secret of the atom heart

Treasure seems to be doing quite well for themselves lately. I haven't had the pleasure of playing the highly lauded Ikaruga yet, but I assure you it's been on my "to do" list for some time. And by the end of the year PS2 players will have the latest realization of the classic Gradius series, and two highly anticipated games starring Astro Boy are also on the way. Astro Boy was probably among my generation's first exposures to anime, although I personally remember Spaceketeers more vividly. But that's beside the point. My interest has been piqued by Astro Boy for the Gameboy Advance.

On this side of the Pacific, Astro Boy for the GBA is known as Omega Factor. I saw a few screens from the import, and it definitely looks like a return to the classic Gunstar Heroes for the Genesis. I want to say I hated that game, because in reality I should have: my performance on final exams in my first year of University was heavily compromised from playing it. There was a guy that lived a couple rooms down from me in residence - let's call him "Crazy Nick" - and we concurrently developed a disturbing obsession with this game. There would be almost all-night sessions, where neighbours would watch in awe as we pulvarized the overwhelming number of bubble-shaped soldiers and machines on screen with supernatural precision, yelling fanatically when health meters would get too low. I suppose in hindsight these gaming sessions were unavoidable by curious onlookers - we were pretty fucking noisy.

Then I read that Astro Boy retains a lot of the same feel of Gunstar Heroes: Omega Factor is a 2D side-scrolling actioner with a constant barrage of enemies to fight and even stranger looking bosses. It even pays homage to Gunstar on the first level with a subtly placed sign in the cityscape backdrop. A simple nod to fans, perhaps, but the fact that this spirit is kept alive for the whole game is reassuring. Omega Factor wasn't entirely developed by Treasure, however; most duties were handled by Hitmaker, who you might remember from the runaway success Crazy Taxi. Some of the original members of the team responsible for Gunstar were retained for this project for obvious reasons.

There are a few special moves at Astro Boy's disposal - such as the familiar finger laser and his rocket feet - but the hidden machine guns and arm cannon are what really mess your enemies up. The violence towards your countless adversaries is almost comical at this point: who would suspect a lovable icon like Astro Boy could bring so much destruction to the screen? Like Gunstar, there is also a running upgrades system that allows you to increase Astro Boy's powers, like your life bar and how much damage your special abilities do.

I was never a big fan of "cute" in games - it just reiterates the audience this hobby is technically aimed at. In moments of weakness I even wonder sometimes why I bought the Gamecube and Gameboy Advance, given each system's current bestsellers. If anything I'd much rather see franchises like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh chained to a slab of concrete and dropped in the middle of the Pacific - but these games move units. Despite my inhibitions, I have a good feeling about Astro Boy: Omega Factor. A light-hearted action game with fun a central ingredient, and with Treasure's presences unquestionably felt, I can see myself checking this one out when it's released this Summer.

the boat won't rock without a sing-along