Super Stardust HD (SSHD) has much in common with those earlier games, but brings the series confidently into the modern era with re-envisioned mechanics and visuals. Simply put, this is the kind of reinvention that we like. While still an Asteroids clone at heart, the game takes inspiration from the opening levels of the old games, but instead of simply framing the action with a planet in the background, SSHD wraps the gameplay around the planet - literally. Yes, you're now hurtling around a 360 degree play area, in orbit above various planets' surfaces. While most Asteroid-style games wrap the play area around on itself, the effect in SSHD is hypnotic, and, combined with 360 degree shooting on the right analogue stick, gives the game a wonderfully flowing feel.
The mechanics are smart too. Like the Amiga games there are three different types of asteroids, but now the weapon system has been streamlined so that there's one weapon which is most efficient to take apart each type. Using the L1 and R1 shoulder buttons, you can switch between the green plasma fire of the Rock Crusher, the hypnotic flame thrower of the Gold Melter and the sharp blue projectiles of the Ice Splitter. No prizes for guessing which of the three asteroid types (rock, gold and ice) each is best for. Each weapon type can be upgraded separately (thankfully any upgrades remain if you lose a life), with any weapon pick-ups on the playfield cycling through the three, allowing you to focus on the most useful weapon at the time.
It must be said that while the weapon system is a nice twist, it isn't anywhere near as clever as something like Ikaruga, where you could switch between two states and actually absorb enemy fire if you were in the correct state, necessitating constant strategic switching to survive. It's definitely designed to be more accessible, so while one weapon may be better suited to a particular asteroid or enemy type, you can still use any weapon you like. There are also a couple of additional abilities that help minimise frustration, both of which are essentially 'get-out-of-gaol-free' cards. The first is the traditional screen-clearing bomb (what top-down shooter would be complete without it?), and the second is a neat little boost move. Everything converging on you? Hit boost to jet away from danger and find some space. While you're essentially invulnerable when boosting, it takes time for the metre to refill so you can't abuse it too much.
The game has a bunch of pick ups, from extra lives and bombs through to shields, weapon power-ups and points tokens; and if you don't get to a high-end pick-up quickly enough, it will degrade down to a less-juicy bonus (cue Darth Vader 'Nooo!'). Most pick-ups must be literally hewn from the asteroids that drop down into orbit by breaking them up and harvesting the shimmering emerald gems within. Busting up the asteroids is surprisingly fun in and of itself (whether that's because of a natural love of shooting shit up or some kind of compulsion to 'clean' the gamespace I'm not sure), and you'll quickly learn to be efficient about this gamespace housekeeping because leaving too much debris floating around in orbit makes life a whole lot harder when the next wave of enemies teleport in. And that's when the intensity really ratchets up. You're whipping the Gold Melter's stream of flames in circles, watching it lock and spark on enemies in a satisfying display of pyrotechnics. You're switching to the Ice Splitter in a sea of shards and boosting into space as 50 or more drones try to surround you. You're about to be overwhelmed so you trigger the smart bomb and the world explodes.
It's hectic and it's simple and it's pure. It's also pretty. While SSHD isn't going to compete with the most sophisticated Unreal Engine 3 games any time soon, it's impressive for what it is - a 1080p shooter that runs at 60fps and features a playfield that can be densely packed with hundreds of objects all moving independently, and all of which blow up with extravagant flair. Crisp explosions and neon sparks rock the air and thousands of bits of rock hurtle into space, making weaving your way through the mayhem all the more rewarding.
Click here for explosions. Huzzah!
In terms of difficulty Super Stardust HD is pretty well pitched, at least initially. Each attempt will see you progress a little further and see you refine your approach a little more, which is really a good measure of success for this genre - it needs to be a good challenge but not frustrating. That said, we did find that after mastering the first planet we were able to quickly whip through the other four locations. Thankfully beating all five planets (each of which consist of five stages) lets you loop back to the beginning and a higher difficulty level. Even so, there's only really a few hours of solid play here, even with same screen co-op, and there are a few missed opportunities. The boss battles are a little too easy and could definitely be more memorable, while the lack of online play (online functionality is restricted to leader boards) is disappointing.