Nukezilla Review: Hypership Out of Control (XBLA)

Ahh SHMUPs. That favorite genre of “hardcore” gamers, many of whom have never beaten one. Well, at least not without a couple dozen continues.

Hey, no need to get all defensive. I haven’t either. The genre is all about memorization of enemy patterns and masochistic amounts of repetition. I love the genre, but due to my mediocre hand-eye coordination and short attention span I (clicks away from typing the review to look up if Jeff Goldblum has ever appeared in a video game)…

What was I talking about again?

Anyway, Hypership Out of Control is a vertical scrolling shooter with a bit of a twist. The same levels of memorization and good reflexes are necessary, but developer Fun Infused Games have made the levels themselves the toughest enemies you’ll face.

The Out of Control part of the game’s moniker comes from the fact that your ship has a heck of an engine, but no brakes. There’s a maximum speed for each level, or wave as the game calls them, but it doesn’t make things much better. Weaving back and forth at breakneck speeds through the maze-like waves full of barriers, asteroids and even a few space bees is infuriatingly, frustratingly fun.

To add to the longevity of the game, the developers have included four extra game modes. The standard Practice and Hardcore (only one life) modes are to be expected, but the others are where it gets interesting.

First, Coin Down features a timer constantly counting down that players need to refill by grabbing the coins scattered throughout the waves. It really makes you rethink which paths you take and adds a lot to the game.

The other extra mode is Super Speed, which has no speed limit. This makes the first few waves even harder and by the middle of the game it’s nearly impossible. It’s still crazy fun just to see how fast you can get going though.

Fun Infused Games has shown a great sense of humor in a lot of the little details in Hypership. From the “awardments” available for players to earn to the skulls and accompanying low laugh when you run out of ships, the developers have taken a fun spin on the genre.

The game goes for 80 MS points and is available in the Xbox Live Arcade Indie Games section.

Hypership Out of Control is a well executed SHMUP with a good sense of humor and tight controls, and well worth the dollar they charge for it.

Disclaimer: Nukezilla was provided a free copy for review.