Dazed. Confused. But hyped and still playing
I love the voice. When you load this up, the words "Taito Corporation" ring out in crystal tones. It's freaky, because in my head I could imagine walking into the Taito HQ and have that played at me as I walk through the door. One day, all future buildings will have this. But the voice is there for a reason. No sooner have you adjusted to the silence (and the irritating company logos have gone by) than the techno soundtrack kicks in. Extreme is a great audio game, similar to Lumines, although the delayed sound effects are more apparent here. It doesn't matter though, the soundtrack more than makes up for it. The backgrounds are Jeff Minter's, similar to Space Giraffe, but you won't be focusing on them. Indeed, once you've started the first level, nostalgia kicks in and you're back to playing on the Atari 2600, wondering how on earth you could possibly lose to this game. Then it's nostalgia that gets a kick in the balls as Extreme serves up all the twists you'd want in an HD re-make. There are no instructions. You play, you learn. The first waves are simple, and the different sprites are introduced gradually. Some have shields which must be worn down, others make a break for the bottom after they've been hit, causing you to chase and dodge in order to stop them. Combos are present, awarded for kills of the same colour, sprite type, row and column. Although they can take planning to achieve (or not) these generate weapon upgrades that last maybe only 5 seconds, but allow you clear a wave faster. The laser being my favourite, clearing a screen with a single swipe, exactly what I wanted in the original. The UFOs are there, mostly for additional points but some coloured varieties offer entry to bonus rounds which are short 10-15 second games with specific targets to achieve. If successful, the main game returns but you're in 'Fever Mode', which grants larger point bonuses, boosts your current weapon and causes the announcer to exclaim "Jackpot" each time you hit a UFO (did I mention I love that voice?) There are 5 stages, but easier and harder routes through the game are achievable based on the points earned. Leaderboards (of course), mulitplayer co-op and versus are all there. On-line does causes lag problems though. Nothing too serious, you'll adjust, but there all the same. Love this game and want to play it more. A great update to a classic game.
