WorthPlaying: Shred Nebula Review

WorthPlaying writes: "There are few downloadable games out on the market as addictive as Geometry Wars or as polished as Super Stardust HD. These titles stand at the pinnacle of modern arcade shooters, with swarming enemies, various game modes and insane action constantly bringing you back for more. Shred Nebula would like to share a spot on this hallowed ground, but it falls just short of greatness. While all of the elements are there, the game never comes together into a fully fleshed-out experience, and small detractions hold it back at every step. This is a good game, but it is by no means ready to dwell among the heavyweights.

You'll likely go into Shred Nebula expecting the same two-stick shooting setup that has become all the rage these days, but you would then be in for a surprise, as the title eschews the new convention in favor of something more complex. Rather than steering with the left thumbstick and controlling with the right, ship functions are mapped all over the controller, forcing you to wrap your brain around a complex set of ideas before you can easily navigate your vessel. With different buttons controlling thrust, reverse, primary and secondary weapons, special weapons, boost, active shields and hyper jump, the whole setup can be quite daunting. After a while, the controls all start to fit, but they never reach the point where they become intuitive. Even after several hours with the title, you'll still likely fly into dangerous gases or slam into enemy ships because you were too busy juggling commands to keep it all straight in your head. Hardcore gamers who believe modern arcade shooters have become too easy will be pleased, while everyone else will be flustered for quite a while." 7.8/10