Super Stardust in high definition
A kind of clever and pumped mixture of Robotron, Asteroids and Geometry Wars, Super Stardust HD puts the player in command of a small spaceship that moves in a limited play area and has the task of repelling those frequent (ssime) asteroid storms and those alien attacks that just do not want to stop scourging the planets below. Each level of the game naturally consists of a new planet among the five totals, and is in turn divided into five phases of increasing difficulty, which culminate in the canonical clash with a boss.
The controls are very simple: with the left analog stick you move the spacecraft, with the right one you shoot in the desired direction, with L1 or R1 you change weapons and with L2 or R2 you shoot the classic mega bomb. The basic weapon, the laser called "Rock Crusher", can be replaced by the "Gold Melter" flamethrower or the "Ice Splitter" fragment machine gun: each of these weapons has its own particular peculiarities, and it is up to the player to choose the most suitable one. from time to time, based on the enemies you face. This simple feature actually adds more thickness than you might imagine. Weapons can also be upgraded as you progress through the levels.
Super Stardust HD is an enjoyable title for anyone but that requires real skill to be played at high levels
Super Stardust in high definition
Super Stardust HD It is an enjoyable title for anyone but it requires real skill to be played at high levels, and despite the fast-paced action, excellent end-of-level bosses and sparkling visuals, it is this balance that has come best at Housemarque. Completing the game is not a walk in the park, and it requires the right amount of practice to acquire the necessary skills.
One of the coolest features is the two-player co-op mode, which adds a nice dose of extra fun. Coordinating as quickly as possible to face enemies is really satisfying, and to increase the "couple spirit" comes the fact that approaching the spacecraft increases the firepower, along the lines of what happened in historical titles like Raiden.
But here is that right at the most beautiful the defects come to the surface: unfortunately, it is a rather serious flaw in our opinion, this mode is not supported in online multiplayer, which certainly makes you lose something in the overall evaluation of the title. A welcome presence is instead that of a system of rankings and sub-rankings for each planet, which allows high score enthusiasts to try to hit the world top with their own score.
Graphics and sound
In Super Stardust HD it is certainly not the settings, the scenarios or the design of the spaceships that capture the attention of the gamer and give the eye the famous part that he always demands: what makes you appreciate the work are instead the visual effects, the infinite explosions, the whirlwind of colors and lights that come to crowd the screen. The game supports 1080p resolution, and the frame rate is always constant (well, come on, the opposite would be weird…).
Good sound effects and a discreet selection of music, with pseudo-science fiction style sounds. Overall a more than discreet result, a pleasure for the eyes from different points of view.
Final comment
Super Stardust HD is the third game of its kind to arrive on PlayStation 3, and it is certainly the best as well. "Making love with his ego Ziggy sucked up into his mind", sang David Bowie in "Ziggy Stardust", and if we want to risk a juxtaposition we could say that Super Stardust HD not only has a part of the name in common with the famous song, but also the ability to "suck" the player, if not inside his own mind, at least inside a whirlwind of action, explosions and colors from which it is difficult for me to get out , not exactly a fanatic of the genre. Obligatory purchase for fans (and in fact better than Geometry Wars from many points of view, if we really want to say it), but to be pondered carefully, despite only € 7,99, for those who are not so attracted by shooters, especially if so hectic.
For
- Fun, engaging and colorful, a drug
- Fantastic co-op mode
- No online cooperative multiplayer
- A few more ways would have been welcome
Super Stardust in high definition
Super Stardust HD is the modern-nextgen-1080p remake of an old game for PC and Amiga, which at the time did not manage to reap a great success. In 2007, however, with the fashion of "two-knob" games in full revival, here comes the second chance for the developer Housemarque, via the now well-established PlayStation Network.
