Spectre 3D – Review

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By: Brilliant Bytes Software Inc

Version #: 1.1.0

Date Released: 2010-05-22

Developer: Brilliant Bytes Software Inc

Price: 4.99

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My first Macintosh was a Performa 475. With its 25mhz 68040LC, and 8MB of RAM it wasn’t much to look at, but it was mine. One game that came bundled with my Mac was a great 3-D tank game called Spectre. I would play this game for hours and even when I eventually moved up to an iMac, this game was still in regular use. I would later get Spectre VR but never played it as much as I did the original. So you can imagine my elation when I saw the Spectre game coming to the iPhone. Can this port deliver as great an experience, both single and multiplayer, on the iPhone as it did so many years ago on my old Mac?

Spectre, for those who missed this bit of gaming history, is a three dimensional tank battle in which you attempt to capture all the flags on the map without being destroyed by the enemy tanks guarding them. There are blocks, windmills,  and walls to use for cover.

You can play Spectre from three view points: first person, third person, and top view. Each have their advantages and disadvantages so everyone has their preference and some will even switch between views during combat to gain an edge. In the original Spectre, you are limited to a tank with a simple cannon. In Spectre VR, not only do you have an array of different weapons to get such as grenades and smart shells, but your tank can fly for short periods allowing you to jump over enemies or obstacles. Spectre VR also has four game types from Base Raid to Capture the Flag. Multiplayer supports four players via bluetooth and 16 online over Wifi or 3G. Not only can you play online with the dedicated servers, but you can also download the server software and run a server yourself. This is almost unheard of in the gaming world these days and it is amazing to see such a large range of options for playing multiplayer.

The controls are the standard virtual analog stick with fire and other controls on the right. Lefties can switch the controls and there is an option to make the analog stick smaller. The graphics are spot on and run seamlessly even when playing online. While this should be expected from a game made in the early 90’s, it is still great to see how well this game performs even on my aging first generation iPhone. The game even offers a 3D anaglyph option for real 3D play. While the multiplayer is pretty empty right now, you can pad the game with bots that will actually attempt to accomplish the goal of whatever game type you are playing. The single player levels also offer plenty of challenge with both the original Spectre and VR levels, there will be plenty to help sharpen your skills for online.

Games like Spectre are timeless and it is good to see a game like this come to the iPhone platform. With such a great foundation there wasn’t much Brilliant Bytes Software had to do to deliver a superior game. As I have been playing Spectre 3D, it is hard to find an area where it is lacking. If I had to put down some weak spot I would have to say the analog stick could use an adjustment for sensitivity. The lack of online players at this time take away from the multiplayer fun somewhat, but I am sure that in time more people will rediscover this great classic form days when LAN multiplayer games were unheard off, especially in 3D.