Unstoppable Gorg
Review
Mars Attacks!
by William Thompson
reviewed on PC
There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom! (cntd)
The second unique feature to Unstoppable Gorg is the orbital positioning of the defences. Each of the satellites must be placed in one of the orbits around the space station. Once placed, the satellite can be rotated anywhere around that orbit, enabling gamers to move the satellite to where it is needed most. Each chapter has a number of orbits in which satellites (both defensive and passive) can be placed. Indeed some orbits may have two or three positions where satellites can be placed.
This combination of satellite placement, the variation of satellites and the upgrades chosen for each chapter make the game somewhat strategic. Indeed, even on some of the early chapters I needed to replay them a number of times before I was able to work out the optimal combination for the invading hordes. Of course, on multiple playthroughs, it certainly helps knowing which enemies will be attempting to destroy Earth so that a plan of defence can be prepared.
On completion of each Story Chapter, medals are awarded for completing certain criteria. Awards for obtaining a certain amount of research or earning a required amount of money, as well as medals for a 100 percent protection rate give the game a little bit extra in replay value. But as well as collecting these awards, completion of the Story chapters unlocks the Challenge modes. As with the Story, there are 21 challenges to complete, each with a restriction or modifier to the original Story chapter. Completing the Challenges with less defence, more enemies or with less money or upgrades is certainly fun and, well...challenging.
Oh dear. Now I shall have to create more Martians
The other game mode apart from the Story and Challenges, is the arcade mode. The Arcade mode is basically one continuous space attack, with wave upon wave of alien spacecraft hurtling towards Earth. It is up to the game thwn to see how long they can hold out for. Again, the new satellites that are researched in the story mode will appear in the arcade mode. But the newer enemies also appear.
The game interface does a great job. It displays all the vital information on one screen, without the need to hop out and back onto the game screen. The game takes place in the one area, meaning that there is no scrolling between areas to keep an eye on things. With this in mind, you’d think that everything could get cluttered, but it doesn’t at all. The enemy craft are easily recognizable allowing for the required defensive satellite to be placed in a position to defend. And as mentioned previous, once the satellites are placed in orbit, moving them around is simply a matter of selecting the satellite and holding down the mouse button whilst moving it to the desired location.
Oh Goody, My illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator
The game was touted by Futuremark as a revolutionary tower defence game though, and I was willing to be dazzled. And revolutionary it is, if by revolutionary, you mean ‘turns in circles’, rather than earth-shatteringly new. And it’s this play on words that the developers will attempt to gain customers. But they needn’t have worried, as Unstoppable Gorg, is a whole heap of fun to play, despite it being just another casual tower defence game. The retro 1950’s style B-Grade movie theme used in the between chapter cut-scenes really suits the game perfectly. The music and news-reel type commentary too, complement the visuals. The controls are simple and due to the medals and challenges, the game certainly has a decent replay value. For the purchase price, gamers are definitely getting value for money.
7.2
fun score
Pros
Great use of the B-grade Sci-fi movie theme
Cons
Another tower defence game
