| Issue #64/Aug. '00 |
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Navigate: | My Mac Online | The Archives | August 1997 | The Game Guys | |
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By Mike Wallinga and Adam Karneboge
Bedlam 2
Adam: Really good shoot-em-up games are few and far between, and Bedlam 2 is one of them. The game has a very original plot, played from a different perspective than most games of its kind. Throw this in with great music, stereo sound effects, and a great interface (which, by the way, is often overlooked in games), and you've got yourself a winner.
Mike: The story behind Bedlam 2 goes something like this: long ago, aliens attacked the solar system and threatened humanity. The aliens were defeated, and everyone went on with their lives, expanding throughout the galaxy and establishing colonies on every planet in our solar system. Now the aliens are back and threatening to destroy everything once again.
It's your job to single-handedly get rid of all the aliens. There are a total of 45 levels in Bedlam 2 - four waves of aliens and one mothership "boss" alien on each of the nine planets.
Adam: The object of the game, as Mike said, is to single-handedly get rid of all the alien ships, on all nine planets. Ships come in four waves on each of the nine planets, and to complete a wave, you have to destroy all of the alien ships. Your primary weapon is a simple cannon-type weapon, which will bring down most of the alien ships. But if you want to get very far in the game, you will need to take advantage of some of the special weapons.
Mike: Special weapons fall onto the screen in "delivery canisters," and have to be "cracked open" by shooting it with your cannon. Once cracked open, it will reveal any one of four weapons: Shields, rockets, penetrators, and space mines.
Adam: To capture a special weapon, you are required to "catch it," by letting it hit your ship. Once you "catch it," you can use your special weapons key to fire or activate it. Watch out! As for bonuses, you can collect gold, but don't shoot it, and be on the lookout for credit multipliers, which can multiply the points you get for each kill.
Mike: The game play is fairly fluid, the controls are customizable, and the aliens are varied. They are always in constant motion, even when they are in formation at the top of the screen. They're always flapping, rotating, or spinning. They also fire their weapons often, and drop bombs as well. Eliminating them all can be a tough assignment!
Adam: The games controls are very customizable indeed, letting you choose any two keys for keyboard control, and mouse control, if you want. You can also set any two keys for your weapons system, one for your regular cannon, and one for your special weapons. Sound and music volumes are set in a humored manner in the preferences window, and you can easily turn off one or both for faster performance on older machines.
Since so many aliens are in so much motion, it would only seem fair that you get extra points for killing ones in motion. As you get into the later waves, the difficulty level increases, but so does the amount of points you earn when you kill that enemy, still or moving.
Mike: The between-level sequences I mentioned earlier are a great bonus. The launch sequence that shows your ship taking off is very well-done. The cockpit of the ship is humorous - check out the cup holder, rabbit's foot key chain, and pin-up of a beautiful woman. It's also nice to know that this far into the future, the Mac is still alive and well, and responsible for powering the deadliest armed ship we have.
Adam: It's little bells-and-whistles like transition scenes that make a game, and they aren't left out of Bedlam 2. There is a transition scene every time the screen changes. Though I like the ship blasting-off, the cockpit with the beautiful woman has got to be my favorite!
Requirements/Availability
You can download Bedlam 2 (4976kb) at Ground Zero Software's Web site, at http://www.GroundZeroSW.com, or at the My Mac Software Library, at http://www.mymac.com/software. Screenshots of Bedlam 2 are also available at the Ground Zero Web site.
The Summary
Adam: Bedlam 2 is a commercial-quality game. Its great music sound track and stereo sound effects set it apart from other arcade-style games, and it has the most original plot/story line that I have seen in a long time. Though it takes a demoware-type attitude, I feel that it is totally justified, and once you see the quality of this game, you will too.
Mike Wallinga (mlwall@mtcnet.net)
Websites mentioned:
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Mike: With Bedlam 2, Ground Zero Software gives Mac users a quality space shoot-em-up in the style of the arcade hit Galaga. The enjoyable game adds some great bells and whistles to the tried-and-true formula, too - introducing each planet as you travel, providing true-to-life information about each planet, and showing some very enjoyable cinematic sequences.