ARSENAL JOKE - September 1995
| Bored of state-of-the art 3-D
videogames yet? Well, aren't we all? Salvation is at hand in the shape of the most aptly
named next-generation game so far, Gunner's Heaven (PlayStation, Sony). It's the first
old-fashioned sprite-based arcade game to appear on either of the big next-gen machines,
and it looks like a simple platform shoot-'em-up for the exceptionally good reasor that
that's exactly what it is. However, you've never played a simple platform shoot-em-up this
fast, action packed and innovative. Gunner's Heaven lights a beacon of hope for those of
us who don't want to lose forever the kind of play that made us get into video games in
the first place. Developer Treasure is also responsible for the fabulous, and distinctly similar, Gunstar Heroes on the Mega Drive (so, er, maybe you have played a simple platform blaster this fast and furious before), as welI as the SNES classic Super Probotector, but it's really gone to town with the lush colour palette, hi-res graphics, and advanced sprite-shifting capabilities of the PlayStation to produce a game with aesthetics to match its gameplay credentials. Gunner's Heaven is tough, intense, and eerily playable, and the most full-blooded, all-out arcade fun to be had from the machine to date. If you've got a PIayStation ... well, you know rest. |
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