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                                HYPER FORCE
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system...... Atari Jaguar

medium...... 2mb cartridge

developper.. Atari/Visual Impact 1995

publisher... Songbird Productions 2oo1

genre....... platform shooter

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Here we have another antic that was digged  out by SONGBIRD but I have to say it
right  here, they surely shouldn't  have done  that and  left it  better  in the
trashcan of unfinished  gameprojects since thise game isn't a big plus point for
the Jaguar. But more for that later.

The game is a simple go through  the levels with your hero, fight against robots
and  cyborgs, avoid traps, collect  goodies and money. This  is presented in the
very  typical style  like many 16bit  games were presented, a left/right/up/down
scroller in the  style of "TOTAL RECALL" on  the ST or so  on. That isn't bad at
all and can make a good figure on higher systems, like the Jaguar or other video
game systems or even the PC as games like "RAYMAN" or "EARTHWORM JIM" can show,
esp. since those games were released at the same time.

Ok, in HYPER FORCE you take over the job of hero equipped with super weapons who
has to find its way through some mines and so on that are fullfilled with robots
and cyborgs and  so on, but since I  don't got my  hands onto the readme I don't
know why, but who is interested in any story in a shot'em'up game, eh?

The game  starts with  a small intro  screen and  the style of  this one doesn't
makes me anxious to check out the game itself, it is, to be honest, lowest level
of presentation and use of  JAG hardware, just a logo with fire effect  and some
text, right followed  by the credits  and the  highscore table  that offers some
pixeled grafix.

Right after smashing the fire  button I found myself back in the game, seeing my
hero  surrounded by some  cave scenario and it doesn't  took too long untill the
first enemies are coming up. Smashing  fire button  A gives them a bullet, since
our hero can't jump you can  press button C and he activates his jetpack and can
fly to higher plattforms. So you  can just start your way through the level, the
enemies  are  coming along  as little  moving  objects, androids, robots, flying
sondes  and so  on, sometimes  just  running  around, sometimes  firing  in your
direction... The first weapon you  have isn't very powerful and you need to fire
a lot of bullets onto your enemies.

But I really don't want to write more here, the game is so damn bad that I don't
see the point to check it out deeper. Biggest point for critics is the bad tech,
esp. on the grafix and  animations side. The  grafix itself, the scenario and so
on don't offer much colours, maybe 256, but not much  more, esp. the sprites are
quite colourless and to say the truth, I think the game wouldn't be a problem on
the Falcon or even on an Amiga 5oo... Here is  nothing on 64bit niveau  and if I
remember to games on  the SNES, like DONKEY KONG or  so on, or  even the games I
have mentioned  at the beginning, RAYMAN for  example, you  can imagine why that
game was kicked  into the trashcan  and not released  1995... Atari surely don't
wanted to demolish the already damaged reputation of the Jaguar more.

Today nobody cares about  that anymore and since nearly  no new games are coming
up for that  machine, it is  time to dig out  those antics, but I don't like the
fact that  so the users  are squeezed out, just  think that  this game will cost
about 8o Euros... And what you get for that money isn't worth much...

Ok, back  to the game. The grafix aren't  only not  much colourful, no, also the
animations  aren't state  of the art, even in 1995. Your  hero doesn't  offers a
big range of movements, he can  run, use  the jetpack, he can hang on cables and
kneel down, as  well  as he  can change the  firing direction. The enemies don't
offer more, some nearly no movements, just  flying or driving around  as compact
sprites. Ok, all  the sprites are  quite big, but  bigger sprites must be better
animated  since it looks  like there are  about 5 animation steps only. Our hero
seems to have  a special move, the  Moonwalk by our beloved Michael Jackson, and
this is a problem of the animations as well, he walks  to slow but the scrolling
is still quite fast... and you now can imagine how it looks like...



As written  above, the  grafical standard  is quite low, and even  if the makers
have  included some small  gimmicks, so you see  your hero  breathing, there are
blinking lights and dripping acid and a second scrolling area in the background,
all those things don't better up the impression. It still  looks like a mediocre
homecomputer jump'n'shot... and  even the ST offers  games with better grafix...
maybe  with  smaller sprites  and less  colours, but  therefore  with  an better
overall impression

The sound isn't  much better, you get  obvious tracked  musics and a few sampled
fx, sometimes you hear nothing since the fx/sound routines seem  to be unstable,
it isn't groundbreaking... just very low standard.

And the gameplay? Not impressive  either, just run around, kill enemies, collect
money and goodies, avoid traps, use lifts and  find the exit  in a special time.
The time counter appears only in  later stages... The money isn't bad  since you
can go  into a shop after  each level where you can buy news  weapons, lifes and
upgrades  for your  equipment. The weapons  can be changed  with button B in the
game but take care since the energy for your weapons isn't  unlimited... This is
one of  the few better  features  of the game  that isn't  offered by many other
games.

Yes... there isn't more  to talk about  here and I  was quite  bored after I had
finished stages one and two. I just saw  that the levels  are growing quite fast
and aren't clearly since of the big  sprites you always  see only a very limited
part of the area on the screen. And running around in the levels, esp. if you're
fighting against a time limit and you don't know really where to go, sucks a bit
and lowers the motivation to go on.

So... enough, I'm off here... before I tell  you what I think about  the game in
the final words  I will give you the  possibility to  check out what SONGBIRD as
publisher thinks... Here we go... hold on for a laugh...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Trans Con is decimating  world  after world  in search  of enough  resources and
wealth to  launch  an attack  against the  Terran High Command. The  politicians
don't want a direct confrontation that might hurt  their corporate sponsors. So,
the Interstellar Special Forces  has  been  called in  to send a lone warrior to
eliminate the Trans Con threat. Wanna guess who that warrior is?

Hyper Force was developed exclusively for the Atari Jaguar by Visual Impact. The
game  is a  2D multi-directional  action/platform  genre  in  a  colorful sci-fi
setting. Fight  waves  of enemy  soldiers, security  drones, mining robots, fire
traps, and more. Collect coins and energy to upgrade your personal arsenal. Find
switches and solve puzzles to advance through the game.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Hmmm, exclusively  developped for the Jaguar? But never released and the reasons
should be clear... Furthermore I doubt that  another console producer would have
released the game on his system at all...

Final words... HYPER FORCE surely wasn't without a reason smashed into the trash
               by ATARI, even if  many Jaguar titles that were released by them,
               weren't of better  quality as  this one. But  I have  to say that
               this game isn't even for hardcore players a  must have item. Only
               collectors should get their hands on it, if they don't care about
               the wasted money. Since  the Jaguar is more  a freakmachine today
               there surely aren't players around that need to buy every game as
               real game addicts  are using other consoles or computers that are
               offering a much  wider and better  range of games. After all this
               was more or less wasted time and nerves to work on that article..

___ratings______________________________________________________________________

visuals .....  35 % - grafix and animations are on 16bit niveau...
audio .......  5o % - some oldschool module sound, fx are ok
controls ....  6o % - often a bit tricky, mainly using the jetback
idea ........  3o % - just another plattform shooter
motivation ..  2o % - the not even mediocre design kills a lot of fun...

___overall_____39_%_____________________________________________________________


Without any doubt  one of the  worst games on  the Jaguar that was released over
the past years... It isn't any bonus for the Jaguar games range...

_.tSCc.__________________________________________________________moondog_o9/2k2_