by Zachary Hensley

Created on: July 04, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2008

Martians vs Robots Review

If you took the old 2D asteroids game and added upgrades, AI controlled enemies, boss levels, an arsenal of weapons, and a third dimension, you would have Martians vs Robots. Martians vs Robots provides well developed features and game play that makes it easy to enjoy.

Game Play: 5/5

Martians vs Robots has both Single Player arcade and Multiplayer modes. The single player arcade uses levels that are time based. Each level includes a set number of enemies and asteroids. Killing the enemies rewards you points, while destroying the asteroids helps level up your weapons. You can choose among an array of ships to use, each with their own unique specifications and advantages. Ships use an accelerated thrust system for moving your ship, meaning that you can increase and decrease your set speed, eliminating the need to constantly hold down forward thrust.

Multiplayer mode allows for you and your friends to play together. Servers are easily hosted and presented in a simple manner. It includes all of the features as single player does.

Graphics: 3/5

All of the graphics, excluding the interface, is 3D. Ships, enemies, asteroids, even the arena itself, all of it is displayed with simple, defined models. The game's graphics are small resolutions, so it isn't very demanding of your system to play. Although it could use some more eye candy in the effects, Martians vs Robots's graphics are well suited for what it is.

Sound: 3/5

Sound in the game fits in perfectly. Background music is a 'spacey' kind of theme, explosion sounds are deep enough to feel real, and weapon sounds are powerful. Even though they fit in, they are repeated a lot. Not enough to interfere, though.

Creativity: 3/5

Martians vs Robots's control scheme is the most creative thing about it. You have the option to use your mouse for aiming, or just using the direction your ship is facing. Turning, operated with the position of the mouse, allows for graceful movements and adds a bit of complexity to the fighting. But, that is about the biggest creative point of the game. Everything else has been done before.

Innovation: 2/5

In terms of innovation, Martians vs Robots is weak. It deserves some credit, for including Multiplayer, as there aren't many online multiplayer asteroid games. Especially 3D ones. Other than that, there isn't much innovation.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

In closing, Martians vs Robots is a fun game, with a lot of features, but just doesn't introduce much new to PC gaming. If you need something to do, and are looking for a fun multiplayer game, with online support, then Martians vs Robots is the game for you.

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