Xenon 2 is one of the definitive and classic Amiga games. Released by the famous Bitmap Brothers it features all of their hallmark stylishness, killer graphics and an awesome soundtrack "The Mega blast". And it's fast too, very fast! No wonder it is one of the best known of all Amiga games.
Gameplay is similar to scores of other vertical scrolling shoot-em-ups of the old arcade style. Blast as many of the swirling hordes as possible and collect the coin bubbles released when you take out a whole wave.
Periodically you can enter the shop and sell unwanted equipment and purchase those cool power ups. The game soon gets frantic as the screen is filled with more sprites than you think the Amiga could handle, you can't tell what your shots is, what is landscape and what is trying go kill you. You end up pounding away on the fire button and hoping for the best.
The game is hard! Harder than almost any other blast-em-up I've ever played. It borders on the infuriating. Having said that, it gets to you and you find yourself coming back for "just 1 more go", which has to be the mark of a great game.
The range of equipment you can buy is staggering, side shots, rear
shots, mines, missiles, too many too mention. That’s one of the things that keeps you coming back, what other cool stuff is there to try out. The creature that owns the weapons shop is kind of quirky, but it is another little touch that adds to the charm of the game.
It can also get a little infuriating as the aliens can pop out of anywhere, even behind you. It requires patient learning of every part of the game just to stay alive. Health is hard to come by and there is an appalling lack of shields in the game, something that would really help when there is so much stuff coming at you.
The graphics carry much of the Bitmap Brothers usual metallic sheen and there is some nicely animated scenery floating by. I really like the eyeballs that pop out of the edge of the screen and shoot at you!
Xenon 2 is definitely a game that any serious collector of classic games must have. If you seek a challenge, Xenon 2 is a game that you won't get through on just a handful of tries, it takes serious dedication.
