Mean Machines
1st February 1992
Publisher: Virgin Games
Machine: Sega Mega Drive (EU Version)
Published in Mean Machines #17
Xenon II: Megablast
Those evil Xenites are back, and this time they're twice as deadly! After having their baboon asses well and truly dusted in Xenon I (a computer game which never appeared on the consoles in any form at all), they retreated and regrouped, coming up with an even more dastardly plan for universal domination!
And what a plan it is! Their new blueprint for cosmic supremacy involves striking at the heart of the Earth Empire by blowing up massive bombs throughout the planet's past history, thus making it an easy target in the future. To give their dangerous scheme an even bigger chance of success, they've also deposited massive laser-spewing forces to guard the bombs, along with gargantuan end-of-level bosses!
As you may have gathered, behind the scenario lies a vertically scrolling shoot-'em-up, boasting give levels of explosive blasting mayhem all backed by a Megadrive redition of Megablast - the ball-bouncingly brill Bomb the Bass theme tune!
Boom-Shanker
However, this is pretty pathetic compared to later bosses that include the likes of flying crabs (???), web-spinning spiders and serpentine alien battle cruisers!
Crispin's Laser Death Shoppe
During the game, cash is instantly added to your bank account by blasting entire attack waves or blowing up multiple hit meanies. After a boss has been annihilated, the Xenon ship is instantly warped to Crispin's Laser Death Shoppe, where weapons are both bought and sold. Watch out through, Crispin's prices are extortionately high and he doesn't pay much for second-hand gear.
Blasting Lasers
Rich
I enjoyed the Amiga version of this game a great deal when it first came out two years ago, and this Megadrive version is just like a speeded-up version of the 16-bit classic.
Perhaps the best things about the game are the distinctive graphics (no other Megadrive game has a style to match these classy visuals) and the vast amounts of weapons the game offers.
On the minus side, there's nothing here in the gameplay stakes that hasn't been done on the Megadrive before - and the jerky scrolling just cannot be forgiven. I was hoping that Mirrorsoft were going to jazz up Xenon II a tad with more levels and smoother gameplay - after all, this is almost exactly the same as the Amiga version, and far more expensive!Shoot-'em-up fiends will get plenty of enjoyment out of this, but I was hoping for a little more.
Julian
The unusual, but superb, graphic style puts this a cut above most Megadrive up-the-screen scrollers. Just a swift glimpse of the screenshots is enough to show you that it's a veritable eyeball feast, with excellent backgrounds and some outstanding sprites, particularly the end-of-level bosses.
The game runs along at a fair lick, with plenty of baddies whizzing around and the Xenon ship pumping out a barrage of laser and missile death, and on higher difficulty levels the action provides enough challenge to test your blasting skills, but is still enjoyable enough to keep you playing without getting frustrated. The only disappointment is the slightly juddery scrolling, but since the action is of such good quality I think most Megadrive shoot-'em-up fans will happily overlook that flaw.Verdict
Presentation 73%
A few options on the title screen to tweak, but the actual presentation is quite dull.
Graphics 90%
Stylish graphics abound with highly detailed sprites and excellent backdrops.
The Bomb the Bass Megablast theme tune is rather poor and the sound effects are pretty dull.
Playability 84%
Instantly addictive, with great shoot-'em-up action and some superlative weaponry.
Lastability 81%
The Easy level is perhaps too easy, but the later difficulty levels keep the challenge going.
Overall 82%
A great-looking shoot-'em-up that should keep blasting fans happy for quite some time!
