Frantic can be defined as: n – a state of panic, worry, frenzy or rush, and in regards to this title, it may be an understatement. From the moment you press start, the intensity begins to rise, whether from dodging the onslaught of enemy projectiles or rolling out from cover to rain some hell of your own. This is a shmup (shoot-em up) for the ages, as Decimation X3 is reminiscent of the 1980 arcade hit Galaxian, where numerous enemies appear on screen in a top-down manner, with you being the sole target of their cannons.
The frantic pace, combined with the never-ending rush of enemies and their attacks flush your display with vivid pixels of 8-bit greatness. While the color palatte is similar to that found on the Atari, Decimtion X3 does a great job of making use of what it’s got to work with. Upon being destroyed, enemies drop offensive and defensive power-ups, which can improve your rate of fire, number missiles fired, and movement speed, along with providing small groups of shields that your ship can hide behind to get a break from the action. Don’t get too comfortable though, because as the barriers take damage, they begin to crumble. Should you chose to play in Challenge Mode, you will discover that those shields never appear. For those who enjoy sharing, up to four players can play couch co-op, but with the number of things going on screen at once, I would find it very difficult to do so.
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