Xevious is like the above paragraph and a little more. Instead of merely destroying objects on the ground automatically like in so many other of these types of games, one has to actually line up cross hairs on the screen and release a bomb. This was a fresh idea and, to my knowledge, has not been copied too often. I liked having the added pressure of dealing with two separate "levels" of danger and, believe me, Xevious gets very hectic.
The story is kind of strange for this game. You are trying to save Earth from, um, aliens, which might not seem too ground breaking. It seems, though, that the aliens attacking you had once inhabited the planet before humans. So, technically they kinda hold some claim to Mother Earth. But, you know, they're going about getting it back all wrong with the massacring and blowing up of buildings and everything. So, in hopes of stopping these invaders, Earth has sent you up in a lone experimental ship. Backup is for sissies so go it alone!
There aren't that many enemies to destroy and begins to get a little monotonous after a while. And get this.... no structures to demolish! No buildings crashing down. Just a few truly odd spaceships to bring down as well as tanks and building along the ground to take out. There are roads along the way for scenery and the usual foliage which, if I didn't mention it perviously, cannot be destroyed or set ablaze. You also fly over water from time-to-time. Kinda gets a little boring but the further you get in the game, the more you'll be concentrating on staying alive. The scenery also does change with different building formations and symbols as well as the land itself.
Fortunately, the scenery, what there is of it, is drawn well and the machines that you must fight against look very futuristic. Even today the enemies look like they very well could be from the future. In a way, the atmosphere, although the background has bright blue water and green foliage, is dark and even immersive to an extent.
The sound of Xevious is actually decent. The music is like I remember it in the arcade. It doesn't, though, play throughout the game. Instead it gives a brief little score after deaths. After that the sound effects are very sparse. The explosions are satisfying but the guns.... well, they sound a little weak. Still, the music is not annoying and very tolerable.
The gameplay, like other old arcade games, is what sets this game apart. The game is, for the most part, simply a wrist-twitcher. And a tough one at that. There are many skill levels but I keep it mostly on Novice despite the fact that I've been playing this game for quite a bit. It will remain a challenge even for the most proficient of arcade players. Like many other of these games, be sure to have a sturdy thumb. If it is calloused, even better.
It is probably obvious that I like Xevious. If you don't have this game for the Atari 7800, you should. If you don't have an Atari 7800 maybe you will after hearing more about the great games available for it. They are more than a handful.
Please tell me about your opinions of Xevious and if you've managed to beat it.
Graphics: 9
Sound: 5
Gameplay: 9
Overall: 8