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»Platypus
"Clay-tastic SHMUPy goodness."
When I was first getting into video games, the term shooter meant
something completely different than it does now. Because of this, I’ll
forever consider games like Contra, Raiden, R-Type, and Metal Slug
shooters. The term for these games now is SHMUP or shoot-‘em-ups.
You learn something new every day, huh? The reason I mention this is
that I’ve recently been getting into these games a lot lately and the
most recent one I’ve played is actually really long overdue. This title
from Mumbo Jumbo games is actually quite the value for the price it’ll
set you back. Continue reading for a better idea of what this game is
all about.
Not many developers have been able to pull off the whole
claymation thing, but it is easy to tell that the developers put a lot
of effort into animating Platypus. When you first think about it, there
shouldn’t be too much animation to a game like this. I mean, the ship
just flies about and other ships explode, right? Well yea, but in this
particular title, the backgrounds are also made of clay as are the
actual explosions. Even the bigger ships get pieces blown off of them
prior to their inevitable explosion. All of this is done with clay.
It’s really a sight to behold.
As much as it is a wonder to see in action, the
hyper-bright basic colors get old after awhile. Especially considering
how hard this game actually is. The difficulty isn’t really that
intense for a long-time shmup fan, but for the average player, this
might prove a bit rough. Even on easy, the only difference I noticed is
that the enemies fire fewer bullets and some enemies take more shots to
kill. The main difference comes in the length of time you have with
each power-up.
This actually is the main unique feature this game has
over something like Gradius. In Gradius, you’re treated with a robust
weapon upgrade system, but in Platypus you’re given only the upgrades
they want you to have at the time and these only last for a short
period of time. If you suck at shooters, this might be a good thing as
you don’t lose your upgrades when you die, but they do go away after a
predetermined amount of time. If you’re highly skilled, you can chain
together upgrades and add them to your total time, but more often than
not, you’ll find yourself firing off the excessively weak main weapon.
The upgrades themselves are quite amazing and if the game
had more permanent measures of obtaining them, it would be a much
easier game. It’s because of this that it does seem a bit painful to go
through an old level again. While the controls are tight, the replay
one usually gets from this genre is somewhat lacking here. I really
want to love this game, but the power-up system just bogs it down so
much.
Another factor contributing to this game’s less than
stellar score is the music. The first time I went through it, I was
slightly entertained, but subsequent playthroughs resulted in my
turning the volume down and eventually off entirely.
Despite the negatives I’ve given this game, note the
game’s price when you’re shopping and you may find it well worth the
price of admission in comparison to other games out there for the PSP.
Article by: Bloodspoor
Posted on: Aug. 17th, 2007 |
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Review Recap |
| Gameplay |
| As much as I love the look of this game, the gameplay just doesn’t keep it on par with other games in this genre. |
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Graphics |
| I whole-heartedly enjoy this graphic style. It’s really sweetly animated, too. I’d put this on par with Clay Fighter, but it just doesn’t stand out too much in the PSP library. |
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Sound |
| As I said, I can’t stand the music much and the sound effects are just generic fanfare. Don’t expect much and you’ll probably be happier. |
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Replay Value |
| The music grates on my nerves after hearing it just once and the power-up system is a joke. |
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