Warp Speed! - My Opinion of Starchon

I know I have indeed been putting this one off for a while, so I will simply cut to the chase. Here is my opinion of Freelance Games' Starchon.

Starchon is the debut title from the Canadian development team Freelance Games and as with a number of the XBLIGs I have previously looked at, I feel it offers something that other indie games do not. The game is a top-down retro arcade styled space shooter. The game's is based around trying to defeat a hoarde of alien creatures named the Piga, whilst trying to protect both yourself and your own 'mothership', the Super Defence Carrier.

While progressing through the game, players will begin to unlock more areas of space to explore, with the total being in excess of eighty, so there is a more than fair offering for exploration. Alongside that is the game's detailed and somewhat complex ship ugrade system, that allows all matter of different parts availiable to be changed and upgraded. With things from weapons to engines to and shields and power sources, in all, thirty nine parts that can be fitted to eany of the five ships, each of which offer their own unque feel and style.

The main thing that has really grabbed my attention is the fact the game does not feel generic or overly repeated as other titles I have tried have. Along with this the depth and feel of the game make it one that feels far more enjoyable than ones that have now come a short lived source of entertainment. Being inspired by arcade space shooters, it certainly pays a true respect to them, offering a weighted feel to the gameplay, whilst also offering the newer features, such as upgradable ships which makes the game feel more diverse and personal. The graphics are also old-school yet of a higher quality, which as with my previous point, makes the game feel less generic and more involving and simply visually interesting.

If I am completely honest my usual philosophy of ''if you like the demo, you'll most probably like the full game'' didn't initially work for me with Starchon, as I wasn't really struck by it until my second trial playthrough, but after that I did truely enjoy it. Overall I think that Freelance have created something that is different and stands out a bit, which I really do like. Individuality is a great thing.

As with most other games featured in the My Opinion series, Starchon is availiable from the Indie Games section of the Xbox Live Marketplace for only 80 Microsoft Points, which is far from expensive and a great price. Alternatively, it can be purchashed via the Xbox Marketplacd website.
Below are a few links relating to both Starchon and Freelance Games:
Starchon - Xbox Marketplace Online
Freelance Games
Freelance Games - Twitter
Freelance Games - Youtube

So, I guess that's my opinion of Starchon. I would say that this is also it for this weeks My Opinion, although I may post two of every series this week to make up for the lack of post last week. Anyway, it's time for me to once again say that I've been randomthings and I would like to thank you very much for reading and I'll posting again soon.