BOOM 1.0
Company: Factor Software
Shareware: $15.00
http://www.kagi.com/fedefil
Adam: Every so often, a game comes around that I like. I like it so much, that I end up playing it non – stop in my free time. BOOM has become one of those games. Its original graphics, sound, music, and interface have made it a real winner.
Mike: BOOM is fun. A lot of fun. By taking the tried-and-true DOOM story line and modifying it to fit a two-dimensional puzzle-like maze, Mr. Filliponi has created a game that is half puzzle and strategy, half action, and all fun.
Adam: The games story/plot is a familiar one: The Earth is facing a new alien threat. The aliens have the capability of transforming themselves into all sorts of deadly creatures. Basically, they act like parasites; attacking humans, animals and even machines and turning them into lethal killers. Your mission is to penetrate 8 alien infested areas, each one divided in 10 sub-zones, eliminate all enemies using your bombs and finally kick the Big Alien Boss back to where he came from.
Mike: You’re stuck in a maze, with boulders, rocks, and the like standing in the way of your progress. There are no doors, and no way of getting past these barriers short of blowing them up. So, with a large supply of bombs at your disposal, you set out to do just that.
Your bombs are your only weapon, and you must use these to dispose of the aliens and evil soldiers populating the area. This requires some thought as to the proper positioning and timing of each bomb. Watch out, though, because the baddies don’t have to worry about this limitation – they’ll come out you with plasma cannons and guns in hand.
Adam: In the early levels, you only have one enemy to fight: The Soldier. He’s the only human enemy, and he will fire basic shots at you every 4-5 seconds. As the game progresses, though, you start to face more fierce enemies, like Sgt. Cool and Thick Lizzy, which have higher fire rates and more powerful weapons.
Mike: Thankfully, you have a health meter, so you can survive several hits from your foes. However, there’s a time clock on each level, and you need to kill all of the bad guys on the screen before the time runs out if you want to collect any bonus points. There’s also a stash of coins in each level that you collect for points.
Adam: If you manage to collect all the coins in a level, before all the enemies are destroyed, the aliens go crazy and show their true selves. When you kill an alien during this 30 second phase, it leaves a letter behind on the playing field. If you collect all the letters, you form the word “EXTRA,” and you’re rewarded with an extra life.
Sometimes, when you blow up certain blocks, they reveal bonus items. The bonus items range from running faster to restoring all power to making you invincible for 20 seconds. There is even one that makes all blocks disappear, but this one is very rare: I have only gotten it twice.
Mike: The game is largely customizable, with the user being able to define their control keys and other options. The game can also be played by two players, using the same keyboard. I would have liked to have seen a networkable two-player mode, but that’s a minor complaint.
Adam: When playing in 2 player mode, you and your friend are on the same team, so you have an even better chance at defeating the aliens. Fair warning here: I have tried playing with a friend, and we keep blowing each other up. It’s harder than you think!
BOOM also has great sound and music. There’s a sound for everything, from dropping a bomb to collecting a coin, to hearing your enemies groan when you kill them. Both the sound and the music is obviously in stereo, and are very well done. For slower machines, you can turn off the high quality music for faster game play.
The Summary
Adam: I love this game! A great plot, great graphics, great sound and music, and the bonus items, they all make this game excellent. $15.00 is not a lot to ask for this high quality game. Download it today!
Mike: All in all, BOOM is an awesome game. It’s fun and addictive, and you’d be wise to check it out.
Requirements/Avaliablilitiy
To run BOOM, you will need a Mac OS compatible computer with a 68020/030/040 or PowerPC processor, 4mb free RAM, Mac OS 7.0.1 or later, 640×480 or larger monitor supporting 256 colors and Sound Manager 3.0 or later, though Factor Software recommends you have a 25mhz or better 040 or PowerPC, Mac OS 7.5.x or later, and Sound Manager 3.1.
Download BOOM 1.0
Mike Wallinga (mlwall@mtcnet.net)
Adam Karneboge (webmaster@mymac.com)
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