Xenon 2 Megablast

Infobox VG| title = Xenon 2 Megablast


developer = The Assembly Line
publisher = Image Works
designer = The Bitmap Brothers
released = 1989
genre = Shoot 'em up
modes = Single player, Non-concurrent Multiplayer
platforms = Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Acorn Archimedes, Game Boy, NEC PC-9801
media = Amiga, ST, PC: Floppy disc ; Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy: Cartridge ; CDTV: CD-ROM
input = Keyboard, Joystick

"Xenon 2 Megablast" is a computer game originally produced for the Amiga and Atari ST, and later converted to the PC, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Acorn Archimedes and Game Boy platforms. The sequel to "Xenon", it was designed by the Bitmap Brothers (although coded by The Assembly Line). It became one of their most well-known titles, and is a classic of its genre.

Theme and gameplay

"Xenon 2 Megablast" is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up. Unusually for the genre, the player's spaceship can reverse the scrolling of the play area for a limited distance, which is useful for escaping from dead ends. This game consists of five levels which are each divided into two sections.

The game has a generic sci-fi theme and almost no plot, focusing instead on presentation and gameplay. Indeed, it was the quality of the music and graphics that led to the game's memorability. The graphics bear the trademark "Bitmap Brothers" appearance, with realistic and detailed renditions of rock and metal objects. The enemies are various nondescript organic creatures.

The player of "Xenon 2 Megablast" must rely heavily on power-ups, which may be gained by shooting power-up containers that appear through the levels. When an enemy or a wave of enemies are destroyed they leave behind credits in the shape of bubbles. Small bubbles are worth 50 credits and large bubbles are worth 100. When a mid-level boss or end of level boss are destroyed, they explode to reveal lots of credit bubbles. Credits are then spent at a shop owned by Colin The Alien (who bears a remarkable resemblance to the alien from the film "Predator"). Power-ups of various sorts may be bought there. Accumulating power-ups rewards the player with more heavy-duty firepower. The shop appears mid-level and at the end of the level.

The PC version of "Xenon 2" contains a cheat mode: in the graphic menu press F7, then to activate, press the "i" key while playing.

oundtrack

The Bitmap Brothers co-operated with the British musician Tim Simenon to include the Bomb the Bass hip hop track "Megablast (Hip Hop On Precinct 13)" as theme music, which is also the origin of the game's subtitle. In turn, the theme of this song is based on the theme of John Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13 movie and features also many samples from Sly and the Family Stone song, "You Can Make It if You Try".

There are two versions of the track in the game: a nearly faithful rendition (only missing a few spoken lines) as the loading music, and a simplified version as the in-game background music. The Amiga version of the loading music is based on the same track, but significantly different, with such changes as helicopter sound effects at the beginning and end.

The game was one of the first instances of a computer being programmed to play a pop single with reasonable accuracy. Sections of the music were sampled and then re-sequenced. In the cartridge-based console versions, the music is radically simplified, being purely synthesized and lacking the voice samples of the computer versions.

Reception

UK magazine C&VG gave the ST and Amiga versions scores of 94 and 96%, respectively, praising graphics, sound and gameplay and calling it "utterly superb". [Citation | last = Glancey | first = Paul | author-link = Paul Glancey | title = Wonderboy III | newspaper = Computer and Video Games | pages = 52–53 | date = September 1989 | issue = 94]

"Xenon 2 Megablast" is widely regarded as one of the most difficult shoot 'em ups of the Amiga and Atari ST game era of the 1990s; in light of the effort required to complete the game, fans (including Peter Molyneux of Bullfrog Software) were said to have been greatly disappointed by its outro: the shopkeeper, in his usual setting, congratulates you for finishing the game, and tells you you can now turn off your computer. Then the screen goes black, and waiting won't help.

In contrast, Amiga Format's review of the CDTV version (Issue 39, October 1992) [ [http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/xenon2.htm Amiga reviews: Xenon 2 - Megablast] ] was very harsh: they rated it a paltry 32%, commenting that, while innovative at the time it was first released, the game had aged poorly and its gameplay was not well balanced.

Modern remake

The Bitmap Brothers recently released an updated version, "Xenon 2000", on a cover disk attached to PC Format magazine. Within the issue were tutorials on its creation. The game is available for download from the Bitmap Brothers site. Despite the improved visuals, "Xenon 2000" lacks the original game's notable electronic soundtrack.

References

External links

* [http://www.bitmap-brothers.co.uk/our-games/past/xenon2.htm "Xenon 2 Megablast" at Bitmap Brothers site]
* [http://www.bitmap-brothers.co.uk/features/xenon2000/index.htm Xenon 2000 at Bitmap Brothers site]
* [http://www.gods-country.de/tcr/tcr_frames2.php?g=xenon2 "Xenon 2 Megablast" at The Bitmap Brothers Tribute]
*moby game|id=/xenon-2-megablast|name="Xenon 2: Megablast"