Review By Jon Donnis
I, AI is a classic vertical scrolling shooter, and in a genre of games that I really got into, back in the 1990s. I remember spending many a 10p coin on the likes of Raiden or 1942 back in the day.
There have literally been hundreds and hundreds of vertical shooters, so where does I, AI fit in that long list?
First take a quick look at me playing the game in the video below, and make sure to click that subscribe button and leave a comment on the video. https://youtu.be/K-Aol6_lBZ0
Well first let us start with the story, you are a self -aware AI, you start as a ball of energy, you break out of a space lab which is part of a military complex, you take over a space ship and you need to escape and make your way to a Stargate. Let's be honest, the story in games like this are never very important, but the way you start as a ball of energy is a unique little feature, I would have liked that to have been a bigger part of the game before you reach your spaceship, but you get to the ship pretty quick, which then throws you into the action straight away.
There are 20 missions to complete, each one with a boss fight, as you play you will collect little blue "things?" that allow you to upgrade your ship, add new weapons, shields, increase your armor, and so on. Different difficulty levels mean you can also make everything that little bit tougher if you want.
The graphics in the game are top quality, everything you would expect from a game released on modern consoles. The music however is a bit bland, which was a disappointment.
Onto the game-play, I, AI has an almost perfect learning curve, you start out with a basic ship, and as you progress and upgrade, the enemies become smarter and more plentiful, they really have got this just about perfect, you don't feel overwhelmed at the start, but you never feel like it is too easy either. When you finish a level you are given a score and told what percentage of the enemy you destroyed, as you increase your firepower you can go back and replay missions to get that valuable 100% completion rate. On the right of the screen, you will see your special weapons, and how many of each you can deploy, there are laser weapons, bombs, shield and so on.
For all of your gamer point whores, and you know who you are! The gamer points drop quick and I would say a 100% achievement score is easily achieved.
The Good
Addictive, easy to play and with great graphics, you will come back to this game, mainly because it is a fun game.
The Bad
The music is bland, and the sound effects aren't the best, but that really is the only bad about the game.
Overall
A really good vertical scrolling shooter, that gets the balance just right.
I score this game 8/10
Review by Jon Donnis
