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Sinistar, the space shoot'em up, with the creepy voice has been Unleashed into the 90's and I'm happy to report that it's not bad at all. The gameplay has remained intact, which is a miracle, considering the complete makeover the game has received. Fans who were addicted to the game way back when just might want to take a peek at this latest version and show that evil S.O.B. that they too, have lived. Unfortunately, in my case, when greeting Sinistar, I would have to say, "Beware. I live. Although most of my hair hasn't survived since our last meeting."
Remember how creeped out you felt, the moment that you heard the Sinistar come alive? Of course you don't; you are probably only 12 years old. Anyway, back in my days, Sinistar was one cool game. Not only did it have synthesized speech that warned you of your impending demise, but it was a real edge of your seat game, as far as games go back then. This new version, Sinistar Unleashed, updates the gameplay into the vast emptiness of space and you are now free to move in any direction. I'm pleased to report that unlike other updated classics, the gameplay remains firmly attached to the original.
Your job is to stop The Distilled Evil and their slaves, the Sporg, from mining Sinisite crystals found in asteroids over 24 levels (including 5 bonus levels). These crystals will power up the warp gate which will enable the Sinistar to break through the and come gunning for you. It is up to you to try and put an end to the construction of the portal and gather the crystals yourself; once Sinistar comes through, it could be game over if you aren't prepared. If you destroy enough of the crystals surrounding the portal you will stall the arrival of the Sinistar and when it does arrive, it will be a little less powerful. To kick some Sinistar ass, you'll have to use Sinibombs. But here is the catch: It costs you ten crystals to fire a Sinibomb and you can only hold 100 crystals, which if my math is correct, means you only get ten shots before having to hunt around for more crystals. Of course, he's chasing you through all of this. Ha! Nightmares are made of this kind of stuff.
The star fighters are upgradeable over the course of the game and each features it's own arsenal of destruction. Including your basic ship-mounted weapon, there are nine much more powerful secondary weapons to choose from (once you find them). These weapons are: Sinibomb, Cutting Laser, Long and Short Range Missiles, Lightning Gun, Charging Photon, Mind Control and Lightning Storm. Each has different ranges and all deplete your crystal supply with varying degrees of greediness. You can also locate special items that will help immensely along the way. These include everything from health pickups to cloaking devices to orbital defense units. Choosing the right one will make all of the difference in your fight for survival. When you start out, your ship can only hold four special items, but as you upgrade, the number eventually increases to nine. This is where the keyboard comes in. You'll need to keep your eyes on your weapon/item selection keys so you can bang them off at a moments notice.
Graphically, SU is one of the best looking space games I've ever seen. It rivals anything out there on any platform. All of the game looks classy and you'll love all of the special lighting effects used throughout the game. From explosions to powered up weapons, all provide some intense eye candy, which will have you showing this game off to your friends. The only downfall of the game itself, is the similar level design. Aside from cosmetic differences in the level graphics, they remain basically the same. Some planet surface levels would have provided a nice change of scenery and an extra challenge as well.
The games bosses are the true stars of the show (excuse the pun) and you'll want to make sure you see every one of their ugly bug-like mugs. The original Sinistar we all know and hate, won't come out until the end of the game, so until then, you'll have to put up with his minions. The bosses themselves are all based on insect-like creatures, which are not only creepy, but also eerily life-like. Just wait until you find yourself face to face with the last boss, the original Sinistar. If the other Sinistar bosses are the Rat Pack, then this one is Old Blue Eyes, and like Frankie, he isn't in a very good mood and he's probably drunk.
Control is spot on using the keyboard or a joystick. I prefer a joystick of course, but I tried out the default keyboard/mouse config and it worked very well. Due to the many weapons and special items available in SU, you'll probably have to use the keyboard along with the joystick to get the most out of the game. I set the numeric keys as hotkeys for weapon/item select and found it very useful during gameplay. Even if you have a 10 button joystick, you still won't have enough buttons to get everything at your fingertips. For those lucky gamers with force feedback joysticks, SU is a blast with FF, so take advantage of it.
Musically, SU has a decent techno based soundtrack.; it's neither intrusive nor engaging, it is just there. All of the voices and sound effects are well done to the point that I guarantee your stomach will knot every time you hear the inevitable, 'Beware. I live". And it should, because something is going to get you.
Complaint Dept. As good as thing as game is, when compared to the original there are still a few minor drawbacks. The speed of the game could have been bumped up a notch in my opinion. It never feels quite as panic provoking as the original did. In conjunction with the speed of the game, the speed of the thrusts on your ship are slow-moving as well, even with the booster power-up. As great as the bosses are, none really invoke fear like the final confrontation with the big boy himself. It would have been nice to have some really freaky bosses to go up against. Lastly, as already mentioned the level design could have used some more imagination. Considering how great this game looks, it would have been interesting to have checked out completely different locales in space or near planets.
Sinistar Unleashed is perfect for when you just want to blow some things up and have some fun. It's not very deep, but provides a decent challenge and some good feelings of panic every now and then. If you remember the original fondly, then I'd suggest sitting down with this one again, for the first time.
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