Mean Machines
1st October 1990
Truxton
Aliens are steering five asteroids towards Earth, guarding them with a host of nasties armed to the teeth! Guess who's the only one stupid - sorry - brave enough to try and stop them?
This shoot-'em-up casts you as a space fighter pilot inflicting as much damage as possible on the swarms of flying aliens and ground installations that are, naturally, trying to shoot you down.
There are a host of power-ups to be collected, as well as extra weapons, extra lives and more smart bombs. The smart bombs themselves are represented as skulls, and unleashing them causes a huge skull-shape to flash across the screen, killing everything.
The end-of-level baddies come in a variety of shapes and sizes and usually in numbers of two to four. It takes a lot of firepower to eliminate them and, even when you do, it's no rest for the wicked - the alien scum still keep coming!How To Power-Up
Weapons are upgraded by collecting the flashing tokens left behind by dead aliens. Power-ups need to be collected in quantity to push you onto the next level of destruction, while the smart bombs are on a one-to-one basis. Changing weapons is achieved by snatching up the relevant coloured pod left behind when a ground installation is destroyed.
There are three power-up weapons: lightning rays, green lasers and extra red firepower. Lightning rays are good for mass destruction, but aren't so effective on end-of-level baddies. Green rays are powerful, but are shot in a thin, straight line, which means you have to move around a lot if you're going to destroy everything. The best weapon is extra red firepower, giving both high destructive power and a wider firing range - you also get a shield with this weapon!
Matt
The power-ups are excellent, my favourite being the lightning bolt - this allows you to unleash electric death on the nasties from any angle, your beam following them around the screen!
All in all, a great game that should be welcome in any shoot-'em-up fan's collection.
Julian
The graphics are pretty straightforward, and the sound is alright, but when it comes down to gameplay, Truxton has plenty of blasting thrills and spills on offer.
Verdict
Presentation 84%
Nice intro screens for each mode of transport. Shame about the Japanese text.
3D graphics the like of which you've never seen before!
Sound 88%
Bizarre music coupled with superb effects!
Playability 92%
Easy to get to grips with and instantly addictive.
Lastability 89%
A bit frustrating in the short term - but this game is designed to last!
Overall 90%
A highly original, graphically stunning game. Go for it!
