Tyrian 2000

code.google.com/p/opentyrian Available here, this game is already open source and free. This makes it not much of a gift in the way of monetary value, but in Tyrian's case, the thought really does count. Better than most shooters I've played, this game has drawn me back over and over again. There are several game modes, many powerups, and more levels than I can remember right now. The humor in dialog and graphics is memorable and whitty and overall I rate this game as perfect. Go ahead and play it through, (once, twice, ... thrice), you won't be disappointed.

I've played my share of scrolling space shooters. But none of them grabbed me like Tyrian did. Exceptionally detailed pre-rendered graphics and backgrounds, an engaging soundtrack, and tons of weapons and hidden items/levels. Take a run through the story mode and you might not be able to put this game down. The enemies are varied in type, speed, and (certainly) strength. From massive gunships and mounted turrets to small cannon fodder, Tyrian offers plenty of challenges. Each world is a completely different experience, all presented in Tyrian's hand-drawn pixel goodness. Usually the downfall of many scrolling shooters is the difficulty (or lack thereof). There are many enemies that are cannon fodder and then there's also enemies who consider YOU cannon fodder. Having trouble in a level or certain boss? Open the options menu and turn down the game speed. Looking to make some speed runs in your stolen Microsol superiority fighter? Turn it up to turbo mode and hang on. Front and rear mounted weapons along with two sidekicks (that's side-mounted weapons for you atmosphere breathers) make your ship a force to be reckoned with and let's not forget the powerups. The replay value of this game is not to be underestimated. With a branching level map and hidden levels abound there are plenty of ways to go. Also included in this sweet deal is the Ship Editor! Make your own hot-rod fighter and enjoy blasting through ships hundreds of times your size! So grab a copy and relish in the iridescent glow of that starship destroyer you just turned into a supernova, scream past the asteroids, and don't forget to visit the Interstellar House of Gruel! Tyrian is, truly, one of the most enjoyable 2D games around.

Tyrian was reborn when the 2000 version came out. And still lives today, thanks to the fans and GOG.com. If you don't know, Tyrian is a 2D Arcade-Scrolling game which the player controls a ship loaded with different weapons. What is so great in this one is the amount of depth, the amazing variety of options that you have to custom your ship or even the gameplay. To start, let's talk about the game's mechanic. You can play two types of single-player games: 'Arcade' and 'Full Game'. The Arcade mode let's you play Tyrian like the 19xx game series: You start with an weak ship and gets stronger by destroying the targets (flying enemy ships, buildings and so) and picking up the power-ups. This mode is old-school and is OK, especially if you're going to let a high score for others to beat. The 'Full Game' mode is away more interesting, and allows you to save and load your progress. You start with a very weak ship, 10,000 credits and a menu that you can buy and sell a variety of equipments for your ship. The first option is also one of the most important, it's about the ship you're gonna use. In general, the expansive one is the best (with a few rare exceptions). There is no big difference between the available ships, just the visual and the 'armor', which means how much damage you can take before you die. The other options lets the player to choose the 'front gun' (your main weapon), the 'rear gun', the 'left' and 'right sidekick', the 'shield' (additional protection to the armor) and your 'generator' (it produces the amount of energy necessary to recharge the shield and to use the weapons). Although there're a lot of options, you just need to use four keyboard keys and the directionals to play Tyrian 2000. Also, it can be played with the mouse. The front and rear guns can be upgraded up to level 11. This increases the damage dealt, rate of fire, generator usage and the price to the next weapon's level. The left and right sidekicks are additional sources of damage, weaker than the front and rear guns. Some sidekicks have limited ammo, but they recharge over the time and also when a level is completed. After upgrading and enhancing the ship, the player can start a level. Sometimes the game lets you to choose the next level, which significantly changes the game's course for a while. Each one has a lot of enemies, towers and other buildings to shoot at, not counting some asteroids and obstacles to dodge. Most targets, after destroyed, provides some cash and other few rare power-ups (some are temporary, others not). Almost every level you can find crystals, fruits, flying beers (!) etc. that gives you a lot of credits. If you like story and some reading, there're a huge amount of text about almost everything in the game, found at the 'Data Cubes'. These ones are flying objects, mostly acquired after destroying an enemy. I recommend the reading of these messages; some of them contain important information of the game. The 2000 version of Tyrian comes with two new episodes (added to the original three episodes), a few new weapons and ships, new levels to first three episodes and some in-between mini-games. The last episode is a joke, unfortunately. Although there're really good equipment for your ship, most enemies are flying, huge fruits and parts of the human body (noses, eyes...). But it's okay, because Tyrian 2000 already comes with sharp graphics, great sounds, amazing soundtracks and a freakin' replayability. You can try numerous of ship combinations, along with three difficult settings, not to mention the secrets. Bottom line here: This game being free -you have no excuse. Download and play this game today. 5/5 Operating Systems is probably the big issue with Tyrian 2000, but this can be easily solved with DOS emulators. I recommend this game if you're either an oldware's fan or not.

Tyrian 2000 is a quirky arcade shoot-em-up with great design, a ton of character, and tremendous customizability. Between the huge assortment of ships and weapons, secret levels, and various arcade modes, Tyrian 2000 will provide many hours of non-stop fun. VISUALS and AUDIO: Despite running at a fixed 320x240 resolution, Tyrian looks pretty good. The sprites are crisp and clear, the colors are bright, ships show up well against the background (except the ones that are supposed to be hard to see), and the HUD is attractive and easy to read at a glance. Everything comes in tremendous variety - every weapon has a unique firing pattern and projectile, you never stop encountering new enemies, and every level has a unique landscape following one of a large set of themes. Despite its age, Tyrian is definitely one of the most visually engaging shoot-em-ups out there. The combat sounds are decent (punctuated by helpful alerts), but the soundtrack is just fantastic. There are over 30 tracks, so even similar levels usually have distinct background music, and it's all done just right - classic arcade sound, fast and pulse-raising. The music and visuals manage to combine to create a surprising amount of atmosphere, particularly in dark tunnel runs and turbo-speed races against the clock. There's a reason that the game comes with a jukebox utility! CONTROLS and GAMEPLAY: Tyrian's controls are simple and sweet - move with mouse (or direction keys, not recommended!), then fire / special-fire (they can be fired together or left/right) / switch mode (rear gun). Each ship has a "special move" (or several) that can be activated arcade-style, with some movement&fire combo. For the advanced player, these (and powerups, of which you can only keep one) can have a significant impact on gameplay. Your ship is equipped with shields, which regenerate faster when you aren't firing, and armor, which you'd better keep intact. If you get reduced to very low armor and survive for a while, a rescue ship will appear and drop a partial armor repair - this enables skin-of-your-teeth survival without robbing any of the tension or difficulty from those tough spots. Ship customization is where Tyrian really shines - with over 30 weapons to choose from, you'll never run out of variety. Different front/read weapons, sidekicks, ships, shields, and generators are available for purchase on every level, and you can always upgrade your main two weapons' power levels - but be careful to balance power generation with weapon and shield demands! Different weapons vary not only in power but also in behavior, allowing you to customize toward your own preferred flying style - seeking weapons for the agile dodger, spread-fire for hordes of weaker enemies, or even the tremendously powerful but point-blank-range Zica Flamethrowers to reward pilots with a daring streak. Early on, managing the delicate balance of shields, weapon choices, and your generator on a limited budget is one of the most important challenges; since you buy upgrades with points scored as you play, performance really matters! If you'd rather not deal with upgrade management (or just want to try out any of the 10 special "secret" ships with unique weapons and powers), you can play arcade mode, where weapons are found as powerups in-game. This lets you try out almost every option, but the same mechanic that lets you suddenly start clearing the field with lasers can bite you when you accidentally pick up missiles mid-level, so beware! In addition to this game mode (and the unlockable ships you are told about in hints), there are several "mini-game" levels with different mechanics. These levels are endless, running until you run out of lives, and the scores are just for bragging rights, as they have no impact on the main game. I found some of these to be a ton of fun and replayed quite a bit (Zinglon's Ale: 533462). STORY/ACTING: The story is largely for amusement purposes, but there is a lot of it - you get messages between missions that outline a growing plot, and even more flavor is provided by datacubes you can collect within the levels. Some of these are just amusing, others give hints on how to unlock secrets or otherwise help you out. There is no voice acting, but the story itself is kinda fun, a few of the communications come from some pretty funny characters. Your choices and performance over the course of the game do have some impact on how the storyline unfolds, as well as the levels and equipment to which you gain access. DIFFICULTY: Tyrian has 3 standard difficulties, with Easy being pretty manageable for a novice and Hard enough to keep a veteran on his toes at least some of the time. However, for those seeking serious challenge, there are three more secret difficulties: Impossible, Suicide, and Lord of the Game. If you want a ridiculous challenge, Tyrian can provide it, just look up how to unlock those [collectible hints in-game will also tell you how]. "Lord of the Game" difficulty is automatically applied when you use any of the secret arcade mode ships ("Super Tyrian mode"), and a Suicide campaign will keep even an expert player busy for a long time (you will *need* to strategically select secret level paths to acquire several items like the early level 10 shield and Phoenix; of course paying for these will leave you in a painful situation weapon-wise in the early levels). The range of difficulties provided both widens the potential appeal of the game and adds replay value. Harder levels add a few incidental enemies, but the primary waves are identical across difficulties, with enemies simply being less durable and dealing less damage in Easy. I'm working on a Suicide campaign right now, but I tested out Arcade Mode on Easy and was enjoying it so much that I finished the game in one sitting. It is rare that I find a game fun for a long haul in easy mode, but Tyrian just has so many great toys that even an expert player can enjoy casual mayhem, maybe experimenting with flashy but ineffective weapon loadouts; at the same time, a more casual player can get the real Tyrian experience without the pain of tougher enemies. LEVELS, STRATEGY, and OTHER ELEMENTS: As I've mentioned above, part of the difficulty early on comes from the fact that you need to balance purchases of shields and generators against weapon upgrades. In general, I recommend always upgrading your shields whenever you can, even at the cost of weapon downgrades. Generators are second priority, ship type (for armor) third, and whatever is left goes to guns. You'll need to find a weapon load-out that works best for you, although I'll save you some pain and tell you to steer clear of front and rear missiles; they're awful. If you see a new weapon or sidekick, it may be worth trying it out and then restarting the level - you might discover something that works really well for you, and you don't want to miss an opportunity to buy it [several of the best weapons are only available once or twice]. Some of the secret levels are very hard, particularly in episode 1; if you warp to a secret level and get stuck, go back to the previous level and play through again without collecting that warp orb. Secret levels are particularly worthwhile because many have unique or rare equipment available for purchase. There are also a few "bonus" levels that you don't have to survive - dying just means you collect fewer points. Still, points are important until you can afford to fully upgrade your ship. Once your weapons are upgraded far enough, weapon upgrade pods will often (but not always) be replaced with special power pickups - these vary in usefulness, so try them all out and then stick with one you like. Beware - some will block use of your ship's special abilities! THE VERDICT: Tyrian 2000 has everything I want in a shoot-em-up, and it's just a blast to play. It can offer as much challenge as you want, you can customize the heck outta your ship (and there are a variety of viable load-outs, depending on your style), and the game is perfused with wonderful, quirky style. Endless mayhem, ample choice, and good balance all add up to non-stop fun and a solid 5.