n the distant future, the Astro-Mining Corp. is making a fortune by mining the
floating interstellar rocks known as asteroids. The technique is simple: send
in a pilot to pulverize an asteroid field and then sift through the rubble for
the good stuff. Astro-Mining has also turned its somewhat unusual operation
into a lucrative side business, since the military is willing to pay handsomely
to have Astro clear out hazardous debris fields in strategic locations. Of
course, that means pilots will be subjected to the occasional attack by aliens,
but no one ever made any money without taking risks, right?
Besides, Astro's pilots aren't exactly helpless. For starters, a pilot's
standard mining blaster also makes a handy offensive weapon that's capable of
destroying almost any threat. And the scientists at Astro are continually
beaming experimental devices into the field, which pilots can pick up to
increase their arsenals. Some of the goodies include homing missiles, ramming
shields, mines and lasers. The coup de grace of these is Armageddon, an
attack that will cause a pilot's ship to spin in place while firing lasers in
every direction.
The weapons can be used against asteroids and aliens alike, as well as the many
other hazards that pilots will face as they attempt to clear 15 levels in each
of five zones. And what can't be shot outright (there are some asteroids that
are indestructible) can usually be dodged, which is an altogether necessary art
to learn. Dodging and flying are probably a pilot's first and best defense, and they are skills that will come in handy as pilots attempt to avoid navigational hazards such as black holes and stars.
Kiss my thrusters
When the original Asteroids hit the coin-operated world of arcades back in 1979, it became an instant hit with gamers everywhere. Interestingly enough, as the coin-ops turned into dollar-ops and as local arcades turned into entertainment megaplexes fueled by fast food restaurants and debit cards, the ubiquitous pling plinging of Asteroids never really left the scene. Even the largest of today's game centers invariably has an aging Asteroids game tucked somewhere in the back.
How does an almost 20-year-old game manage to compete against the high-tech
wonders of the '90s? It's simply that few titles can match the sweet feel of
Asteroids' thrusters, or the easy response of its firing key. Which is why it's hard to figure out why Activision decided that this classic needed a '90s edition of its own. Well, okay, it's easy to figure that out: money. Clearly Activision is counting on nostalgia to drive sales of this 1998 update. But the real question is, did Asteroids really need to be updated? And the answer is, not surprisingly, no.
That's not to say the new and improved Asteroids isn't fun, because in its own
way it certainly is. The game has a story of sorts that helps explain the
action, and unlike its predecessor, this one can actually be finished. And
there's no denying that the 3-D backgrounds are pretty. All in all, it's a
respectable shooter that should provide more than a few hours of entertainment,
and there's nothing wrong with that.
But as a new and improved Asteroids, this title just doesn't measure up. It's merely
a complicated version of a simple game that was fun because it was
simple, and all the neat graphics and gee-whiz gizmos can't change that.
