Zzap


Game Over II
By Summit
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #83

Game Over II

The original Game Over's only claim to fame (or notoriety) was the kerfuffle over its risque advertisement with a female fatale "busting out" all over (Oli Frey used his airbrush to cover her modesty in Zzap).

The game itself was a total letdown, as was its sequel which only clocked up a measly 58% in issue 45, inspiring comments such as, "It won't last long for the real joystick junkies out there."

The plot carries straight on from the original Game Over. Arkos has defeated the evil empress Gremla and all is sweetness and light on Earth. However, Arkos has landed himself in a big cowpat of trouble and is being held prisoner on the terrible jail planet of Phantis. Major Locke is chosen to free him, as he knows the treacherous terrain.

A Game Of Two Halves

Game Over II

This macho dude must battle through two sections, firstly a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up through space, caverns and jungles to discover the access code. Load up the second half, input the code and trek through six more scenes, including mountains, lakes and a volcanic landscape. Finally, pilot the helicopter to arrive at Arkos's prison in style.

There's 24 different (not radically) baddies to blast for points, and various opportunities to increase your life expectancy. It's graphically uninteresting in both sections with the only redeeming factor being a fruit machine-type scoreboard - and even that's nothing to write home about. The first section is too easy to complete and the second a bit of a disappointment, with not much to do except run around picking things up and shooting people. Spot effects are particularly monotonous and the music is boring.

All in all, it's a bog-standard budget game.