Asteroids Hyper 64 (Nintendo 64)

Back in 1979, when the Atari name was synonymous with video games and Nintendo was a little Japanese company no one really knew about, a simple yet addictive shooter hit arcades, riding the wave that Space Invaders had started the previous year. That shooter was Asteroids. At the time, it represented the height of design and gameplay - a basic concept with straightforward execution and a very addictive quality. The player controlled a small, triangular ship that shot little white bullets at massive vector shapes that represented asteroids. In retrospect, Asteroids' formula seems extremely basic and straightforward - so straightforward that many of us who enjoy the current crop of games may find the Asteroids formula a bit drab and mundane. Asteroids Hyper 64 does little to deviate from the original's formula. As a result, the game comes off as the same old Asteroids, albeit dressed up quite nicely.

You need only look at the PlayStation's Greatest Hits line to see that retooled classics are big money makers for publishers and developers alike. Hasbro's Frogger, as well as Midway and Namco classics compilations, have sold at a brisk pace and have proven that classic games can still sell. The popularity of retooled classic games was obviously not lost on Syrox, Crave, and Activision, as the trio has brought Asteroids to the N64 in not-so-splendid 64-bit glory.

Graphically, Asteroids Hyper 64 looks respectable. The backdrops for the game consist of different space scenes - complete with planets, meteor belts, stars, and gas clouds. Unfortunately, most of the asteroids you've got to destroy are dark in color, so the dark space-themed backdrops often obscure said asteroids when they've been blown from full-size into little bits. This means collisions galore and numerous cries of "What hit me?!" The various asteroids, enemy ships, and power-ups all look incredibly uninspired and yawn inducing.