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| | Publisher: Ambrosia Software  Genre: Arcade | | | Min OS X: Any Version CPU: G3 @ 266 MHz RAM: 40 MB Hard Disk: 72 MB Graphics: 640x480 @ 16-bit |
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I’ve always wanted to be a space commando, bravely piloting my defiant spacecraft against the forces of oppression and evil. God willing, someday I’ll be granted a manly jawline, pecs that could crush a small moose and witty dialogue to mutter as I violently strafe targets along the ground in the name of intergalactic freedom. Grad school, which starts later this month, is just a step along the way to this goal. Deimos Rising, written by Darwinian Studios and published by Ambrosia Software, is both the realization of my ultimate accomplishment in life as well as the sequel to the late 90’s shareware classic Mars Rising. The game features 12 levels, 2-player simultaneous gameplay and is readily available for download from Ambrosia’s web site. Pac Man Lunchbox: Deimos Rising is the arcade experience all over again. The game is a simple, back to basics shooter in the style of Raiden, Galaga and dozens of other standup arcade games you might have grown up with. The objective is clear; the player fights enemies, avoids enemy fire and survives long enough to clean out each level. As the game progresses, players gain different weapons and power-ups that they can switch between at different times to suit the fighting conditions of each level.Deimos Rising differs from the classic arcade shoot-em-up in the sense that the weapons aren’t as conventional as they might appear. The game requires a balance between the primary aerial laser weapons (which change with each level, players gaining new primary weapons while still being able to switch back to older aerial weapons) and a ground-based secondary weapon that generally functions as a bomb. Spaceman Spiff: Unlike the arcade classics, things aren’t as simple as gaining enough power-ups to turn your ship’s main weapon into the ultimate weapon of death and occasionally switching over to a limited secondary weapon (such as a bomb that can only be used a few times, but can level Delaware). Deimos Rising requires a balance between what starts out as a relatively weak single-fire aerial weapon and ground-based bombs that only fire one at a time. Players must find a balance between the two weapons, which grow stronger with each level as new types of aerial weapons are gained and the spacecraft’s secondary weapon gains the ability to fire more than one bomb at a time.While not original in, Deimos Rising’s enemies keep players on their toes. The overall effect of this is like trying to fight a constant swarm of metallic robots of varying size, tenacity and resilience. Players must take on both aerial enemies that arrive about a dozen at a time and also attack ground-based targets such as tanks, turrets and power-up storage bunkers that need several bombs dropped on them before they release anything. While this is initially confusing, players get used to the constant frenetic pace. Hold down the primary weapon fire key and allow a stream of shots to build up. This has a devastating effect when the player releases the fire button, but can also backfire and detonate the spacecraft. A strafing technique often works out admirably if you’re trying to fight tanks on the ground as well as destroy half a dozen fighters before they crash into you.
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