Centipede
|
| Centipede

An old man once said: "Son, never let your life be ruled by the will of a woman – and never trust anything with more than four legs." We're not really sure what to make of the first part of the old boy's statement but the latter part comprises wise words indeed.

There's a raft of multi-limbed hoodlums from the insect world ready to make a human's life a misery, from wasps to ants to spiders, to name but three. There's one in particular, though – a creature that has a reputation of links with the macabre, yet one clever enough to keep a far lower profile than the creepy crawlies we've already mentioned.

We refer of course to the centipede, the Amazonian species of which moves like grease lightning, is venomous, and packs a nasty bite that can be fatal. And, for the record, even the better-known western European variants found here in Blighty will bite if they're sufficiently provoked.

Clearly, centipedes are actually quite fearsome little beasties. It's something that gamers of yesteryear are more than aware of, having played Atari's classic shooter Centipede. Now mobile players can also see nature's multi-limbed silent assassin in action, thanks to this update from Glu.

Rather than creating a straight release of the decades-old retro classic, Glu has decided to ramp things up a little with a bit of seasoning. New themed levels such as Contempo, Robo and Aqua are available, offering different looks for the main character – the centipede itself – and the backgrounds.

But instead of giving you these fresh morsels on a plate, Glu has cleverly made it so that you must battle your way through the classic mode in order to unlock these new versions of the game.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Centipede concept, it harks back to a simpler time. You control your blaster across the bottom of the screen from left to right, while also able to move partially forwards, enabling you to manoeuvre around any troublesome centipede pieces that have managed to avoid your initial barrage of laser fire.

As for the dastardly and murderous centipede, it approaches from the top of the screen and makes its way downward, meandering through lines of mushrooms. As you blast at the insect, it breaks into individual smaller segments which will need to exterminate.

An extra bonus in this version is a Power Up play mode that strips the mushrooms from the playing area, and enables you to unload on the poor centipede with a variety of powerful weapons, thanks to the power-ups that fall your way. Which is all jolly good fun.

Although sound is sparse in Centipede, the re-mixed theme tune hints at the arcade halls of some 30 years ago, blended with 21st century beats. It works well.

Visually, it's an authentic recreation of a classic, but it's the modern theme elements of the game that are worth the most praise; they've given the programmers the opportunity to push the boundaries with some nice animation, detailed sprites, imaginative backgrounds and colourful menus.

Overall, Centipede was and still is an addictive idea for a game, if rather limited. By including new graphical content, Glu has given the game some extra fresh legs where so many rivals shoot themselves in the foot, meaning that while this is not an essential shoot-'em-up, it is worth considering.

Centipede

Smooth control, modern trimmings, and good use of the phone's vibration capabilities have given this ageing shooter a boost
Score
Chris Maddox
Chris Maddox
Liverpool fan, Chris, loves to watch the mighty Redmen play. In between matches however, he's an avid mobile games reviewer for Pocket Gamer. Chris has assured us that he only thinks about Liverpool FC a mere 80 per cent of the day.