TyrianGAME: Tyrian
Shareware v2.0
DEVELOPER: Eclipse
FROM: Epic Megagames
TYPE: VGA Shooter
EQUIPMENT: 386-33MHz, 4MB RAM, VGA Graphics
NEEDS: DOS 5.0 or higher, PKUNZIP (possibly), 10MB Hard
Disk space according to the manual 4.32 MB actual (size possibly
due to temp. files)
OPTIONAL: Sound Blaster compatible card, Gravis
Ultrasound, General MIDI MPU-401 compatible card (Roland Sound
Canvas, RAP-10, MT-32), Mouse, Joystick, Modem
FILE INFO: Our test version was a PKZIP file. 1,824,325
bytes zipped.
WEB SITE: http://www.epicgames.com/
FTP SITE: ftp.uwp.edu
COMPUSERVE:GOEPIC
AOL KEYWORDS:Eclipse, 386, Sound Blaster, Arcade,
Overhead, Pentium (or) goto software search and type: Tyrian or
Epic Megagames
OTHER: Exec~PC Site- ftp.execpc.com (or) Call their BBS
1-414-789-4360
MAILING LIST:[email protected] say SUBSCRIBE EPIC in
first line of message
ORDERS: Epic Megagames-10406 Holbrook Dr.-Potomac, MD
20854-Call=1-800-972-7434
PRICE: Shareware- Free, Retail- $35.00 CD / $35.00 disks +
$4 S/H. Check, M.O., VISA, MC
WHAT'S NEW:This is the second release of the game and it
includes 4 new levels in addition to the 14 in the first version.
Special effects, and gameplay enhancements
PLAYERS: 1 or 2
MODEM/NETWORK:Yes
AVAILABLE: Now
LEVELS: Shareware- 18 levels (one episode)
WHY REGISTER ACCORDING TO VENDOR:Harder Bosses, 60 action
packed levels (4 episodes), Highly advanced weaponry, More
stunning graphics, New ships to pilot, Printed manual (hints,
tips, cheats), A free bonus game, and news of Epic's upcoming
games
Let me start this review by saying "I LOVE THIS GAME!". It's so good that I consider it one of my all time favorite shooters. Everything just blends together so well in the game that it left me throughly impressed. I don't care if it's not 3D, this game is the "Cream of the crop" of sprite based shooters.
There are 18 levels in the shareware version alone (1 Episode). You have the option of playing in Arcade mode, or a Full game. There are three difficulty levels, as well as an option to play a modem/network game.
I especially liked the fact that you don't need a Supercomputer (pun) to run the thing. A 386/33 with 4MB RAM works just fine. Not everyone own a Pentium processor. I find it refreshing to know that there are still good games out there that will run on an average computer. Nobody has to accept a lower resolution either (which can be a real drag sometimes), a few notches down on the detail level usually works fine. In most cases you won't even need to do that, just change your game speed.
I'm not a big fan of stories in shooters. There are many gamers who like to put themselves in a story, but I'm not one of them. For their sake their good to have, personally, I could care less. That said, I'll concentrate this review on the arcade mode. Rest assured though, if your a story lover, you won't be disappointed.
To be a good arcade shooter, in my opinion, you need to have several elements in place. You need plenty of powerups, good explosions, great sound, smooth gameplay, and well designed bosses. Graphics are nice too, but I'll take gameplay over graphics anyday. Any game that covers all these areas well, or reasnoably well, is sure to be a winner in my book.
Powerups, this game definetely has powerups. Just to give you an idea how many there are, I started writing them down. Here's what I found (There's probably more too): Pulse Cannon, Protron, Micro Bomb, Sonic Wave, Vulcan Cannon, Mini Missle, Multi Cannon, Dual Shot Option, Single Shot Option, Starburst, Post it Mine, Atom Bombs, Mega Cannon, Vulcan Shot Option, Rear Heavy Missle Launcher, Hyper Pulse, Zica Laser, Charge Cannon, Lightning Cannon, Wild Ball, Guided Bombs, Laser and Missle Launcher. There are even front and rear weapon powerups. In addition to those, a Special weapon can be had when either of your weapons is at or near it's full capacity. Here are some of the Special weapons: Attractor, Repulsor, Ice Beam, Super Laser, Pearl Wind, Power of Zinglon, and Flare. It is my understanding that there are over 300 different weapon combinations. I can't confirm that, how could I? I'd have to quit my job and take up playing Tyrian full time to do so. Yet, I somehow believe it's true. Each of these powerups is awesome too! Have you ever noticed how in some games you get one or two great powerups, and the rest are lousy? That's definetely not the case in this game. Trust me, you won't be disappointed with these!
The explosions are equally awesome. They are big, yet never so big that you lose your bearing in the game. They are almost transparent. When your ship is in the middle of one, you can still see your ship and explosion. In most other games, the explosion hides the ship, and the background as well. I was very impressed with this paticular feature.
I liked the music, it seemed to fit the game. It wasn't mind blowing, but I never got tired of it either. The sound effects were great! Each weapon seemed to have it's own unique sound. The sound never got boring because it was constantly changing. I don't care how good sound effects are, if you have to hear the same ones over and over, you'll soon tire of them.
The gameplay is top notch, smooth as silk. Of all the features that I liked, the gameplay was the best. It more than makes up for any of this games shortcomings.
The graphics are decent, and everything looks nice. I find it hard to rate the graphics because this is a little bit older of a game then I'm used to. It uses the 320 x 200- 256 color mode, and I've become accustomed to 640 x 480- 256+ or even greater graphics. Lets put it this way, It looks much better than most games using the same graphic mode, but falls short when compared to today's newer games.
Bosses are OK, but nothing spectacular. My current favorite bosses are in Raiden II, and these are a far cry from those. It's hard to describe their shortcomings, so I'll just leave is at "they don't give you that WOW!! feeling once destroyed".
Time to wrap this up, I'll just end by saying "GET THIS GAME!". It has a few flaws, but overall, it's a winner. An oldie, but a goodie!
RATINGS
GRAPHICS: 75% (downgraded due to age)
SOUND: 90%
GAMEPLAY: 95%
ORIGINALITY: 80%
REPLAY VALUE: 80%
OVERALL: 84%
