Newton drinks beer and eats bees, berries before he shoots ‘em at his enemies.
Plus, he’s a Hamster.
And…his girlfriend just got kidnapped.
You can’t get much more adorable than that.
There are games out there with worse plots than this, but when it gets down to it, “Flying Hamster†a PSP mini title released in late 2010, is still a kick in the head to play nearly two years later.
We mean that in the Dean Martin way, you know, charismatic, fun, and charming and not the Shawn Michaels, slamming your rear paw into someone’s jaw after you tune it up first sort of way.
Powered by fast gameplay, cute cut-scenes and simple control, this PSP mini may not save the day, but it is a cheap way to get some extra live out of your obsolete PSP or even worse, your beautiful new Vita and its thin library of games.
A colorful horizontal shooter, “Flying Hamster†harkens back to the days of classic NES shooters, even if it looks more like a Super Nintendo title. The control is simple and the design is intuitive and straightforward. Again, while the fun story and colorful graphics make it a bit different from other shooters today, it’s essentially an interesting, yet relatively by the numbers game. It doesn’t change the genre or turn the PSP or Vita on its head. But it works well and at times, makes you forget you downloaded it from the Playstation Network, instead of picking it up at the store.
With the PSP and Vita lacking in pick up and play titles, going for a more “console on the run†devoir, “Flying Hamster†is great in five to ten minute bursts in-between games of “the Show†or “Mortal Kombat.†It may even make you smile a few times.
The game’s only real problem is its short length. While the level design is smart and the game is at times challenging, eight levels just aren’t enough. Just when you start to truly enjoy the game and feel some type of attachment to Newton, the game is over.
But hey, you can’t complain. Two bucks isn’t bad for a real kick in the head.
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