Rampart (PS Store) review

Gamestyle has been a faithful purchaser of the wares on the PlayStation Store shelves, but Rampart is another wasted opportunity, in what has been a disappointing selection of late. Just like Joust, this is another retro classic that has received limited enhancement for the high definition era and can be yours for just 1.99. Really, the developers didnt bother and neither should you unless you are a fan of the original release.While Atari originally released Rampart in 1990, it looks much older, arguably pre-1985. Rampart tried to inject an element of strategy into the standard arcade offerings of the time and offer the player an alternative to street fighting, which was the popular arcade offering. The aim of the game is to defend your castles from enemy bombardment, which can come from either the CPU or up to two opponents. In reply you can try to sink the various classes of warships that viciously circle off your coastline, eager to invade and claim your keep as their own. As the original relied on control from a trackball or joystick, there is no real subtlety to directing your bombardment, with the Sixaxis controller being lobotomised to accommodate Ramparts poor control system. Quantity over quality of fire is the key as you must try and knock down (or repel) the invaders or castle defences in the limited time allowed. The countdown element also reappears when repairing the castle walls before the bombardment commences once again. Some variety is introduced by allowing you to select the location of your castle and the gun placements within the walls. The map is set along a coastline, so you can build inland or right on the coast if you prefer. Either approach offers its advantages and disadvantages, with the former offering more defence by also lessening your chances when returning fire. If your repairs are made in quick fashion then Rampart rewards such an achievement by allowing you to increase the number of cannons. The key is trying to maintain the original shape of your castle, as it is all too easy to expand the boundaries, leaving some areas extremely susceptible to enemy fire. However in the repair phase the shapes of the blocks are predetermined, prompting skill and judgement from the player to complete some form of temporary repairs against the clock. As the environment offers natural obstacles that cannot be built upon, more hazards are thrown into the mix, for what is a challenging if limited title. If you have not repaired the walls within the time frame then the other side are victorious. The PlayStation Store version of Rampart is faithful to the original with no enhancements to the game play itself. Yes, glorious 1080p is supported but as there is little going onscreen its the least this game should offer. In fact this really isnt what you bought that expensive high definition set up for, even the limited online mode cannot save the day. While Gamestyle enjoyed the action far more than Joust or more than we actually expected originally, next time someone argues that games were better all those years ago, direct them towards Rampart and see that argument crumble far more quickly than the castle walls.