Ultra Vortek

Ultra Vortek by Beyond Games
Players: 1-2
Genre: Fighter
YOR: 1995
Special devices supported: Voice Modem
Format: Cart
ESRB Rating: Mature 17+

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE FINAL TEST.

Mankind must prove that it is worthy of the powers of the Ultra Vortek - the eternal energy source for all life on Earth. Failure to meet the challenge will result in Earth's destruction. Seven of the planet's mightiest warriors have been chosen to pit strength and cunning against the Guardian for complete control of the Ultra Vortek. Who will prevail? The fate of mankind is in your hands...

Ultra Vortek is arguably the best 2D fighter the Jag has. Sure, the mags didn't take to lightly to it(of course you have to remember, that's the mags. Only one I'd count on is GameFan). Graphically, it's very detailed, colorful, and 64-bit looking. The resoultion is great. When I first played it, I was enthralled. Not by just the graphics, but the game itself. I've never gotten into 2D fighters a whole lot, but I got into Ultra Vortek.

While it is flawed, it's mostly perfect it seems. It'd be nice if there was more parallax scrolling. The control is dead on. I was able to figure out some pretty cool moves before I ever got the cheats. The sound is of the high-Jag quality I'm used too. And there's blood! Not as much as Kasumi Ninja, but more than Mortal Kombat.

I don't know what to say about it more really. The AI isn't bad, and it has some great gameplay. The Jag needs more titles that are in the like of UV actually. Graphically, it's great. Several characters are SGI rendered, which looks awesome. It's almost like playing 3D characters in 2D. The game speed is adjustable(using a code, which is strange), with either 'normal' or 'turbo'. The music is of the rock type, and sounds awesome, thanks to the Jag's great sound abilities.

If you like or love 2D fighters, and you have a Jag, get Ultra Vortek if you haven't already. You'll be glad you did.

Graphics- A+ - All it lacks is more parallax scrolling. Otherwise, the rendering is amazing.

Sound/Music- A++ - You could mistake it for a CD it's that good.

Control- A++ - Perfect. Nuff' said.

Fun Factor- B+ - It can lack a bit when you 're fighting say, Lucius on Hard or Killer mode, but it's mostly fun, and you'll like it more if you're into fighters.

By Adam Pratt