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Hm, it's cheap and it's damn good - one of the finest games we've
played on any console or coin-op this year. Deceptively simple
execution and addictive game-play mark Cosmic Smash as one of the
last great hurrahs on the fading Dreamcast.
The gist is this: A transparent humanoid male
wielding a racket runs, swings, and charges inside a
claustrophobic space. Limited to the immediate perimeter at the
bottom of the screen, our boy ranges and rages like a tennis
champion by deftly hitting the ball. Ahead of him, into the
distance, lies a field of blocks which are to be destroyed by
smacking said ball into them. Simple enough. The depth of the game
emerges when you begin pulling off tricky moves and special
smashes which increase the pummeling power of your hits. Special
blocks occasionally dot the field which deflect your lobs back at
you. A time limit forces players to clear the levels in
expeditious fashion - standard swings discount some of your
seconds but power smashes (worthy of heinous grunting) chomp
precious time away. For old school thinkers, Cosmic Smash may be
likened to a 3-D version of Taito's classic Arkanoid coin-op.
Highly recommended. |
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