Minimum Requirements: PowerPC, Mac OS 8.6 (Mac OS 8.0 with Apple Game Sprocket and Sound Manager v3.3) of Mac OS X, 64MB RAM
Network Feature: No
3D Support: No
Retail Price: $25
Availability: Now
Rating: Not Rated
There's been a subtle shift in computer games over the last couple of years. Used to be, when a game proudly claimed it was fun for the whole family, it meant it sucked. It's not that family entertainment was a bad idea, but rather that the producers apparently didn't have families, and therefore had no clue what entertained them.
Happily, this no longer appears to be the case; gamers need look no further than Pangea Software for proof. However, if they're inclined to look further, they'll find a wealth of great shareware games offering a breath of fresh air from the congested (but really fun, for the most part) first person shooters, war strategy games and such genres. The latest entrance in this lighthearted fare is Macrun's Captain Bumper.
Let's first look at the premise behind Captain Bumper. You're a...no, let's just boil it down to the point. You have to retrieve your banana crates while trying to save Princess Lovita from the evil Zeurbs. Bananas and princesses...welcome back to the 80s.
Starting up Captain Bumper is not entirely unlike walking into a Johnny Rocket's. It's colorful, the music is fun (are the Chipmunks singing the Captain Bumper theme song?), and it's cheap. However, you also enter with the knowledge that you're not going to get the best burger in town. Likewise, Captain Bumper is not the best burger in town, but it's filling.
As Captain Bumper, you pilot your spacecraft--sort of a combination of George Jetson's astro-rocket and Luke Skywalker's land speeder--through colorful alien worlds. There are numerous enemies along the way, of course, each with its own weapon and style of combat. I'm not sure if they're more dedicated to guarding the Princess or your bananas, but they're effective either way. It's well neigh impossible to make it through a level without taking many hits, but your ship can suffer quite a few, and shield regenerators are scattered about.
Also scattered about are crates of ammunition, of which you'll need plenty...perhaps too much. With the number of enemies in the way and the speed at which the rocket moves, I was frequently running out of missiles. To make matters worse, most of the crates are closely guarded by Zeurbs. Running into these guys doesn't hurt or move them, although it does damage your ship. It's a Catch-22; you have to kill the enemy to get to the ammunition, but you need ammunition to kill the alien. As a tiny, tiny consolation, you're momentarily invincible when regenerated after dying, so you can then get the ammo. Of course, your ammo is refilled with a new life, so that's actually a pointless consolation. Never mind.
The speed of the rocket also adds to the difficulty of the game (I highly recommend a game pad for this one). With Zeurbs coming from all directions, I'd often avoid an enemy missile only to run into three or four others. Worse yet, whereas your missiles can't pass through objects like the banana crates, enemy fire can. As a result, the best way to get through a level is to move very slowly so as to not bring too many Zeurbs on the screen at one time. However, taking this cautious approach greatly reduces the fun factor. Imagine Sonic the Hedgehog tip-toeing through the whole game. The game can be played at easy, medium and hard settings, and the difficulty level can be switched on saved games. Oh, and that's another bonus. You can save the game on any level, so you don't have to drop back to level one after losing your last life.
The Macrun website explains that the brilliantly colored, cartoonish graphics are presented in 2 1/2D. This, of course, means 2D, but it's a very fluid 2D along the lines of what Ambrosia Software achieved with Ferazel's Wand. In other words, it's a great looking game. The animation is smooth and the graphics are a lot of fun. The music also greatly enhances the gameplay. Going back to the Johnny Rocket's analogy, it's like the 50s music playing on the jukebox as you work on your burger, fries and shake; Del Shannon or Eddie Cochran may not be your personal favorites, but sometimes they just fit perfectly. Such is the case with the music for Captain Bumper.
One of the more bizarre elements of Captain Bumper, curiously enough, is the registration process. After paying, you receive a user name and serial number allowing internet access to the extra levels. After downloading them, you copy them to the Captain Bumper data folder. Then, upon reaching level three, you're presented with a locked door that once again requires entry of the serial number by ramming your spaceship into numbers on a wall. After punching them in, you type in your user name once more and you're ready to continue. It's kind of fun at first, and the written dialogue as you do it is somewhat humorous. However, because you have to redo it each time you begin level three, it does get old pretty quickly.
The developers at Macrun knew what they were doing with Captain Bumper. They created a game that's solid in both gameplay and design, remaining true to its purpose throughout. I don't usually like to compare games, but Captain Bumper is a natural for those looking for a replacement for Mighty Mike or the aforementioned Ferazel's Wand. It's somewhat short, so hard core gamers may be turned off. Casual gamers should also beware...these retro arcade/action games are certainly fun, but remember that the arcade games of yesteryear never held their novelty for long. Still, Captain Bumper is a fun little diversion--and yes, for both adults and children alike. Someone alert British-Columbia.
Applelinks Rating
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Review: Captain Bumper
Happily, this no longer appears to be the case; gamers need look no further than Pangea Software for proof. However, if they're inclined to look further, they'll find a wealth of great shareware games offering a breath of fresh air from the congested (but really fun, for the most part) first person shooters, war strategy games and such genres. The latest entrance in this lighthearted fare is Macrun's Captain Bumper.
As Captain Bumper, you pilot your spacecraft--sort of a combination of George Jetson's astro-rocket and Luke Skywalker's land speeder--through colorful alien worlds. There are numerous enemies along the way, of course, each with its own weapon and style of combat. I'm not sure if they're more dedicated to guarding the Princess or your bananas, but they're effective either way. It's well neigh impossible to make it through a level without taking many hits, but your ship can suffer quite a few, and shield regenerators are scattered about.
The speed of the rocket also adds to the difficulty of the game (I highly recommend a game pad for this one). With Zeurbs coming from all directions, I'd often avoid an enemy missile only to run into three or four others. Worse yet, whereas your missiles can't pass through objects like the banana crates, enemy fire can. As a result, the best way to get through a level is to move very slowly so as to not bring too many Zeurbs on the screen at one time. However, taking this cautious approach greatly reduces the fun factor. Imagine Sonic the Hedgehog tip-toeing through the whole game. The game can be played at easy, medium and hard settings, and the difficulty level can be switched on saved games. Oh, and that's another bonus. You can save the game on any level, so you don't have to drop back to level one after losing your last life.
One of the more bizarre elements of Captain Bumper, curiously enough, is the registration process. After paying, you receive a user name and serial number allowing internet access to the extra levels. After downloading them, you copy them to the Captain Bumper data folder. Then, upon reaching level three, you're presented with a locked door that once again requires entry of the serial number by ramming your spaceship into numbers on a wall. After punching them in, you type in your user name once more and you're ready to continue. It's kind of fun at first, and the written dialogue as you do it is somewhat humorous. However, because you have to redo it each time you begin level three, it does get old pretty quickly.