Sine Mora blasted gamers away with its impressive graphics and insane gameplay when it was released for the Xbox Live Marketplace. And for a while, this title remained exclusive to the Xbox 360, that is until now. With Sine Mora being available for both the Playstation 3 and Vita, even more gamers will be able to enjoy this gem of a shooter. With the translation over to the world of Playstation, is there enough fuel to keep this puppy from crash landing?
In case you’re not familiar with how Sine Mora plays out, you control an aircraft as you shoot off against enemies flying at you as they too try to shoot you down. The whole game is executed via the 2D perspective as you travel horizontally from left to right. Right off the bat, the game can be very challenging. If you want to push the envelope further, you can engage yourself in Insane mode. In terms of the scoring system, Sine Mora rewards you for surviving without getting hit by increasing your multiplier. Furthermore, the more enemies you destroy, the more coins that will drop each time in succession.
When you begin Sine Mora, you only have access to a very limited number of ships and characters. As you progress further under the story mode, you’ll be able to get access to more of these unlockables. This is important is there are different ships and characters to choose from each having special powers and abilities. To elaborate further, there are various unique weapons you can end up with depending on who you choose. For instance, you can have a drone to help you out or a sonic sword for those short-range but powerful attacks.
So the number of options available to you is quite diverse, that is once you do progress further enough. Hence, you get more of an incentive to replay Sine Mora since these new characters and ships you unlock could also make your gameplay experience even better under the more difficult settings.
There are a couple of inclusions in the Playstation 3 and Vita versions that weren’t originally available in the XBLA. Both consist of the Challenge Mode where players get to battle against the clock in levels from the Story Mode. And to prevent the time limit from running out, you need to wipe out your enemies. But watch out as every hit you take will also penalize your time. Another inclusion is an exclusive new hero, Wilhelmine Muller, who happens to come from another game, Under Defeat. Because of this wonderful addition, you get a brand new special weapon along with some chronomes which were not available for the XBLA version.
Sine Mora is littered with amazing graphics and a spectacle of special effects, whether its on the PS3 or the Vita. The art and 3D rendering from the background works perfectly without causing any slowdown in frame rate. Even on the Vita’s OLED screen, the whole visual aspect gives a real everlasting impression. As for the audio department, you still get the same amount of caliber between the Playstation 3 and Vita. You’ve got a great soundtrack playing along with all the explosions that you hear, making Sine Mora a truly epic experience for a 2D shooter.
In terms of the controls, this 2D shooter plays out great on the Playstation 3. There isn’t much buttons to keep track of. The game also takes advantage of the Vita’s touchscreen, thereby giving you an alternative to the control scheme. You’d be able to control your ship and fire by a simple touch on the screen. However, for true 2D shooter veterans, the traditional control scheme using the d-pad and face buttons would be the way to go.
There are a couple shortcomings associated with Sine Mora. But these also existed in the XBLA version. The fact that the game can be completed within a relatively short period of time could be a potential turn-off. Luckily there are incentives in the form of unlockables that help to retain players’ attention span. Another potential downfall is the fact that Sine Mora can get insanely hard, which really tests the patience to gamers who have short tempers.
Despite these shortcomings, Sine Mora is still a masterpiece that should not be overlooked. In fact, this is one of these games that you should include especially if you really love 2D shooters. Currently, you can get this title for the Playstation 3 as well as the Vita for $9.99 each at the Playstation store. With excellent graphics, tough challenges, and enjoyable soundtrack, you should be having a blast with Sine Mora.
