It's like Armor Alley, all over again!
As every veteran Macintosh gamer will tell you, Armor Alley was one of the greatest games ever released and certainly one of the most popular during its time. The game's simplistic idea along with its basic controls added up to a considerable amount of enjoyment the average, game-deprived Mac user. Unfortunately, with the release of PowerMacs which no longer supported black&white or 16 colors (the sole requirement for Armor Alley), Armor Alley raised the white flag and quietly went into extinction. Elysium Digital, a recently founded company, has resurrected the Armor Alley style of gaming with Cobra Gunship, the three member team's premier release.
The object of Cobra Gunship is to successfully
navigate a helicopter through a plethora of hazards while attempting to
complete each mission's objective. The mission objectives range from saving
your troops or blowing up a building to stopping an entire onslaught 
of
tanks and other enemy vehicles.
Similar to Armor Alley, Cobra Gunship features a side scrolling two-dimensional perspective. However, Cobra Gunship features nicely rendered 3D sprites and richly rendered 3D (Bryce) back drops.
It would be unfair, though, to simply call Cobra Gunship a modern day Armor Alley because Cobra Gunship incorporates so many unique and entertaining factors that sets it apart from Armor Alley as well as virtually every other game of this genre. First there is the mission web - rather than completing each mission successively, you often have a choice of missions to complete, although ultimately all available missions have to be completed in order to win (or even move on at certain points).
Each mission also features an interesting briefing that informs you, the pilot, of the progress of your troops, your objective, and more. This adds an authentic touch to the game, although sending out a lone helicopter to destroy a platoon of tanks sort of contradicts this realism.
Cobra Gunship also features a wide array of purchasable upgrade for your chopper. Everything from lasers and flame throwers (primary weapons) to rockets and bombs (secondary weapons) can be obtained in exchange for the money you earn during a mission and the completion bonuses. As well, various strengths of armor and tactical utilities can be added to aid you on your missions.
As mentioned earlier, Cobra Gunship really shines when it comes to graphics. Traditionally, games that have an addictive and entertaining format don't usually contain pleasing eye candy (especially shareware), but its clear that Elysium Digital certainly doesn't think it always has to be this way. Indeed, the graphics do contribute to a more enjoyable experience, as does the fluid, 30 fps animation which Elysium, unlike some developers, aren't afraid to admit will take a rather hefty processor (604/150). Fortunately, for the Mac users who are using aging machines, its possible to increase performance by using interlaced graphics and such (so much so in fact, that Cobra Gunship will even be playable on an '040).
Good graphics, however, is no substitution for appeasing background music; something that Cobra Gunship unfortunately lacks. The sounds in general are rather limited, with booms from tanks & rockets and bangs from bullets making up the backbone of the effects. Without a doubt, background music would have made the Cobra Gunship experience more enjoyable, especially for tedious missions that require you to simply fly, or others where you must wait to pick off enemies.
Cobra Gunship offers a lot of game for a very a reasonable amount of money. If playing an addictive, entertaining, and extremely challenging game to the tune of $21 strikes a chord with you, look no further than Cobra.
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 Shareware Fee: $21 |