GAME OF THE MONTH COLLECTION!
TEMPEST 2000
(Atari/LiamaSoft/Yak, November 1993)

If anybody remembers the Atari Jaguar gaming system then there is a good chance they remember that good games were far and few between for that over hyped 64-bit machine, eh? With all the talk about the power of this new 64-bit processor, faster speeds, and increased junk compared to the competition all we got were 4 (Cyber morph, Trevor McFur, Raiden, and Dino Dudes) of the most uninspiring games ever launched for any game system back in 1993. Fortunately, Atari's next game helped to silence some of the gaming critics.

YES YES YES YES! Ohhh YESSS!

Tempest 2000 was a really amazing upgrade to the classic First person shooter from 1981 (a pretty good year for Atari by the way) featuring a yellow 'U' shaped star ship in an enclosed web. In the game you have to shoot away at strange looking line shaped aliens that invade your space to either capture or just destroy you but destroying them all the incoming enemies or running out of time means you can escape through the other side to the next web level. Tempest 2000 features the original classic Tempest, Tempest Plus (some power ups and filled in enemies), Two player Tempest (split screen action), and of course the awesome Tempest 2000 itself on one cart so it's hard to get bored.



Tempest 2000 not only features the same wild and fast game play that made the original such a hit but it also features all new smooth polygon graphics, excellent techno music, bonus levels, and even power ups! Tempest was never an easy game and Tempest 2000 is no exception. Your enemies consist of Flippers, Demon Heads, and even other yellow ships that look just like you. All these aliens usually come in packs too so it's really easy to get overwhelmed here. Fortunately you can power up your little ship with Particular Lasers, Jump abilities, an AI droid, and more. Trust me you will want them on your side when the action gets heated. There are 100 levels to master if you want to see any kind of ending to this game but at least you can save your progress if you manage to beat so many stages.

Super Zapper recharge

The graphics were like nothing I have ever seen before! Tempest 2000 looks are truly unique because of the Melt O Vision effects used every so often like the particular-like explosions and the 2000 points messages that appear in the middle of the screen. If you get tired of the 3Dwebs than you can always go to the bonus levels like the 'Fly through the Rings game' and see visuals that push the old Jaguar to its limits! Although the game looks awesome there is usually too much going on at once in the later levels to see what's really going on and half the time you know what hit you which is kind of cheap.



The music is some of the best music I ever heard in any video game and that includes any CD based game too! The fast paced techno music works well for the quick action of the game and I love the heavy metal track late in the game. The Techno rave music was so good that Atari released a sound track CD available with the Jaguar CD package. The Tempest Soundtrack, many say, was the best part of the otherwise lacklustre Jaguar CD deal (remember that awful Blue Lightning game?).

The classic the way it should be!

Tempest 2000 is an excellent example of how to do a good remake. Add tons of new innovative features to already some great game play and throw in some new eye candy with some really intense music as well. Sadly, other great arcade classics like Galaga and Centipede for the Sony Playstation failed on their upgrade attempts because they played almost nothing like their originals. If you’re dying for some old school arcade action, Tempest 2000 will impress the heck out of you!

Also for the Sega Saturn, PC, and the Sony PlayStation (Tempest X)