Indie developer, MadeofDinosaurs, is leaping into the crowded Shooter market with their latest offering, Starfighter Renegade, and producing some rather good results while staying true to the roots of traditional shooters of the past.

The game is focused, but not scattered. It is hurried, but allows a deliberate pace where you can acclimate yourself to the controls, and it allows balance for the eyes to adjust to the threats around you. And like any good testosterone shooter, Renegade deploys plenty of action and some dazzling effects to hook players in from the start.

The Story So Far...

The storyline is rather light but sets the tone for the game. Sometime in the future, humanity is facing another alien threat, and it's up to you (isn't it always you?) to save the planet's remaining inhabitants and to eradicate the alien invasion once and for all.

Each mission varies from taking out enemy fighters to picking up remnants of alien technology that you can use to upgrade and enhance your fighter that best suits your playing needs. The one constant is blasting enemy fighters out of the sky, which is easier said than done because they possess some serious flying skills.

Fortunately, you are well-prepared, and equipped, to take on this grueling war. Your ship is a combination of a fighter jet and helicopter that can hover, stop, roar forward, and executes steeply banked turns.

Aesthetically, Renegade's mere presence is a virtual knockout. The planets terrain features eye catching textures that scroll beautifully as you fly through canyons, dip into valleys, and zip between mountains. The alien landscape feels vast and endless compared to your tiny ship and your laser fire seems to go on for eternity.

Another neat feature is that you can go back and replay a level with these new enhancements making each mission as easy or as masochistic as you want.

Shock and Awe

Your offense consist of a blaster which you can juice up to several levels with three types of powerups. A light beam and message will occasionally show up and direct you where to go to refuel and rearm your ship, so pay close attention to those when they pop up.

The controls are pretty good and let you pull off some impressive moves which you'll need to avoid getting shot at from behind or from the sides. Renegade effectively utilizes all of the controller's action buttons and directional keys so you can sidestep, loop, and roll out of harm's way.

Mouse option is supported, although it feels far too sensitive and floaty, but I found it to be the better choice in taking down the fast moving targets.

Smoking enemy ships and bright pixelated explosions litter the sky during heavy dogfights while ground turrets loom in the background waiting to set their sights on you. I do wish, however, that missiles and lasers that miss their mark would leave some type of damage to the terrain. This would have added a lot more to the immersion to know that a major battle took place here.

The sound effects, however, soar with crisp effects and offer an upbeat tempo that will keep you flying and grooving like Maverick from Top Gun. Although much of the soundtracks won't prime your adrenaline, they get you in the mood when they need to.

Crash and Burn

If there are flaws in Renegade's shiny armor, it's the lack of dynamic action. For example, since the majority of the action is focused around you, there's very little action to see or witness on the horizon or within your peripheral vision as you would see in titles like Warhawk or Wing Commander.

Another sore spot is how erratic the enemy AI maneuvers when trying to dodge your shots. They zig and zag so unrealistically that it almost seems like an advantage for them and a disadvantage for you since your ship isn't able to make such drastic moves.

But even with this, Renegade's crashes and burns are worth enduring because the gameplay and the fun factor are so good.

Flying High

At the end of it all, however, StarFighter Renegade is a really fun little shooter that takes us on an epic journey. It's not perfect, but it has all the core fundamentals intact to build a solid franchise on.

So, if you've been waiting for a game reminiscent of Starfighter for the 3DO, I know I have, then you need to check this one out. Despite Renegade's shortcomings, it still flies high and is deserving of a place in your gaming library.