Asteroids Hyper 64
Asteroids Hyper 64
Asteroids on steroids.
Published on May 26, 2010 1:25 AM
2 minute read
2706 Views

This is one I've not played before. In fact, I have never played the arcade original, either.

This game seems to be largely the same game with a graphical overhaul. There's a tiny ship with a bunch of asteroids flying around, and your goal is to shoot them all just for the lolz. The screen is fixed and never scrolls, and flying past one side of the screen will have you appear on the opposite side.

The dark, three-dimensional backgrounds can actually be a bit of a hindrance, as it is sometimes difficult to see the smaller asteroids. There is no music in the game, so you're left listening to the "pew" sound of your gun and the explosions of asteroids. This game is BYOS (bring your own soundtrack).

Asteroids Hyper 64 Screenshot

There are four ships to choose from which have different abilities, such as movement speed and firepower. The game works in levels, where you will move on to the next level after you've destroyed all of the asteroids. I'm not sure if the original worked that way or if it was continuous. Looks like it is possible to save your game, but I think that's just for high scores and not for completed levels. I didn't feel like popping in a Controller Pak to find out.

Anyone who liked the original Asteroids or arcade games in general would probably get a kick out of this game. That isn't me, though.

Box Art
Available on:
Release Date:
11/04/1999
Publisher:
Crave
Developer:
Syrox Developments, Ltd.
Genre:
Shoot-Em Up (Shmup)
Online Pass:
No
Number of Players:
1-2 simultaneous
Online Play:
No
Our Verdict
Score: 2/5 Stars
Read the article above for our recommendation
Comments
7
Posted on May 26, 2010 1:29 AM

Wow, this really seems like a minimal upgrade to Asteroids, and in the screenshots, I can't even make out where the ship is. This is something I don't think I ever could bring myself to play.

How did you do it, Kathrine?

Posted on May 26, 2010 3:06 PM

You've never played Asteroids? o_O

Posted on May 26, 2010 10:04 PM

This game always seemed kind of lame, glad I never bothered with it.

Also, as an aside, Controller Paks really sucked. I'm really glad that we've gotten to the point in gaming where everything is right on the system.

Posted on May 27, 2010 3:25 AM

I don't enjoy Asteroids, I can definitely see someone who didn't game much in the late 80's early 90's never playing it.

Posted on May 27, 2010 5:47 AM

Really, the main problem with the game is that it is such a bad value. Can you believe it retailed for $50? If it were $20 I could see it being a popular retro-styled game, but I don't know who would pay $50 for Asteroids. Clearly someone did though, or else I wouldn't have found a used copy for $5.

Posted on May 27, 2010 5:47 AM

Really, the main problem with the game is that it is such a bad value. Can you believe it retailed for $50? If it were $20 I could see it being a popular retro-styled game, but I don't know who would pay $50 for Asteroids. Clearly someone did though, or else I wouldn't have found a used copy for $5.

Posted on May 27, 2010 9:20 PM

The original got pretty chaotic and was a lot of fun, but definitely not $50-fun.