Archived from groups: rec.games.vectrex (More info?)
I, CYBORG review
It's not everyday you receive a brand new Vectrex game in the mail let
alone one wrapped in purple bubble-wrap with the distinct postage mark
as coming from sunny California in the US. The Vectrex community
hasn't had a lot to rave about lately since the release of the
excellent Protector/YASI (Herbert) in 2003. Let's face it, not many
people are programming for the Vec anymore. This is why I was eager
to plug my new I, CYBORG cart into the grand old girl.
The first thing that strikes you about I, Cyborg is the packaging.
This has got to be some of the most practical packaging I've seen. And
the little black case houses the authentic GCE Vectrex cart and a nice
little instruction manual which fits snugly so as to make up a package
which will look good next to any other packaging from any other
console be it commercial or homebrew. The manual is very well setout
with an introduction paragraph, which sets the tone for the game, plus
every bit of detail you will need to know to use the vast array of
special weapons and face the deadly bosses.
When the title graphic appears and the trademark Geofury soundtrack
begins you are faced with 3 options, which include starting a new
game, entering a key code or viewing the credits. What is unique to
this game is the key code system. Once you progress to a certain level
of the game you receive a key code. This system favours the gamer as
he/she need not go back to the start of the game once completing a
certain section but input a key code to go right back to where he/she
left off. There is space for 3 key codes so as you can probably tell
this game is quite long at around 32k with many levels.
Once beginning a new game the cyborg appears on the screen surrounded
by a huge corridor, which appears to be never ending up ahead. Pushing
forward on your control panel's joystick let's the cyborg walk
forward. Once walking forward, so as to try to reach the end of the
corridor, the cyborg encounters enemies coming at him from front on
and from the roof. ‘Decapitators' are the most deadly enemies in the
‘corridors', which need to be shot by the cyborg's very impressive
‘electrified-acid mist' that does the job on these guys plus helps
kill other enemies. The lasers firing from the roof in the corridors
also add excitement and a certain amount of strategy to the game as
you try and guess which side of the corridor the laser will try and
shoot you at.
If you manage to get past the ‘corridors' you will reach other levels.
There are 4 corridors in all. One of the earlier levels, after the
corridors' is called ‘trench'. There are 4 trench levels and for me
this is where the game really starts. Once out in the trenches the
graphics really shine as the cyborg heads toward a beautifully drawn
sci-fi mountain range and comes up against ‘Warbirds' and ‘Flying
Filth". In order to shoot the warbirds the cyborg can turn his head
left or right and shoot his mist while continuing down the trench.
What I really love here is that the game utilises nearly all aspects
of the Vec's control panel and firing upon enemies requires using
buttons 2,3 and 4. The trench levels really give the game the full
feeling of an actual 3-D gaming environment. The enemies that come at
you are very well animated and this must have been quite time
consuming for the maker of the game George Pelonis.
There are many levels after the ‘corridor' and ‘trench' levels that
will entail, as mentioned previously, the destruction of the bosses
and enemies. Special mention must be awarded here to the vast array of
characters in I, Cyborg. There must be around 10 different sorts of
enemies. Some can be killed but some just need to be avoided to
progress. I, Cyborg is set at about the right difficult level.
Experienced old-school gamers will find the game challenging and not
easily mastered. Newer gamers will have to get used to the button
configuration of the control panel but if he/she has played Gravitrex
(Dondzila) or Protector (Herbert) before then he/she should know their
way around a Vectrex control panel and how to use it.
Overall I, Cyborg is an excellent game which will have you spending
many hours at your Vectrex just trying to get that little bit further
so as to find a special weapon or view the beautifully rendered
characters and surroundings. The graphics are top-notch and to sustain
this amount of graphical detail for so many levels is simply
astounding. Wait till you see the animation of the huge bird-like
creature that flies overhead in one of the later levels. The sound is
also very good with chunky arcade-like sound effects. Protector and
Gravitrex now have a brother, as I, Cyborg joins these two games at
the top of the Vectrex gaming tree. Buy this game today!
Graphics – 9.5
Sound – 8.5
Gameplay – 9.5
Overall – 9.
Review written by Daniel Foot
I, CYBORG review
It's not everyday you receive a brand new Vectrex game in the mail let
alone one wrapped in purple bubble-wrap with the distinct postage mark
as coming from sunny California in the US. The Vectrex community
hasn't had a lot to rave about lately since the release of the
excellent Protector/YASI (Herbert) in 2003. Let's face it, not many
people are programming for the Vec anymore. This is why I was eager
to plug my new I, CYBORG cart into the grand old girl.
The first thing that strikes you about I, Cyborg is the packaging.
This has got to be some of the most practical packaging I've seen. And
the little black case houses the authentic GCE Vectrex cart and a nice
little instruction manual which fits snugly so as to make up a package
which will look good next to any other packaging from any other
console be it commercial or homebrew. The manual is very well setout
with an introduction paragraph, which sets the tone for the game, plus
every bit of detail you will need to know to use the vast array of
special weapons and face the deadly bosses.
When the title graphic appears and the trademark Geofury soundtrack
begins you are faced with 3 options, which include starting a new
game, entering a key code or viewing the credits. What is unique to
this game is the key code system. Once you progress to a certain level
of the game you receive a key code. This system favours the gamer as
he/she need not go back to the start of the game once completing a
certain section but input a key code to go right back to where he/she
left off. There is space for 3 key codes so as you can probably tell
this game is quite long at around 32k with many levels.
Once beginning a new game the cyborg appears on the screen surrounded
by a huge corridor, which appears to be never ending up ahead. Pushing
forward on your control panel's joystick let's the cyborg walk
forward. Once walking forward, so as to try to reach the end of the
corridor, the cyborg encounters enemies coming at him from front on
and from the roof. ‘Decapitators' are the most deadly enemies in the
‘corridors', which need to be shot by the cyborg's very impressive
‘electrified-acid mist' that does the job on these guys plus helps
kill other enemies. The lasers firing from the roof in the corridors
also add excitement and a certain amount of strategy to the game as
you try and guess which side of the corridor the laser will try and
shoot you at.
If you manage to get past the ‘corridors' you will reach other levels.
There are 4 corridors in all. One of the earlier levels, after the
corridors' is called ‘trench'. There are 4 trench levels and for me
this is where the game really starts. Once out in the trenches the
graphics really shine as the cyborg heads toward a beautifully drawn
sci-fi mountain range and comes up against ‘Warbirds' and ‘Flying
Filth". In order to shoot the warbirds the cyborg can turn his head
left or right and shoot his mist while continuing down the trench.
What I really love here is that the game utilises nearly all aspects
of the Vec's control panel and firing upon enemies requires using
buttons 2,3 and 4. The trench levels really give the game the full
feeling of an actual 3-D gaming environment. The enemies that come at
you are very well animated and this must have been quite time
consuming for the maker of the game George Pelonis.
There are many levels after the ‘corridor' and ‘trench' levels that
will entail, as mentioned previously, the destruction of the bosses
and enemies. Special mention must be awarded here to the vast array of
characters in I, Cyborg. There must be around 10 different sorts of
enemies. Some can be killed but some just need to be avoided to
progress. I, Cyborg is set at about the right difficult level.
Experienced old-school gamers will find the game challenging and not
easily mastered. Newer gamers will have to get used to the button
configuration of the control panel but if he/she has played Gravitrex
(Dondzila) or Protector (Herbert) before then he/she should know their
way around a Vectrex control panel and how to use it.
Overall I, Cyborg is an excellent game which will have you spending
many hours at your Vectrex just trying to get that little bit further
so as to find a special weapon or view the beautifully rendered
characters and surroundings. The graphics are top-notch and to sustain
this amount of graphical detail for so many levels is simply
astounding. Wait till you see the animation of the huge bird-like
creature that flies overhead in one of the later levels. The sound is
also very good with chunky arcade-like sound effects. Protector and
Gravitrex now have a brother, as I, Cyborg joins these two games at
the top of the Vectrex gaming tree. Buy this game today!
Graphics – 9.5
Sound – 8.5
Gameplay – 9.5
Overall – 9.
Review written by Daniel Foot
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