Nanotek Warrior

System: Playstation

Review

Game Type: 3D Chase-View Shooter
You've seen this before in the form of Spy Hunter or Tempest, but never from this perspective. Your ship clings to the outside (or inside) of an endless tube, and the only gravity is the pull of the tube itself. You rotate freely around the edges, blasting oncoming enemies with your standard shot or any of several limited-ammo special weapons you pick up along the way. Obstacles must either be jumped over or dodged around.

Gameplay: 90/100
Pure action, unhindered by anything resembling realistic physics. It's as if Galaga was suddenly switched to a 3D perspective without adding inertia to the control or even much gravity beyond what was needed to bring you back down after a jump. This feels wierd at first in a polygon game, but once you're used to it the gameplay is perfect. The control is marvelous, and your ship always reacts instantly. It's a good thing, too...
In other games, there's always a moment when you're headed strraight for a brick wall, and you think to yourself, "Well, this is it, I'm going to die." That thought will repeat itself in your head so many times while playing N-Tek that all you can do is assume a Zen-like calm and charge straight at that titanium tower (or unbeatable mid-boss, or whatever). Miraculously, a skilled player will always pull through somehow, and it's an incredible feeling. At no point will you be bored while playing this game, and very few titles can say that anymore.

Graphics: 80/100
N-Tek has all the neat frills that made Wipeout XL look so cool, although maybe they're not applied with as much finesse. The polygon popup horizon is quite distant but since there's nothing to obscure your view it's also quite obvious. These are minor gripes, though, and all things considered the graphics pull their weight almost as much as the gameplay.

Sound: 80/100
Techno soundtracks are (almost) always a good thing, and N-Tek's isn't bad. Unfortunately it isn't astoundingly good, either. You won't even notice the music while playing; it's just sort of there. The sound effects are another story. The explosions have incredibly deep bass - you can feel it when the bosses go up in smoke. But I could do without the mildly annoying alarm that goes off when your shields are below 50% (which is almost always the case). Sound effects and music volume can be adjusted separately, thankfully.

Overall: 80/100
If Tempest X3 is hardcore techno, this is a Top 40 remix. Okay, so it's totally devoid of depth. It's still a lot of fun, and shooter fans or indeed anyone looking for a pure action game absolutely must take a look.

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