The Games - Review of Exodus

Exodus is quite an old game by now, it's probably been knocking around for two, maybe three years and unlike a lot of SAM games it hasn't dated that badly at all.

This is mainly due to Neil Holmes producing what where probably his best ever graphics and some very slick programming.

[Apparently was Doug, not Neil - so I'm told! - Unc]

The game is basically a Smash TV rip-off, only minus the level structuring idea and without the organised enemy phases of the original. This is a bit of a pity as knowing what what going to happen next helped a LOT on the original game, and in this one you have NO chance at all because it throws everything at you on every level. There's none of this 'learning curve' stuff, oh no. It's hell-bent destruction from the first moment.

On each level you must collect five crisp bags to progress to the next one, and this is where it can be slightly annoying, in that some bags are impossible to reach (having been deposited in the enemy-producing holes at the edges of the screen, and it's also annoying that it has a multiload for some reason. Even when each level is almost EXACTLY the same, maybe the mega-enemies deserve a multiload, but I think it was probably a move to keep 256k compatability.

Oh well.

In case you have never seen Smash TV, here is a brief description of this particular version of it:

The levels consist of a square room with about 6 entrances in the side from which enemies constantly pour. You must shoot the enemies to produce crisp bags and other bonuses, such as extra lives, and improved weapon power. When you've got all 5 crisp bags it's onto the next level. Simple, but bloody hard. You really come to rely on getting extra-lives, because unless you get seriously massive quantities of them then you're not going to survive the first 10 levels. It's really a pity about the difficulty level, as the game has lot's of nice bits, including a full disk intro sequence (though not to the standard of Steven Picks work), lovely music and simultaneous 2-player option. Anyway, it costs about 6 quid and can be bought from, um, well, it might be SAM PD (Derek Morgan), or it could be PSS (David Ledbury) who knows? Licences on the SAM change ownership more often than I change my pants (so that's about once every 6 months :) ).

Graphics : 88% - Beautiful colouring makes the most of 16 colours.
Addictivty : 74% - Marred by the incredible difficulty of the game.
Instant Appeal : 85% - Very good, thanks to a good build-up etc.
Sound : 84% - Good E-Tracker music, and no spot fx. Pleasing.
Overall : 81% - A nice game that should have been easier.

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