Review: Shred Nebula
Sep. 7
The story behind the developers of Shred Nebula should make gamers fall in love with this title. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
CrutchTime Games is the definition of a small game developer. Working out of a converted garage, two first time game developers and a few former Street Fighter designers pitched an idea to Microsoft and this week saw their title released to the public on XBLA.
Shred Nebula is a top down Sci-Fi space shooter in which the player can only shoot in the direction the ship is facing. The objective of each level is to locate and scan a beacon. However, it is not always clear what the objective is and you will spend time flying around the level waiting for the next text box to pop up.
For $10, there is a lot to do in Shred Nebula. The single player mode, entitled Arcade Adventure, spans more than 20 different levels. Score attack challenges players with endless waves of enemies. Finally, there is both split screen and online multiplayer. To add some variety, there are eight unique ships to choose from online.
A few areas of Shred Nebula are rough around the edges. Loading screens are noticeably lengthy when starting each game. Also, lots of text slows the action instead of a more fluid option like dialog.
Shred Nebula's graphics are not very impressive either. From an overhead perspective, a futuristic ship fights on top of a layered background. This combination is a headache waiting to happen.
The ultimate downfall of Shred Nebula is the controls. There are an abundance of dual joystick shooters on XBLA, but this game would have definitely benefited from using this simpler control method. Instead, the left trigger is used to move, the left stick controls direction, and the X-button is used to shoot. These controls over-complicate what could have been a solid aspect of the title. Even after playing much of the game, the controls never became second nature.
Arcade demos exist for games like Shred Nebula. If the controls and lackluster visuals are not a deal breaker, go ahead and spend $10 on this average top down shooter.
Pros: Enough modes for the price tag, respawn occurs without penalty
Cons: Generic shooting, frustrating controls
Sound: 2.5 Controls: 2.25 Graphics: 2.75 Fun Factor: 3.25The Info: Platform: XBLA, Publisher: CrunchTime Games, Developer: CrunchTime Games, ESRB: E, Players: 1-8, Price: 800 MS Points ($10)
Andrew Ramsey (31)
Tae Kim (1)
Terry Terrones (131)
Will Herring (41)
Comments
Ouch. I haven't tried this one yet.
I think you've missed the point of this game. The controls are made the way they are specifically to AVOID being Geometry wars. The gravity effects, and the thrusters are made to be very similar to the old Subspace game. These controls are not meant to be overly simple. A little practice and an understanding of how the controls are meant to be used (aka the thrusters are not meant to be used at all time.) and you begin to realize the controls are actually VERY tight. The single player is not exactly the best illustrator of this because the AI is kind of weak. The true shine of this game is in multiplayer combat where the skill aspect of the game is best visible. Over all the game feels like subspace to me, and thats a gooood thing.
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