Steam Community :: Video :: (PC) Yar's Revenge - Stage 2

(PC) Yar's Revenge - Stage 2 - Normal (Part 1)

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Watch part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFrcroWC1bE

Official site (doesn't acknowledge the PC version): http://www.atari.com/yarsrevenge
Steam store: http://steamproxy.net/steamstore/app/99120
Gamersgate: http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-YR/yars-revenge

As of August 8th 2011, the game is for sale for $2 at Gamersgate store, as part of the summer sales. Full price is $10.

What can I say? When even the developers try to hide the fact that a PC port of a game exist, something is clearly wrong.

Yar's Revenge is a (sadly) failed attempt at trying to bring back the joy of shooters on-rails. It clearly is a tribute to the Panzer Dragoon series (more specifically, Orta) but you can tell most things end up only in good intentions.

Sporting a japanese-inspired artstyle that's really not bad but isn't that good either, the game offers beautiful scenery and a pretty lengthy experience. The problem is that the game would've been better finished.

The PC version suffers of unforgivable, often incredible and perplexing problems typical of this consolised-era. In fact, this game is so console-centric it won't work with the mouse+keyboard past stage 2.

It runs at 30fps (35 to be exact) and cranking up to 60fps through a config file shows that the whole experience desyncs and runs incredibly fast, all the menus are made with the Xbox 360 pad in mind and the textures are really washed out, something not even Dx10 can't hide (and I'm running via Dx9).

But that's just minor gripes. There are others like SecuROM (which comes packed with it, I thank Gamersgate for letting me know, Steam doesn't, but it's funny to see the GG version sporting the steam api dll file, jeez), the fact that the music is decent but is re-used every two stages and loops around 6 or more times per stage to the point of driving you insane...

It all feels like they played the old games but didn't really "get" them and just copied things. It doesn't even have mid-bosses. With stages lasting 15 mins (!!) you really need gripping enemy formations, unexpected things, half the screen exploding, a lot to keep the player at bay!

You can tell the twin-stick approach hurts this game a lot. Instead of implementing a proper lock-on laser missiles system it has a sub-par regular missile with little on the visual feedback. It's just not rewarding to use the missiles here as it was in Omega Boost (where it was ultra-awesome) and Panzer Dragoon. The lack of trails makes everything ultra boring as well. Didn't these people watch Macross and the Itano Circus? You have to become a far seer or a sniper to spot some small enemy in the background and take it down with your pea-shot weapon, what happened to the 64 missile lock-ons and such glorious stuff?

Well, more info on Part 2 of this mega long run. I didn't even bother with Stage 1 since it's not only long but it cuts the action so much at the beginning for pointless exposition/tutorials that it is far from funny.

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