Nex Machina

Nex Machina is the (almost) official follow-up to Robotron: 2084 or, as I like to call it, the greatest arcade game ever created. If you watch the credits you will see the Eugene Jarvis was the creative consultant for the game. As far as I’m concerned that means this is Robotron: 2085 (we’ll ignore Smash T.V. … NOT canon!).

It’s just as frantic and twitchy as ever, and the core game play remains the same: shoot everything that moves and save the humans. There is a far greater variety of enemies, boss battles, and the graphic effects are stellar. Improvements include lots of hidden collectibles, a variety of secondary weapons, the ability to dodge, and lots of differing level designs.On higher difficulties the game is tough as nails and requires a bullet-hell level of pattern memorization. I’ve managed to complete the game at the “Rookie” level. My problem is that my OCD kicks in, and I rage quit when I don’t finish a level without grabbing all the extra bonuses.  I still think Geometry Wars is a more pure twin-stick shooter arcade experience but this one is a close second and worth every penny.