Beach Head 2002 delivers arcade
style shooting in its most basic and repetitive form.
Beach Head 2002 is an updated
version of Beach Head 2000, a repetitive arcade-style shooter that lets you
assume the role of a lone gunner trying to fend off a beach invasion. The new
game takes the same approach, but replaces the beach environment with some
rolling hills. The few improvements it includes do little to address the flaws
of the original game, and since the new game is just more of the same endless
waves of enemies, it can't really be recommended even to those who might have
enjoyed Beach Head 2000 in some way.
The game consists of stage after
stage of stationary shooting action.
Beach Head 2002 gets old quickly,
primarily due to its premise you're stuck in a bunker with a few guns and
limited ammunition, and there's an army of infinite size on the way to kill
you. It might make a good plot for an action film, but it's not much fun as a
game. In this situation, there is no hope of retreat, since you can only rotate
about a fixed position and shoot at moving targets. There is also no hope of
victory, since the game will just continually throw more enemies at you in the
form of tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, airplanes, and
soldiers. There is very little rhyme or reason to how these targets appear and
move--the units have no obvious objective other than to destroy your bunker,
and they come from all directions, giving the impression that the invasion has
already taken place long ago, and you're the only survivor. Since you can't
move and you can't win, your only goal is to do better than you did the game
before and maybe gain access to a new weapon or enemy unit to shoot at.
At times, the game is visually
pleasing. The weapon and explosion effects are fairly realistic, and the enemy
units and environments look fine. The game's animation is repetitive but
otherwise acceptable. Unfortunately, some parts of the game's graphics don't
add up your suspension of disbelief will falter when a jet flies into a nearby
hill and out the other side. And like its predecessor, Beach Head 2002 has the
habit of making units pop up out of nowhere, but whether this is a graphics
problem or a cheap way to keep you on your toes is unclear.
The weapon, vehicle, and
explosion graphics are supplemented with decent sound effects, although like
the rest of the game, they quickly get repetitive. Shells hitting your bunker
cause an appropriate explosive rumble, and small-arms fire ricochets off armor
with a metallic patter. Helicopters will buzz the bunker with a distinctive
chopper sound, and fighters will fly past your base with their jet engine
whine. Soldiers will catch on fire from nearby explosions and cry out in
horror, but there's very little variation in their screams.
The game would have benefited tremendously
from more variation in weapons, enemies, and environments. The few differences
that you come across in the game are a welcome relief from tedium all of a
sudden, it might be nighttime and you only have a flashlight and a few flares
to see your targets. Or perhaps instead of the usual combined forces raid on
your bunker, the enemy has decided to send a squad of fighter jets to attack
you, and you have to replenish your ammunition by shooting at air-dropped
crates.
Despite a few variations to the
theme, Beach Head 2002 gets old fast.
To its credit, Beach Head 2002 is
tough. Its combination of realistic particle effects, explosive sounds, and
endless waves of enemies can create some tense moments, especially when you are
running out of ammunition. While the game does not include adjustable
difficulty settings, it does feature built-in cheats that will give you
unlimited ammunition or unlimited armor or let you skip to the next level
without having to complete the present level. This minimizes any frustration
that might arise from the game's relentless onslaught.
Beach Head 2002 delivers arcade
style shooting in its most basic and repetitive form. If the idea of endlessly
shooting wave after wave of the same few enemies with the same few guns in the
same exact environment appeals to you, you're better off buying Beach Head 2000
from the bargain bin. If you've played and enjoyed the previous game, Beach
Head 2002 is more of the same with some minor tweaks.
SCREEN SHOTS
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Processor= 500MHz
RAM= 128MB
Graphics= 32MB
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