJunk Shooter 2 included as well it becomes an essential purchase for Vita owners. We’ll be playing it through for yet another time and we would recommend everyone else do the same.

This was always going to be a certified hit with us as long as nothing had gone wrong in the conversion and from our experience this offers all the fun of the original. Vita gamers really need to play this as it’s simply a masterfully executed, great little game packed with more invention and ideas than most massive AAA releases can even come close to.

Overall 10/10

PixelJunk Shooter: The Depths of Disaster Review (PC)

A few years ago PixelJunk Shooter first appeared on the PS3. Still one of the best games on the Playstation network it has finally been made available to PC gamers. Now you can find out what all the fuss is about as you pilot your little ship through a host of physics and element based levels.

The plot, such as it is, has you sent in to rescue your crew mates after mysterious goings on while mining on the planet of Apoxus Prime. To do this you have to fly your craft around tight underground caverns while using water, lava and magnetic black liquids to your advantage. It’s reminiscent of Thrust with its inertia and gravity based gameplay but your craft will stay still if left alone. Your also won’t die from hitting walls (which is a good thing or it would have been nigh on impossible).

The game is a 2D styled shooter where you manoeuvre your ship around a section of an enclosed map. Normally you will have to get water to turn lava to rock or lava to melt ice or some other combination of dropping one liquid onto another. You’re doing this because you need to get to and rescue all the lost crew members in each area. If too many of them die you have to start the level again. It’s wonderfully inventive and a whole lot of fun and there are hidden areas and diamonds to collect along the way as well.

The level design is nigh on perfect throughout the game and the difficulty curve is just about right. The huge boss monsters found at the end of each world may cause some frustration but they provide tense and heroic showdowns of David and Goliath proportions and once you work them out shouldn’t take too long to get past.

Shooter is split into three main areas each consisting of five levels. There are the initial outer rocky areas, the ice caves and then the mine. Each individual level is split into sections which require everyone to be rescued before a bulk head opens to the next.  Each has its own tricks and traps and will keep you on your toes throughout. 

You will also need to think quickly as the game has a wonderful way of getting you to forget what you’ve just learnt. For instance, for the first area you are trying to keep away from lava (overheating causes you to crash), but then in the ice caves you’ll come across and inversion suite which makes lava cool you down and water heat you up.

It’s a game that keeps throwing new ideas and things at you to keep you interested. The water suit and lava suit are just the start and you’ll soon be switching around and dealing with freezing lakes and clouds of gas as well as the usual lava and water. The key thing is that everything stays fun and creative throughout. Once you’ve completed the game you’ll probably want to dive back in to further explore the levels and find all the missing diamonds and any crew you missed along the way.

PixelJunk Shooter is a game we’re still playing on the PS3 to this day. The fact a whole new audience can now pick it up is great and this really is one of the best games of its type. Q-Games have crafted something special here and the years have done nothing to diminish its appeal. It’s perhaps a shame that the PixelJunk Shooter 2 wasn’t included as well (as it is pretty much part 1 and 2 of the same game), but we’ll be first in line to get it when it arrives.

This was always going to be a certified hit with us as long as nothing had gone wrong in the conversion and from our experience this offers all the fun of the original. PC gamers really need to play this as it’s simply a masterfully executed, great little game packed with more invention and ideas than most massive AAA releases can even come close to.

Overall 9/10

Twelve Games The Vita Still Needs

The Vita has found homes for a ton of new indie games recently, which has seen it's popularity within certain parts of the gaming community reach almost legendary levels. Before this, it was home to some excellent ports which drew many fight fans to it. It's certainly come a long way, but to our mind there is still much to do. Below are twelve games we think would be a perfect fit for the Vita.

     Super Street Fighter IV AE

For us, this is the single most obvious game currently missing from the Vita’s library. Still played heavily across the various online networks, a portable version of Street Fighter IV would be an essential purchase for many. Add in the idea of cross play with the PS3 and it suddenly becomes a case of sheer madness that every Vita owner isn’t playing it right now.

  Journey

Just imagine what Journey would look like on that screen. Imagine you were having a bad day at work or stuck on a train. Having Journey available would act as the perfect panacea for everyday problems. Could this game aid world peace? We won’t know unless someone gets it onto the Vita. Flower is currently in development so hopefully this may happen sometime in the not too distant future.

      Pixel Junk Shooter 1 and 2

 Pixel junk Shooter’s inertia based gameplay was a breath of fresh air when it first graced the PS3. The use of liquids to solve puzzles coupled with excellent level design and an amazing soundtrack sets it out as one of the best exclusives available on Sony’s system. If it had been developed now we suspect it may well have been cross buy but that is no reason not to get it onto the hand held system.  While we’re on the subject it would be great to see Pixel Junk Side Scroller on the Vita as well.

  King of the Fighters XIII

A favourite around Retro101, we would love to see the latest entry in the King of Fighters series make the move to portable. Street Fighter X Tekken and Marvel vs Capcom 3 show that multi character fighters can work on the system and this is better than both of those games. It may be a little passed the home system release but a spruced up version would certainly lend itself to hours of portable fighting.

   Xcom: Enemy Unknown

How can there be an iOS version of this being developed and not one for the Vita? The deep strategy and turn based gameplay is a perfect fit for portable play. While other games on this list may seem like pipe dreams we are astounded this isn’t already in development. We could see this as a system seller to certain gamers and if done well could show that AAA portable strategies titles have a future on the system.

     Super Meat Boy

This may be an unrealistic request but having Super Meat Boy available on the move could well turn out to be a system seller. The short sections of twitch gameplay perfectly fit a hand held system like the Vita. The only real problem would be the amount of handhelds flung across rooms and trains as you die on a level for the hundredth time.

      Dust: An Elysian Tail

To us, the Vita actually seems like Dust’s natural home. The gorgeous 2D graphics would come to life on the systems screen and its Metroidvania approach would fit perfectly with gamers on the go. It’s also one of the best digital games of the last year. We already have a version of Muramasa: The Demon Blade coming, but Dust is a different animal and deserves to be given the portable treatment. 

     Persona 4 Arena

With Persona 4 Golden available and acting to shift more Vitas than ever before it would be logical to assume that new fans and old would like to continue on the story. We already know the Vita can pull off amazing versions of flashy 2D fighting games so bringing the excellent Persona 4 Arena to it wouldn’t seem like a massive leap of faith to us.

   Mark of the Ninja

Speaking of massive leaps of faith, even though Mark of the Ninja seems to be staying put on the Xbox it would be an excellent game to have on the go. The level design and clear visual asthetic would create a great stealth experience on Vita. It would provide a type of game currently not available to Vita owners and above all is just an incredibly good game. If something could be worked out to get hold of it we would be first in line to buy.

   Geometry Wars

The only half decent portable version of Geometry wars is currently on the DS. The Vita could produce something visually and sonically special to equal the excellent Geometry Wars 2 on the Xbox. The clean visual style would seem even more vibrant on the screen and competition around the globe would likely go crazy as online scoreboards began to erupt with stupidly high scores. How can this not happen?

   Monkey Island / Broken Sword

If they can develop HD versions of both Monkey Island games for iOS there is no reason for them not to be on the Vita as well. Machiarium proved that point and click games can be done really well on the system so it would be great to see games like Broken Sword and Monkey Island make the leap. Who knows? It might even help kick start the genre again. 

REZ

Sega’s first foray into moving it’s Dreamcast games onto the Vita was a little shaky with Jet Set Radio looking great but not really fitting the strengths of the system. REZ on the other hand would be amazing. The visuals and sound would light up the Vita and it seems to the most obvious game from Sega’s recent move into HD versions of Dreamcast classics. If the boat has sailed on REZ then would happily settle for Child of Eden instead.

PixelJunk Games Review

A look through some of the excellent PixelJunk games on the PS3.