14 DAY TRIAL // Dubbed as the first indie game that hits the PlayStation Network, Novastrike is a top down arcade shooter developed by California-based Tiki Games. The title will be released today on the PSN and it promises to bring a lot of features other similar games don't. And maybe prove that indie developers can do a better job when it comes to addictive arcade games.
From the cockpit of your fighter, you will have to fight against the Draelus, some aliens who want to conquer the world. The interesting thing in Novastrike is that you won't be alone - a slew of allied ships will follow and help you, while you will also improve your ship with upgrades, tweaks and better weapons.
"We're definitely very pleased to finally finish Novastrike for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system - it's been quite a journey getting here as an independent developer and first-time publisher," said Kevin McCann, president and creative director of Tiki Games. "Novastrike is also going to be the first self-published game on the PlayStation Network - so for other independent developers out there, we're living proof that it's definitely possible to self-publish a game on the PlayStation Network."
So, what exactly should one expect from the game? Dualshock 3 would be the most recent thing it supports throughout the seven stages driven by objective-based missions. You are able to fly in any direction (as in most of the recent top down shooters) and you will find this trick quite helpful since you will have to use your two types of weapons against ground and air units. Also, a nice system of components has been implemented, which means that you can only destroy a part of a ship to stop it from functioning correctly. But I doubt it will matter too much, because we all love the random, non-stop shooting!
And the cherry on top comes with Tiki Games' promise to keep developing additional content for the game throughout 2008.