1986 Probe Software (UK)
by Dominic Wood
I bought this because at the time I was into a band with the same name. Today both recordings sound and feel horribly outdated and quite cheesy.
The game itself is just another free ride on the isometric 3D train. There is absolutely nothing new in it. The graphics are average, game play is average, everything in it is average.
Guess what my rating is...
by Syrox (Dominic Wood)
I've insisted a bit with this one, although it didn't seem anything special to me, because all the reviews of the time say it's a good / good enough game, none of them considers it insufficient, and one of the reviewers even says that Mantronix is a good surrogate waiting for Ultimate to release some good game again, because the most recent ones weren't. The Ultimate reference is not accidental: Mantronix is clearly inspired by them - it's a 3d isometric affair with a gameplay reminiscent of Gunfright and Nightshade, you must find four alien bandits and kill them, while avoiding other nasties and picking up various stuff. Now, I understand that from a certain point on Ultimate games were disappointing, but that was also due to the very high standard people expected from them - in fact, I think that in perspective both Gunfright and Nightshade are overall more enjoyable games than Mantronix, besides being technically and aesthetically totally out of reach for this Probe's release. The environment is very samey, a series of squares, some working as conveyor belt, with a decorative object in the middle, which doesn't tempt you to explore further and map the game [in fact, I don't see any map listed in the archive], aliens that follow you through the squares, each with his peculiar pattern and method to cheat you, sometimes almost unavoidable or really shootable, and a flip-screen technique that may confuse a bit. Not very interesting, not addictive, very derivative.
2,5/5
