Tempest 4000 Reviews
TxK gets the official name tag it's always deserved, but a monstrously high price and a lack of innovation sour the occasion.
Jeff Minter has been able to renew the classic Tempest formula, which becomes an excellent game even after 38 years. Unfortunately, the PC version has some small but annoying technical problems.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Even if it feels incomplete, Tempest 4000 is still worth playing. The visuals remain entrancing, the music is as powerful today as when it was released, and the task of clearing baddies from webs continues to be challenging. If you can look past the roughest levels, you'll find this to be a fun and highly memorable game. Here's hoping Llamasoft gives it a little post-release polish so it can become a modern classic, just like Tempest 2000.
Tempest 4000 is the greatest version of an arcade classic and is absolutely worth your time. If you’re into old-school games, you owe it to yourself to pick it up. Even if you’re not, 4000 could surprise you. As your dad would say, ‘get some culture in ya’.
Tempest 4000 is the final Llamasoft Tempest and an incredibly strong game to go out on.
Tempest 4000 is a euphoria induction apparatus designed to simulate the mystique of vector display technology and the ancient magnetism of exotic electricity. It is overwhelming and it is hard as shit and it doesn't care. Tempest 4000's score-chasing energy, in the wild purity of a "video game," feels like a magical retreat.
It was tragic to see something as great as Tempest fall into obscurity, only to have the spiritual successor taken away before it could really make its mark. As weird and whiplash-y as it is, it's just as great to see the same developer get to make a comeback and do an officially branded sequel. It feels like a dream come true, and I can't imagine how exciting this is for the folks at Llamasoft. Sure, it could have benefited from some more bells and whistles, but Tempest 4000 is the real deal, a new version of a remarkable arcade classic that isn't spoken of nearly as much as it deserves today. It doesn't feel cheap or old; it's pure game design boosted by badass music and a distinct visual style that settles comfortably into high definition. If we continue to get stuff like this from the new Atari, then sign me up.
If you are not a fan of simple arcade games, which it most undoubtedly is, you probably won't find much in Tempest 4000 to win you over. But for those who have any love for the series, and appreciation for the era of the arcade, you absolutely can't go wrong with this one. I prolonged this review longer than necessary because I just wasn't done playing it – and I'm still not. It's a winner.