Previous Next

Rainbow Arts have practically revolutionized the old extra-lives concept by offering you a range of ships to have in your 'fleet', each individually armed!

You begin the game in a shop with a hideous alien shopkeeper for whom shoplifting is never going to be a problem. His most expensive goods are four ships which can be fitted with 3-12 weapons. Once selected, a ship can be placed on the design grid where a number of weapons can be fitted. The basic (in-built) weapon is a gun for which you can choose from three strengths of bullet, firing in up to three directions. There's also three types of guided missiles, plus bouncing and smart bombs. Up to six drones can be released, firing automatically, and re-collected. Even more impressive are the satellites; eight types moving in different patterns.

The most graphically awesome weapons are the super-weapons - Fireclaw, Flamethrower and Energywall - activated by holding down fire. Between each multi-loaded level you return to the shop where you can uprate your ships, and even buy new ones if you have the cash!

While sharing the Welshman's disappointment with the overly familiar alien attack patterns. I thought the great weapons choice and technical excellence compensated.

The graphic detail is superbly unpleasant, particularly on the end-of-level monsters. Working out how to deploy your weapons is really satisfying - when you get it right. C64 tape owners will find it initially painful: dying on level one means you have to reload the shop, high score table, and level before restarting. Very irritating until you start to make progress onto further levels where fast loading makes it no more painful than any other multi-load.

Buying new ships and weapons between levels then becomes a welcome respite between the action, and a chance to work out new tactics - although maybe a bit too much money is offered. Definitely recommended if you fancy something a bit novel.

The most impressive thing about X-Out are the weapons - you can easily spend hours, even days getting the hang of them. Choosing how your satellites will move, and where to place them and drones is great. And working out which ship to arm how provides great tactical depth. Another good idea is how you can swap between two secondary weapons.

It's a pity then that the game is otherwise a fairly conventional horizontally-scrolling shoot-'em-up. There's a few nice touches, such as the aliens which leave matter trails behind them (as in R-Type) and impressive mid-level and end-of-level baddies, but only the weapons are new. Still, on both formats presentation is first class with great graphics and good tunes - especially on the Amiga which so often suffers ST game clones. If you're a shoot-'em-up fanatic, both versions are top notch, but the C64's already got a huge variety of similar games and X-Out needed more original baddies.

Presentation 88%
Amazing intro which easily matches the Amiga's. Fast multi-load, but reloading can be irritating.

Graphics 89%
Some very good sprites, landscapes, mother aliens, and even parallax scrolling.

Sound 83%
Good and varied tunes with nice FX.

Hookability 81%
Takes time to work out the weapons, and reloading a difficult level one and the shop can be irritating on tape.

Lastability 83%
Eight levels provide a fairly substantial challenge.

Overall 82%
A first-class shoot-'em-up.

Presentation 86%
Great intro, attractive shop scene, good instructions.

Graphics 90%
Some beautifully detailed sprites and landscapes, all designed specifically for the Amiga.

Sound 90%
A great soundtrack, different tunes for each evel with some very good spot FX.

Hookability 82%
A little difficult to begin with, and it takes a while to get the hang of the weapons.

Lastability 86%
Eight varied levels with some great mother aliens providing an incentive to keep going.

Overall 84%
An extremely slick and quite innovative shoot-'em-up.