Slick sci-fi action
Titus aren't exactly high on the list of many retro gamers favourite developers, with the likes of the Crazy Cars games and Titus the Fox proving memorable but only for the wrong reasons, so hopes weren't high for Galactic Conqueror. However, it manages to transcend the unplayable messes that were Crazy Cars and Crazy Cars 2 and turns out to be a decent, if unspectacular shooter. The story here revolves around that classic notion of some sort of intergalactic war, where it's not exactly certain what's really going on, and thrusts the player into the role of humanity's saviour. Of course, you get to play with the ultimate weapon, the space fighter Thunder Cloud 2 and must launch a series of devastating attacks into enemy held territory. What this boils down to is a sort of Afterburner- or Space Harrier-style 3D shooter, where you race into the screen, blasting away at everything that comes your way. There's a nice mix of ground, aerial and space combat just to keep things interesting, which each present their own unique challenges in the form of varied enemies and craft handling while there's also a sort of real-time strategy aspect as you chart and affect the progress of the war on a galactic map. It's all pretty simple stuff but the shooting aspects are certainly intense and exciting in the best ways of old-school shooters, while the strategy part adds a welcome element of depth. Graphics are decent, unspectacular and lacking in detail but certainly serviceable enough, while the sense of speed and controls add much to the game's appeal. This is certainly no classic but for some undemanding sci-fi action, it just about fits the bill.
