Master System Month: Xenon 2: Megablast

Game: Xenon 2: Megablast
Console: Sega Master System
Developer: The Bitmap Brothers
Release Date: 1991

Although I've never been a big fan of shoot 'em ups in the traditional sense, I'd like to think that I can tell when one is below par. A good shoot 'em up is usually side-scrolling, with fast movements, un-cluttered maps (save for enemies), good boss designs and a reasonable level of difficulty. Xenon 2 decides to do away with all of these features, leaving a frustrating experience.

Firstly the game is much slower than traditional shoot 'em ups, with the screen scrolling bottom to top at a snail's pace. Then there's the rocks and other features which make narrow paths for the player to navigate. Add an abundance of enemies which can go through these features in, and you've got a slow and badly designed Master System game.

Visually the game is pretty unoriginal, without it's own style and seemingly uses a mix of ideas from other space and horror based games. The ship is upgradable but these are drip fed and hardly help players to progress through the levels. Bosses are tough and badly designed, taking up much of the screen space players need to hide in. The music is okay, but is the type of 8-bit track which is far better when remixed in a modern rock style than it's original presentation.

Overall Xenon 2 is utterly forgettable, and tries to re-invent the shoot 'em up wheel most of the time. As with any shoot 'em up, the further you can get, the more you'll enjoy the game, but this one actively makes it hard thanks to its design rather than legions of enemies or anything skill based.

Rating: 33/100
Grade: E