Star Raiders sounds exciting… it isn’t

Back in the day, space based shooters were all the rage among prepubescent boys keen to replicate their heroes in the Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica movies. The aspirations of these wannabe pilots and warriors have since changed, just like gaming itself. It’s therefore difficult to know just who the revitalised Star Raiders is aimed at! For those among you that do actually remember it the first time round, I’d suggest this isn’t on your list of games you simply have to replay.

You star as Ruiz, a crack fighter pilot intent on taking on the might of the Zylon army. The game’s marketing promises epic space battles and dogfights, as well as a spaceship that morphs into different forms that offer better manoeuvrability and weapons. Sadly, it doesn’t quite match up to its billing.

It’s not bad looking for an XBLA/PSN game

Granted, this new version looks better than its predecessor – or at least, it looks a little better than it did in the 8-bit days – but it’s still missing a vital element, fun. A brief tutorial outlines the abilities of your spacecraft and all the weaponry on offer, before plunging you into the action. Perhaps action is too strong a word – it’s not the most exciting of shooters with very little actually going on. Space just doesn’t seem that big, or interesting. A few asteroids or enemies appear from time to time but there’s nothing really to retain your interest. Sure, space isn’t known for its scenery but the hugely repetitive environments are unimaginative and dull.

The mission objective pages explain the plot but there’s so much text written in too small a font that I’ll bet few of you will bother reading it through to the end. And you don’t really have to as the story is as one-dimensional as they come. On the face of it, hunting Zylon Fighters and Frigates sounds pretty cool but sadly there’s absolutely no sense that your spaceship is moving – it’s certainly a strange sensation; the occasional asteroid or enemy passes by your ship, which appears stuck with glue to your screen. The most challenging part of the game is getting to grips with the hideous controls. There are a few different weapons available but they make no discernable difference to the gameplay. Enemies can still be picked off from a distance with little resistance. Should they manage to get a few shots on target, it’s hardly panic stations as dying causing you to respawn a couple of seconds later in much the same place. Each level is pretty much a repeat of the previous one and it’s not until the latter stages that a bit of variety is thrown in. Sadly, it’s too little, too late.

Don’t get me wrong, nostalgia is great – but this game should really be consigned to history. They say that in space no one can hear you scream… sat in front of your console playing this, believe me, you’ll want to.

If you’re a fan of the original, maybe give it a go… otherwise, avoid it

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 3.

Atari announced today the release of Star Raiders.  The return of Star Raiders combines tense aerial assaults and dogfights with a new compelling storyline, striking visual style and exhilarating single player gameplay.  Star Raiders is now available on the PlayStation 3.

Originally introduced in 1979, Star Raiders blazed an all new trail, becoming the first ever first-person space combat title.  The game inspired several generations of “space combat simulation” titles throughout the 80’s and 90’s.   The exciting new take on this Atari treasure pays tribute to the original while ushering in an all new, captivating episodic experience.   The game offers familiar battle elements including space warps and galactic tactical maps with all new features like radical battle transformations and customizable ships.

Developed by Incinerator Studios, Star Raiders carries a suggested retail price of £7.19 / €8.99.

The franchise that helped create the space combat genre is preparing all flight systems as Atari,  one of the world’s most recognised publishers and producers of interactive entertainment, brings the iconic Star Raiders® to next generation platforms.  The return of Star Raiders will combine tense aerial assaults and dogfights with a compelling new storyline, striking visual style and exhilarating single and multi-player gameplay.  Atari will look to recruit a new generation of gamers when Star Raiders shoots onto the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC Download in early 2011.

Originally released in 1979, Star Raiders became the first ever first-person space combat title, inspiring several generations of “space combat simulation” titles throughout the 80’s and 90’s.   This exciting new take on this Atari treasure will pay tribute to the original while ushering in an all new, captivating episodic experience. Star Raiders will offer familiar battle elements including space warps and galactic tactical maps with all new features like radical battle transformations and customisable ships.

“When launched over thirty years ago, Star Raiders became a classic Atari release and helped to introduce 3D gaming, space combat simulators and first-person shooters”, said John Burns, Vice President and General Manager for Atari Europe. “Our new re-imagined Star Raiders introduces newfeatures and competitiveco-op and team based multiplayer gameplay.”

Moreover, the all-new Star Raiders will bring powerful online play to the franchise for the first time.  Co-op campaigns and competitive team-based multiplayer will enthrall both original and new fans.