Console: iOS 
Date Released:  Mar 16, 2012
Date Reviewed:   Mar 27, 2012
Reviewer: Jon
 
Pros
*  Plenty of stages to progress through 
*  Fast paced Soundtrack keeps your blood pumping 
*  Very easy to pick up and play, controls are as basic as they come
 
Cons
*  While the controls are easy to jump into, the steep difficulty could be a turn off for some
*  A.I, opponent seems to have an immediate advantage that can be frustrating  
 
 We live in an age where High Definition Graphics are at the forefront of every blockbuster title.  Photo-Realistic graphics are invading our living rooms as we compete in online matches depicting chaotic battlefields, roaring sports arenas and epic adventures that leave you dragging yourself to work in the morning wishing you hadn’t went on that last quest.  But is all this really necessary?  We at The Unpaid Gamers refuse to believe so.   While cutting edge Next-Generation games are great, there is a whole other side of gaming that manages to captivate without the need for eye candy and 5.1 surround sound.   
 
This is the market that SpaceOff will appeal to.  The gamers that truly appreciate the value of solid gameplay, and take the time to dive into a title that isn’t made to make your jaw drop.  
 
Presentation :   B
Graphics / Animation / Sound
 
SpaceOff may not sport amazing graphics, but the visuals are clean and suit the title nicely.  Backgrounds and supporting art are well done.  The interface really does a great job of keeping everything simple and easy to understand.  From the excellent help screen to the level navigation menu, there is never a question of what the game expects from you.  
 
 
Simplicity, that is the common theme for this game.  The soundtrack consists of pulsing techno themes that help set the tone for a fast paced match up.  While these tracks won’t have you scouring the internet for any mp3s, it does a great job of keeping the mood and fits the atmosphere of the game perfectly.  I am not sure whether or not this is due to the retro feel of the game, but I kept having this vision of the techno themes pumping through a classic arcade cabinet as I pumped it full or quarters trying to beat the next level.
 
Single Player : B
Game mechanics / Length / difficulty
 
 
SpaceOff pits you against an opponent fighting for survival.  Both sides are armed with a simple laser that fires simply by touching the screen.  The object of each match is to blow up your opponent using Asteroids that will eventually fill the screen and are moved by shooting them with your lasers.  Starting a round will place a large Asteroid in a neutral zone to both sides.  Once the countdown ends you start shooting in an effort to use the object as a weapon to take out your opponents barrier.  As the barrier’s sections are touched they simply disappear, leaving you with an empty hole that could end the match at any time.  These battles are best 3 out of 5 and present quite the challenge.  Twenty unique levels will give you quite a bit to move through, not to mention multiple attempts to reach a better rank on each one.  The levels feature quite a bit of variety as some may have obstacles placed in different areas of the battle-zone, or feature larger barriers for both players, while some leave you with none.  This serves to keep the gameplay interesting enough to keep you going purely out of curiosity.  
 

 
Things do get trickier since the giant Asteroid that bounces around in the beginning of the match can start breaking apart as it takes damage.  This results in multiple chunks bouncing around on-screen, all of which have the ability to take out your barrier and greet you with a swift loss.  There are also a few power-ups that will casually float across the screen and can turn your weak laser into missiles or large laser bursts.  These power-ups can really be a difference maker as it really increases the power behind your shots.  The downside is that once they appear on-screen, they are up for grabs by both you and the A.I.
 
This brings me to the issue I have with the computer opponent.  It always feels like you start out with a disadvantage.  Perhaps this is by design in order to present a major challenge for the player, but personally I would rather the difficulty start out slightly easier and slowly climb as you progress through the levels.  Expect to replay the first level multiple times just to win the overall match.  I expect to hear “Quit being a wimp and get better at the game!” from some who read this review, but a lack of skill is not my issue.  
 
When the first match begins, you will quickly notice that your laser is shooting in a straight line.  You may take the approach that this gives you better accuracy, but when the Asteroid starts to break into multiple pieces a single laser stream can make it tough to control all the pieces.  But hey this is just the game design and part of the challenge right?  Sure, but when the computer opponent’s laser is more spread out covering about three times the area this can give you a slight disadvantage.  With every round playing out like a Tug-of-war match, the ability of the A.I. to land more hits with this larger spread can make a big difference.  I’m not saying the A.I. is impossible to beat, but with the pick up and play aspect of the game I feel that the difficulty should follow a slow progression instead of starting out as tough as it does.  That is the other issue I noticed, the lack of difficulty settings.  It’s either sink or swim with this one, no adjustments catering to a variety of players.  What you see is what you get.
 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brSLeCNsBzE]

 
I understand the difficulty preference for the game is just that, a personal preference  I don’t really feel that it impacts the game in a negative way, but could potentially frustrate more casual players.  Overall I think that once you get a handle on things, the higher difficulty will prolong your enjoyment of the game as it will take several tries for a lot of the levels.      
 
 
Multiplayer : A
Game mechanics / features / Online features
 
 
 
Head to Head battles with your friends, Online leaderboard, what more could you want?   The coolest thing about the Multiplayer mode is the ability for two opponents to play on the same device.  Not only does this serve to eliminate the requirement of another device, but also helps to ramp up the competitive atmosphere that is ideal for this retro type of shooter.  Sweating bullets as you barely manage to save your skin and landing the killer blow to your friend after a grueling match is what this mode is all about.  
 
Replay Value : A
Lasting appeal / Bonus Content / DLC
 
This is one of those games that you will likely just leave on your device and fire up when you have a free moment.  If you just count a complete run through of the game, you will have to defeat the A.I. 60 times to move through every level.  Not to mention the star ratings for each level and the competitive multiplayer mode.  This game will keep you busy for quite some time.  If you are looking for one of those games that you have a hard time deleting off your device because you think you might want to play it at anytime, give this one a try.      
 
 
 
Overall : B

Posted by on March 30, 2012 in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , .

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