Zogging Hell!!!

Sequel to Cybermorph. Has drawbacks and benefits over the original. For example, the gameplay is more varied and the graphics are better looking in most places, but on the other hand there are problems. The control system which was near perfect in the original is now flawed, the slightest press on the reverse button can send the T-Griffon ship into a speedy reverse even if you are going at maximum speed, this leads to a lot of crashes. The game also uses the same sort of two dimensional rotating backgrounds that are used in Fight for Life, Iron Soldier 2 etc. While this looks pretty, it seems to restrict the view ahead by a considerable amount by means of making the pop up more pronounced, this despite the fact that in Battlemorph the draw distance is actually longer than the original. The new tunnel sections in the game look bad and are fairly pointless. Skylar, you're computer, barely says anything now. Now I know in the original she was a bit annoying due to her limited and over repeated vocab ... " Where did you learn to fly?"... but she did at least talk, with the CD you would have thought they could do something. On the plus side, just so you don't get the impression I hate this game, the music and sound effects are better, though some of the music is a tad trippy, which sends my brain all over the place. The game also benefits from an amusing Sean Connery impersonator talking over the cut scenes. The game also keeps its original unusual feel and the new underwater sequences fit well with this. There are some also some class 'real physics' features. The camera 'wobbles' with the current underwater and there are some fascinating wind turbine levels later in the game. To counteract this however Battlemorph seems to be bugged, at least on the two copies I own. The game stops with excessive read errors on one of the levels on the third cluster and the only way past is to cheat or to constantly reload the level till it does eventually load. Strange that, as none of the rest of the game is effected.
The final cluster comprises entirely of big bosses, except suprisingly the Pernation homeworld itself, which is slighty dissapointing. Also the end credits are also a bit crap, as the programmers show off their limited sense of humour.
Nevertheless this remains a good reason to get a Jag CD. I'm slightly dissapointed as I loved the original and the sequel could have been so good...

Zogging Hell Rating: 8/10

Cheats

Level Codes:
2. Carmine: ATDC2
3. Ferial: ATDC3
4. Pan Alma: ATDC4
5. Staussen: ATDC5
6. Pyroxine: ATDC6
7. Cygnus: ATDC7
8. Pernish: ATDC8

Comedy Mode: Enter "A NAME" as the name for a new player file. You should hear a sound if you've got it right.

Quake Weapon: Destroy most of the trees in the worlds of the Zephyr cluster.

2 Extra Ships: Get a score ending with '99'

99,958 Points: Debrief with a score ending with '42'

Hidden Bonus Planets:

Cluster Cloaker on Bonus Planet Bonus Item

Zephyr Peramer Dyphor Clip, Ships x 2

Carmine Aphelion & Sanctine Adeptus & Camillari Clip, Ships x 2 & Trees?

Ferial Tyran Tehr & Charnel Brockshear & Kant Liur Clip, Ship & Ships x 3

Pan Alma Shau Yen Tantaul Clip, Ship

Straussen None on this cluster

Pyroxine Alkelam & Cyclozone Isolmin & Borazine Flash(75%), Ship & Flash(75%), Clip, Ship

Cygnus Chalnook Brichardii Clip, Ship

Pernish Laxer Reiss Ships(7)