"Xevious" - NES/Famicom

----- Introduction -----

Aw, man. This is definitely not a favorite.

We're onto yet another Namco home arcade port, following Pac-Man. That port was actually pretty good, but it's also already a pretty good game. I've never really liked Xevious, arcade or not, but the Famicom port is still pretty good... The background music is horrendously annoying just like the original.

Anyway, this game actually came out in 1983 in the arcades, so the 1984 release date for the Famicom is pretty quick for a home port.

According to Wikipedia, Xevious was commissioned primarily to contest with the success of Konami's Scramble, a 1981 horizontal shooter. That game's not really that fun either in my opinion, but the influence is obvious enough.

In all fairness to Xevious though, it basically laid the floor for the rest of this "shoot 'em up" genre to walk on. It was apparently one of the first games to have boss fights, and was a huge success in Japan.

Of course, that doesn't mean anyone has to love playing it now.

But let's see what we think, first.

I've always thought Xevious was kind of a stupid name, by the way. I guess I'm pretty biased, here.

----- Playthrough -----

Xevious is one of them there repeatin' like games. In this game, there's only one mode, and in that mode you control a spaceship with the d-pad, and fire with the A button, and drop bombs with the B button.

It's pretty simple. Except for the name of the ship, which is unnecessarily complicated.

At least they can call the sequel Xevious 2: Electric Solvalou.

There are a handful of enemy types that get a little harder as the game goes on. At the beginning you're faced with mostly disc-like enemies that spin as they enter the screen and fire a few bullets. Soon you'll encounter ground bases of various sizes and shapes that fire bullets at you. Then, ships that swoop in, fire a bullet, and fly away-- as well as at some point, black balls that just pretty much appear and fly in one direction on the screen.

Eventually, around the time you start getting bored, you'll run into a boss fight: a big base with several guns firing very rapidly. Hit it once in the center with a bomb, and you'll cause a Death Star like explosion by hitting its weak point.

Offense: A+ / Defense: ... Needs Improvement.

I can't really tell where the game loops-- I'm not sure I even got there, to be honest. I felt like I played for awhile. I definitely had my fill of the game already by the time I quit, though...

I think Xevious would definitely benefit from some variety, but I guess you have to excuse it given the time.

Aw man, is that a landing pad!? Finally, a new section of-- oh, that was it, now it's the same as before.

----- Review -----

Innovation: Yep

Does the game show anything not yet seen on this system/ever before?

Actually, yeah. The whole scrolling background with an actual level format and the inclusion of boss-fights is a first, if not in video-gaming, then at least on the Famicom. Other than that, it's just a shooter.

Spitting Rage: No

Does the game make you want to tear your own organs out of your body?

I think I'm incapable of taking Xevious seriously enough to really get mad at it. The whole time I'm playing it I mostly just want it to be over...

Intuitive Design: Very

How easy is it to intuitively understand the game?

Move, shoot, bomb. I know I usually don't say a lot here, but we're playing mostly arcade ports... There really wasn't anything that confused me in the slightest in this game.

Satisfying Gameplay: Okay

How rewarding does playing the game feel?

I've mentioned before that shooting stuff pretty much always makes me happy. It's a simple formula for happiness. Press button, hit thing with bullet, thing goes poik.

Game Depth: Ankle deep

How deep/long is the game?

I appreciate that there's actually a decent amount of level before the game runs out of tricks. It's not very much level, but it's more than just a single screen-- you get to fly up for awhile and face different types of enemies, at least.

Sound Design: Okay/Annoying

How's the sound?

The shooting and ship sounds are fine. The music drives me up the wall. It has a certain sense of urgency that the game seems to lack, and is far too high-pitched for anyone's good.

Graphics: Alright

How's it look?

The game doesn't look great, but it's okay. Everything looks pretty serviceable. The arcade version seems to look a little better, but regardless, Xevious definitely isn't winning any visual design awards.

I didn't know they had MS Paint in the 1980s!

Personal Chord: No

Does the game have that undefinable "something" for me?

No.

Should You Play: Probably not

Is there a reason to even bother with this one?

I think it's cool to have Xevious on your radar as being important to shmup history, if you like shmups. It's nice to know it existed. Playing it kinda sucks; I wouldn't do that so much.

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