Aero Blasters

So you think you're a hot shot, huh? A fast-fingered bonzo, button-pushing, speed-shooting demon? Think they haven't yet made a shoot-em-up that can take you down? Well, prepare to have your ego neutered, because Aero Blasters is the most outrageously tough blaster ever. If you can get to the end of this puppy, you've earned your wings!

The scenario: It's the year 2030 AD, and a gang of meanies called the Mega Land Masters have mounted an all-out invasion of Earth. They've already wiped out all the armies. Now they're planning to destroy all life forms and leave Earth a barren planet. Luckily, a dude name Takeda (who has avoided discovered by hiding out on an island) has invented two ships that just might be capable of knocking out the all-powerful enemy. It's up to you to fly one of those ships, wipe out the invaders and bring peace back to Earth.

In your quest for peace, you must blast through six stages of alien-infested countryside. Take your battle to the city streets, Mecha Cave, stratosphere, orbit, the Fortified Planet and the final battle. Each stage features many types of invaders and ends with a battle to the death with a level boss. Only the ultra-talented will ever meet the boss of bosses, the Mecha Load Master.

Occasionally, as you fight, a weapon transport pod will appear on the screen, giving you a chance to pick up as many power-ups as you can grab. The power-ups as you can grab. The power-ups and weapons include rear guns, side swipers (rotating and shooting devices that attach to the rear of your ship and blast enemies from behind), six-way shooters, missiles and more. One can damage everything on the screen. It must be charged, hoever, which can take up precious time.

When it comes to graphics, Aero Blasters is super. The simulated 3D backgrounds are colorful and detailed. The enemies are some of the neatest this reviewer has seen in a video game, many of them as impressive-looking as boss enemies in other games. No tiny colored blobs here.

In spite of the awesome graphics, Aero Blasters lacks long-term playability. Expert pilots may find this blaster reasonably challenging, but average and novice players will be quickly overwhelmed by the game's difficulty. There are times when the screen is filled from edge to edge with enemies and other obstacles., making suicide the only way to get past.

Whether it's because of its difficulty or just because the game offers little new to the shooter genre, Aero Blasters gets boring quickly. If you've tackled every other shooter out there and are looking for something that'll make you sweat, you might want to take a look at Aero Blasters. But if you just want a good shooter, then you can do better.