GameSpot editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/17/1997
- Updated on: 05/02/2000
- Released on: 06/30/1997
- Originally published on GameSpot: Xevious 3D/G+ (PlayStation) Review
Namco is giving PlayStation-owning nostalgia lovers more reason to celebrate. Not content with simply porting over last year's polygon-enhanced Xevious sequel, Xevious 3D/G, the creators of Pac-Man have gone the extra mile and included the entire Xevious arcade series on one PlayStation disc. Sadly, Xevious 3D/G, the game's showcase title, is plagued with so much slowdown it may scare away all but the most fanatical of shooter fans.
Xevious 3D/G+ contains four complete games on one CD: the original Xevious, also found on Namco Museum Vol. 2; Super Xevious - Xevious with a couple of new enemies and the word "Super" tacked on; Xevious Arrangement, a nice remix of the original; and of course, Xevious 3D/G. Additionally, after beating the game, some extra options open up, one of them being Xevious Arrangement's "extra mode," which includes three incredibly difficult stages for masters to test their mettle.
There's not much to say about Xevious and Super Xevious. Both games are direct ports of the arcade originals, and are extremely similar to each other in terms of play. You've got your main weapon, you've got your bombs, and you try to build as high a score as possible while playing over a never-ending vertically-scrolling landscape - that's it. Xevious Arrangement on the other hand, while similar in play mechanics, offers a bit more in the way of structure. Two players can play simultaneously now (as opposed to alternating in the original two games), and the game is broken up into 16 areas, with four bosses and more variety throughout the stages. The graphics are enhanced (but not too much - think of what Nintendo did to update the Mario All-Stars collection), and there are two soundtracks to choose from (original and arranged).
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Xevious 3D/G+ (PlayStation):
