"The Game Guys." This month, we will be reviewing "MacAttack 1.98," a well done action game with a very, um..., well, let's say unique storyline. Mike?
Mike: The story behind MacAttack is a little corny. In the future, the world is based on one humongous computer network (Mac-based, of course!), which has been invaded by a computer virus. You enter the network using an advanced type of browser which has the ability to kill the virus, and it's your job to make sure the "Net" gets cleared of all infection.
You got that? Yeah, that's what I thought! Oh well, the important thing is that you don't need a great storyline to have a great action game. MacAttack is an outstanding action game; one that I would recommend be on everyone's hard drive.
Adam: Well put, Mike. Your first impression of a game usually tells you if you will like the game or not, and my first impression was a good one. MacAttack automatically switched my screen to 256 colors, and, when I finally went to play the game, I found a capability that almost all shareware games to date are lacking: full screen gameplay on higher resolutions. That's right. MacAttack does not limit the game window to 640x480. It supports 800x600, 832x624, and even 1024x768 on my PowerBook G3 screen. This is a great improvement that I wish all developers would put into their games. Anyone who likes to use a higher resolution than 640x480 or owns a LCD screen that is at a fixed resolution (all PowerBook owners) will appreciate this.
Mike: Controlling the game is easy; the mouse controls the movement of your... um... device, and the mouse button fires your gun. You are also equipped with smart bombs that can kill everything on the screen, and a shield that can protect you from enemies. Every once and a while you can pick up power-up items that restore your shield, give you extra bombs, or boost your score.
Adam: You are pitted against numerous enemies, some being easy to kill requiring only one shot, while some require two or more. The occasional "boss creature" requires too many shots to count, and all the time that you are firing at him, you have to worry about dodging his fire and his "smart missiles," that will find and track you wherever you are.
Mike: Some of the levels can be hectic, too, such as the level featuring a continuous stream of enemies cascading down on you at impossible rates, and the level with the pop-up targets for you to shoot. Levels like these emphasize hitting the greatest number of enemies, because you get bonus points after each level based upon the percentage of bad guys that you killed.
Requirements/Availability
MacAttack requires any Macintosh capable of running color Quickdraw, System 6.07 or later, 1.5Mb of free RAM, 2Mb or more are recommended. MacAttack also requires 256, 16, or Black & White color modes, playing best in 256 (8-bit) color.
You can download MacAttack from the New Reality Entertainment web site, at <http://www.kagi.com/newreality>, or from download.com, at the obvious URL of <http://www.download.com>.
The Summary
Mike: Good graphics and sound combined with great gameplay make MacAttack a winner right off the bat. If you're an action game fan, you've got to check out MacAttack.
Adam: MacAttack is a good one, obvious from the minute you open the game. Despite the imaginative storyline, the gameplay is top notch, featuring a full screen game window at all the popular resolutions. Good sound and music can never hurt, either. The bottom line is that MacAttack doesn't miss a beat, and the $15.00 shareware fee is money well spent.
