Let's face it... the space-based flight combat genre -- once the domain of power hitters such as Wing Commander, Freespace, Privateer and X-Wing vs. TIE Figher -- is pretty much dead. Eve more recently released (and still exceptional) sci-fi flight titles like Starlancer and Freelancer couldn't restore the genre to its once former glory. Because of this, it's no surprise we don't see many space combat sims anymore.
Growing up in the way-out 70s left me with a profound fascination with anything to do with outer space - especially if there are lasers and spaceships involved), so it saddens me to see these types of games no longer lining the shelves at software stores. However, this didn't keep developer CITY Interactive from trying their hand at the genre with Space Interceptor (Project Freedom in Europe). Although simple, for $20, the game offers up a good bit of fun, especially for those of you nostalgic for the depths of laser-ridden outer space.
Unlike space flight games of yore that pretty much required a joystick, similar to Freelancer, Space Interceptor is controlled completely with the mouse and keyboard. The game's simple, linear design stresses arcade action, and the two most important controls you'll use during the entire game are the two mouse buttons: left for lasers, right for secondary weapons (air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles, proton torpedo, and plasma blast). Although there are different types of missions in the game -- ranging from defend to escort to planetary attacks -- it all pretty much comes down to "kill 'em all and let the galaxy sort them out." There is a bit of research thrown into the mix that you use to upgrade your ship's attack, defense and speed ratings, but it only consists of picking which section you want to upgrade and waiting until the end of your current mission for your technological rewards.
Like I said, gameplay is very arcade-like, straightforward and linear. That's not a bad thing in this case, though. Space Interceptor is all about action, and the game doesn't disappoint. You may have to take on wave after wave of enemy ships or destroy dozens of enemy missile turrets and laser emplacements during the 21 missions, and unlike lots of these types of budget shooters, you can move in full 3D and you aren't locked in one place with a stationary gun. There is one ball turret mission where you're immobile, but it fits in well with the "story" (I say "story" because it's about as deep as "shoot, roll, shoot, shoot, shoot") since you're on a capital ship. This mission reminded me of Luke and Han taking out TIE Fighters circling the Millennium Falcon, and it's obvious that the designers took a lot of cues from famous Hollywood sci-fi movies. The game even culminates with a Death Star-esque finale (don't worry, I'm not spoiling any of the plot since there is none).
Flying through the vastness of outer space can be desolate and boring, but CITY Interactive made the visuals more exciting by adding lots of attractive planets, moons and stars to gaze at, and also plenty of nebulae, gas clouds, space junk and asteroids to fly around. With its impressive lighting effects, high-quality ship models and colorful spacescapes, Space Interceptor is the prettiest budget game I've ever played, and it can even stand its own against most of the full-priced games out there.
There are three views to gape at the visuals: a cockpit view complete with instruments and gauges, an outside first-person camera view with no screen obstructions and a behind-the-ship slot view. Although it's pleasing to the eye and offers up high-intensity gameplay, the game runs great even on low-end systems (provided you have at least a 32MB video card), and the fast load times before missions keep you in the action rather than sitting around waiting for the fun to start.
While Space Interceptor is entertaining, it does have a few problems. First off, in true space combat fashion, your wingmen are pretty much useless, and it's up to you to save the entire universe. And unlike most space flight games, there's no radar to show you where enemy ships are, although there are red arrows on the side of the screen that point to possible targets. There's also no graphical indication if your lasers are hitting their mark, although you can look at your opponent's health bar to see if they're about to get knocked down. However, the biggest detracting feature of Space Interceptor is the audio. The sound effects are nice enough, but the repetitive soundtrack quickly becomes annoying as the same bad techno riff plays over and over and over for the entirety of the game. Following the same pattern, the dialogue is extremely repetitive as well, and your wingmates proclaim "Hey, we got a new Ace here" and "Right between the eyes" over the comm dozens of times during each mission.
Minimum System requirements:
Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
Processor: PIII 700 MHz
DirectX 9.0c
256mb Ram
Free hard drive space: 412 MB
3D Video Card 32MB DirectX 9.0c-compliant Sound Card
Download link:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yl2nj2w13bp4c
Pass : tech24.vn
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