Nova Storm

Novastorm will make you wish its creators paid as much attention to the lackluster game-play as they did to the dazzling graphics. Despite the eye-catching fireworks, this game plays like a stale B-grade shooter.

Weak Storm

Intelligent computers are trying to exterminate their creators, and you and your trusty spacefighter must quell the rebellion. You carve a path through the mechanical throngs with a laser and smart bomb. Naturally, oodles of power-ups hook you up with more firepower than Cod.

A slick full-motion-video intro launches this graphical extravaganza, and the gorgeous rendered scenery keeps up the pace. You careen over lava fields and weave through asteroid belts, wasting hordes of robotic nasties before you face imposing bosses. In the sound department, toe-tappin' techno and jarring explosions ably accompany the action.

But the confusing perspective and no-brainer gameplay mar the fun. You'll continually lose track of your tiny ship behind your monumental outpouring of firepower, making precise shooting and steering impossible. And the fast pace and tough challenge can't compensate for the absence of strategy or the repetitious gameplay. The tight controls don't interfere, though.

Nova Drizzle

This game will hold your attention only until you tire of the scenery. Stick with the solid 16-bit shooters until a worthy game graces the next-generation platforms.

While full-motion video games aren't all that hot, this one does have some merit,

Psygnosis is working on converting this one over to the PlayStation, Using the system's abilities, the video backdrop is colorful without a hint of the dithering that plagued FMV games of the past.

The game scrolls much the same way as Microcosm, and it plays like it as well. The FMV cinemas are among the best ever seen (although Philosoma still takes the cake).

Nova Storm is loaded with power-ups from beginning to end, although it's easy to lose your ship in gunfire.

The game itself is huge. There are two CDs worth of worlds, each teeming with lots of mindless drones to blast. Each world has its own hazards from fiery sprays of lava to rock-hard walls.

At the end of each area, a giant rendered Boss awaits. They look pretty neat but can get cheap with their hits once in a while. Still, they are better than the cheesy pixels we're used to.

Whether or not you'll like Nova Storm really depends on if you like shooters or not. Nova Storm has its fair share of PlayStation special effects. Oh yes, there was a version of this game on the 3DO. This game is pretty much the same. If you want a simple shooter that's not too intense, Nova Storm should wet your whistle.

Novastorm did a pretty good job of conquering the PC, and it's a natural for the PlayStation. Psygnosis promises that the high-tech shoot-em-up action will include even more power-ups, an obscene array of smarter weaponry, and bigger, badder level bosses. Play modes include a two-player team mode-which will come in handy since the game's A.I. is geared to improve the enemy's shot accuracy as you get better. The first-person 3D graphics look stunning. Nova-storm's another game that'll leave you queasy.