One of the problems for the average arcade game fan is that there are relatively few shoot-em-ups or any other action game for that matter available on CD (until the AMIGA CD takes off, that is!). Because of that, the release of Xenon II for the CDTV came as a relief to many games players.
Without going into too much detail, if you haven't seen it before, it's a typical vertical scrolling blaster played over 5 sprawling levels. Your ship is initially armed with a measly single-shot cannon, but extra weapons can be collected en-route or purchased in the mid and end-of-level shops with cash collected from successfully destroying complete attack waves. Basically, that's it. Oh, and of course, there's the obligatory end of level guardians to despatch!
The game itself is a straight port from the original Amiga version and there isn't really any enhancement other than the sound. If you've seen the original, you'll remember that the main selling point of the game was its soundtrack, written by Bomb The Bass and they have once again been drafted in for the CD version along with a few other artists including Betty Boo and S-Express. Obviously, as a CD has vast storage capacity, it would be a joke to even consider converting the music to the Amiga, so they are all on the CD in glorious CD audio! In total there are 11 tracks lasting for well over an hour, and as CDTV discs can be played in normal audio CD players (well, the audio tracks anyway - I wouldn't recommend listening to the game!) you are effectively getting a Bomb The Bass album in with the price! On top of that, the music uses Roland's 3D sound system and sounds absolutely incredible. The echos and spatial stereo effects have to be heard to be believed!
The only problem with the music is that if your music tastes don't extend to house/dance tracks (as mine most certainly don't) you'll probably end up reaching for the volume control!
The other addition is in the form of a mini multimedia display offering a series of screens giving information on the programmers, musicians, discographies and tips on playing the game. It's nothing exceptional, but at least they've made the effort to try and encourage people to part with the money for the CD edition rather than trying to find the original release in a bargain bin somewhere!
The problem with this title is the game itself. As I said, the game caused quite a stir when it was first released and I think many reviewers and game players alike were caught in the illusion that Xenon II was a classic shoot-em-up, when all it really was was an average game that was, to a certain extent, over-hyped prior to its release. The graphics while looking good, are limited to just 16 colours, the scrolling is abysmally slow and jerky (due to the game's Atari ST origins, being written on the ST and then ported across to the Amiga later) and the gameplay while enjoyable for a short while, has numerous flaws.
For example, there are sections during the game where the screen is split into three vertical "corridors". Now, if you happen to choose the wrong path, you may not find out until four or five minutes later and by that time, you are forced to back track through almost half a level with either nothing to shoot at or millions of aliens trying to take you out from behind (who usually succeed as well!). Not my idea of fun!
While the gameplay is nothing special, and I'm not one for playing games ported from the ST, I did find Xenon II mildly enjoyable for an hour or two. Once a few powerups have been added to your ship, you get a real sense of being able to "kick some serious alien butts"! Definately not one of the best Amiga blasts ever (I'd say that title is probably held by Project X), but it's fairly enjoyable and it's a reasonable way to spend the odd hour or three!
One word of warning though, if you own a "normal" Amiga with an A570 fitted, you MUST also either own or buy a Megadrive compatible joystick/ joypad as the game NEEDS the second fire button found on these controllers. Normal joysticks will NOT work properly.
Overall, an average release but worth getting if your are a CDTV owner without a shoot-em-up or if you are a Bomb The Bass fan (an album AND a game for £30 can't be bad). Otherwise, you're better off buying an Amiga specific game such as Project X, Apidya, Alien Breed or another CDTV compatible title. For CD32 owners out there, wait and see what's released for you machine. I know for a fact that Team 17 are writing for it, so don't be surprised to see Project X in the near future!
