Review - Space Pirates

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Trev
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Review - Space Pirates

Post by Trev » Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:27 am

From the arcades to your 3DO comes yet another shooting title from American Laser Games, Space Pirates. While at it's core it is the same game as ALG's earlier efforts, Space Pirates attempts several new things that arguably make it the most enjoyable ALG title ever.

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The most obvious new thing about Space Pirates is the setting. Gone are the wild west locales seen in the Mad Dog Series (and later in The Last Bounty Hunter) And there are no more gritty modern day scenes to be found either (see Crime Patrol and Drug Wars) Space Pirates transports the player (or two) deep in to the future. This new setting actually makes the game weaker in a few areas, but overall it allows for much more good than bad.

One step back, two steps forward ...

One look at the sets and costumes found in Space Pirates will tell you which aspect of the title was hurt the most. Quite frankly, these two things reveal much more about the games low budget than ALG would like us to know. :wink: While it may be fairly easy to mimic a period piece game (ex- 'Who Shot Johnny Rock') it is much more challenging to produce a game set in the far future. The sets of Space Pirates simply don't look very futuristic. This does not make them bad mind you (in fact it adds a great deal of 'camp' value) but overall, I found myself hoping for more. The costumes likewise may be good for a laugh, but little more (okay, maybe two laughs :lol: )

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These things are outweighed however by some of the new elements that ALG incorporated. For instance, the graphics and sound effects were able to be given futuristic tweaks. These include things like laser blasts from weapons, (with the occasional added effect when they connect with an enemy) backdrops featuring planets and stars, the warp effect when you travel to different systems, and a few other things to keep your eyes open for. One of main graphical difference in this game though, is that it is not all Full Motion Video. This is primarily noticeable in the loading of the special weapon star crystals, and the assault on the games nemesis, Captain Talon (both unique things in themselves) While this is only done in a limited capacity, it does add up to make the game differ from ALG's earlier releases and makes it feel new, not just rehashed.

So, is there anything else besides the new coat of paint? Yes! Can you say puzzle elements? :o You heard me right, Space Pirates has several puzzle elements scattered throughout. Each world that you visit has a character (or two) who could be considered as bosses. But they don't challenge your shooting skills, no, they challenge your wits. These "mutants ... tricksters" as your guide likes to call them, try to trip you up with rhymes, riddles, or puzzles. Admittedly, these are really not challenging (especially since you are given hints prior to your encounter) but they are just so interesting and bizzare! Check out 'Madame Pots' and her sidekick 'Pan' to see an example for yourself. :wink:

When you add all this to the pretty good full motion video, fine sound effects, decent voice acting, challenging missions, and accurate control, you have another solid excuse to dust off the old Gamegun. The camp value alone is reason enough to own this title ... thankfully it has some fun gameplay to back it up. Space Pirates didn't re-invent the genre, but I think it might have helped to evolve it a bit. Worth owning. :)

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-Trev
Last edited by Trev on Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by 3DOKid » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:58 am

Did someone say 'Ice Pirates'? No? Well they should have done. It was a comedy space movie, one of my favourites. The sets and costumes seem to have been lifted straight from this movie.

I can never pay these game due to a lack of a mouse and/or gun.

Space Herpes. Still makes me laugh.

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Post by Trev » Wed Sep 26, 2007 1:51 am

After all these months, I finally rented Ice Pirates. Man, you weren't kidding!

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Post by Trev » Fri Feb 17, 2012 11:56 pm

Added some pics to update this review. Space Pirates is probably the bset ALG game imo.
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Post by 3DO Experience » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:48 pm

To be honest I never read this review until now. And you know what? It makes me wants to play this game.
"Wait. You don't have a bag of charcoal in your gaming room???"

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Post by Martin III » Sat Feb 18, 2012 3:12 pm

Kinda makes me want to play it, too. Is it playable without a light gun, though?

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Post by Trev » Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:17 pm

3DO Experience wrote:To be honest I never read this review until now. And you know what? It makes me wants to play this game.
This is an old review ... one of the first batch I posted when the forum first started, so I can see how you missed it ... it was buried underneath a slew of later reviews. I've been slowly adding pics ato ll my reviews, although I've only been bumping certain ones. After tweaking Space Pirates w/pics, I kinda wanna boot it up as well. Maybe even review the other ALG games I've yet to do (Johnny Rock, Last Bounty Hunter, etc ... Thanks for the read & comment.
Martin III wrote:Kinda makes me want to play it, too. Is it playable without a light gun, though?
Sorta ... you can probably get through some of the early sections w/the standard d-pad, but later on you may find yourself strugling. I've never been able to progress very far in any ALG gun game w/just a controller ... just not quick & precise enough in my opinion. Still, I'd say it's more playable than some. And I think Lemmi managed to beat an ALG game (Crime Patrol) using just the pad, so it is possible. If you can get a gun though (or a mouse) you'll have a lot more fun w/it imho.
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Post by Martin III » Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:37 am

Hmm... doesn't sound like a bad idea. Would you generally say the 3DO light gun is a worthwhile investment? It does seem like the 3DO has more than its fair share of light gun games.

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Post by Trev » Thu Feb 23, 2012 3:43 am

Martin III wrote:Hmm... doesn't sound like a bad idea. Would you generally say the 3DO light gun is a worthwhile investment? It does seem like the 3DO has more than its fair share of light gun games.
If you have many of the gun compatible games (or are planning on getting them) than yeah it's worth it imo. Like you said, there are quite a few light gun games (most of them are good too) That being said, I have no idea what type of price the 3DO gun commands today. (I bought mine years ago) If you can find one at a fair price, go for it!
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