To be honest though, we'd never even heard of Super Stardust till the PSN version popped into the public domain. Take a bow then Wikipedia - and the rest of you can look as appalled as you like. Coming fresh to the series though, as many PS3 owners will likely do too, it's a genuinely pleasant surprise to discover an absolute gem of a shooter here. If easy comparisons are your bag, Super Stardust HD is, in essence, Asteroids with a handful of Geometry Wars knobs stuck on.
Levels are played out hovering over the atmosphere of one of five different planets, each consisting of five 'phases' and unlocked by successful completion of the previous set of levels. Generally speaking, each phase sees you gradually annihilating the tumbling mass of rocks which hurl themselves toward the planet surface, splintering into smaller and speedier chunks as you let rip with your arsenal of weapons. Once the debris is clear, an additional round of enemies appears before you're whisked to the next phase. Finally, the fifth and last phase on each planet sees you facing off against a tougher end boss, each with traditional attack patterns and weak spots.
On the weapons front, you've got a small yet progressively more powerful range of destructive machinations - Rock Crusher, Ice Splitter and Gold Melter - all of which can be upgraded gradually by collecting power-ups hidden inside glowing green fragments of shattered asteroid detritus. Most similarities between Super Stardust HD and Geometry Wars - aside from the focus on accumulating massive scores (by acquiring multipliers) for upload on a global leader board - come from the control set-up. As with Bizarre Creations' revered shooter, the left analogue controls your ship's movement while directional firing utilises the right stick.
However, unlike Geometry Wars, Super Stardust's action isn't limited by the boundaries of your TV screen. You've complete freedom to roam the entire surface of the globe, chasing asteroids and enemies as everything whirls disorientatingly around you. We actually prefer this approach to Geometry Wars' grid-based play, with Super Stardust HD's intense action certainly benefiting from the relentless, uninterrupted flow of movement.
Completing your arsenal of abilities, you're equipped with both a depleting supply of bombs and a rocket boost for those particularly sticky moments. As it happens though, Super Stardust HD is pretty much one gigantic sticky moment, with the screen perpetually stuffed with rapidly disintegrating rocks, all ricocheting off one another in wholly unpredictable ways. And that's not factoring in the constant barrage of enemies dropping down onto the atmospheric barrier - as you progress you'll find yourself at the centre of literally hundreds of marauding opponents. Later stages require near god-like observational skills as you dodge and weave your way through obstacles, all the while keeping your wits primed to obliterate everything hurtling toward you from any other conceivable angle. It's really no exaggeration to say that Super Stardust offers some of the most consistently tense gaming we've experienced in a very long time.
What's more, there's also an element of strategy involved, thanks to the effectiveness of different weapons on different targets. For instance, certain enemies horde en masse around you but back off in the face of attack - the flamethrower-like Gold Melter proves invaluable as you let them sneak in close before sweeping its fiery emission in a rapid, death-bringing circle. Sure, you can still make a good go of it with any aspect of your arsenal, but switching to the most appropriate weapon regularly means the difference between success and failure.
That's partly due to the game's incredibly stingy extra ship quotas. Extra ones are doled out at nail-bitingly sporadic intervals through rare power-ups or by reaching certain score milestones. Thankfully though, weapon power-ups appear far more regularly but, even then, to make the most of them, you're put through the wringer. Each weapon upgrade cycles through Crusher, Splitter and Melter options over time, increasing a particular weapon's overall effectiveness by a few percent when swiped. As such, it pays to assess your surroundings, work out what'll be most useful - against, say, the current crop of asteroids - and hang back until the relevant upgrade finally emerges. Of course though, that leaves you something of a sitting duck - making for even hairier moments as danger closes in.
With such solid game mechanics at its core, it's no real surprise Super Stardust isn't exactly bursting with superfluous play modes - they're simply not needed. Any variety you do get - Arcade, where you tackle and unlock each planet in order; Planet, with battles limited to the area of your choice and Co-op, offering simultaneous play for you and a friend - is pretty functional at best. Some quarters have bemoaned the lack of online multiplayer too but, to be honest, when a game's hook is all about honing your skills to extend your play sessions and better your scores, it's hardly a major omission in our eyes.
Verdict
Ultimately, if Super Stardust HD was a full price purchase we might not be so forgiving of its relative content deficiency. However, when such engaging, addictive gaming comes with a sub-five pound price tag attached, there's really no cause for complaint at all. Super Stardust HD's a remorselessly tense, relentlessly compelling addition to the PlayStation Network and precisely the sort of arcade experience Sony's fledgling download service has been crying out for.
