[{"TitleName":"Xavior","Publisher":"PSS","Author":"Paul Hutchinson","YearOfRelease":"1984","ZxDbId":"0005779","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 13, Feb 1985","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1985-01-24","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Angus Ryall\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey, Robin Candy\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\n©1985 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Magazine is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nSubscriptions [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\n\r\nPhotosetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow; Colour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]; Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £10.50 (UK Mainland post free), Europe: 12 issues £17.50 post free. Outside Europe by arrangement in writing.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. The opinions and views of correspondents are their own and not necessarily in accord with those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: P.S.S.\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £5.95\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: Paul Hutchinson\r\n\r\nYes, it's down to you again, this time you really are the very last survivor, in fact you are XAVIOR! If you think XAVIOR sounds a bit like SAVIOUR, you might be right, because that's what you are, the saviour of your race. In a vast subterranean complex beneath your planet the constituent sections of the DNA which, when combined, form the vital chain that enables your people to thrive once more, have been scattered about. The pieces take the shape of small red wiggles. In some rooms there are blue globes to be collected which allow you to open doors and fire. Fire power is essential! The complex is huge, 4096 rooms to be precise, and they are inhabited by as many as 256 different apparitions which materialise as soon as you enter a room. Contact with any of these apparitions is fatal. As the DNA pieces are collected, they are automatically linked up. On collection of the final piece of DNA the genetic chamber has its doors revealed and you must enter, destroying the nasties will ensure the survival of your race.\r\n\r\nThe screen is split up into a square playing area, with the walls of the rooms taking up quite a bit of the space. The doors are set into these walls, blue before exit is permitted, left black after opening. Once a room has been cleared of monsters it remains so, allowing free access to it again. On the right is the status board which informs you of how many 'clones' you have remaining, whether an orb has been collected and what you are allowed to do with it, DNA pieces linked, bugs purged and the amount of unused orbs.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: user definable, four directions and a fire needed\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Sinclair 2, AGF, Protek\r\nKeyboard play: very responsive\r\nUse of colour: good, very colourful\r\nGraphics: fairly smooth, very large and detailed\r\nSound: spot effects with tunes\r\nSkill levels: 1\r\nLives: 3\r\nScreens: 4096\r\nSpecial features: Currah Microspeech","ReviewerComments":["Xavior with its 4096 rooms plus 256 creatures sounds like it will keep you occupied for hours. After playing it I decided that due to the general routine of rooms and monsters all being very similar, the game was not very addictive. The graphics were smooth, but because the clone is so large you tend to have difficulty in moving about avoiding creatures. This is no bad thing, as without this the game would be boring. It's very well presented but there is not enough variation.\r\r\nUnknown","Different to say the least. Xavior, who looks like a Red Indian to me although he's actually yellow (but no coward), has to collect DNA to save his race - where have I heard this before? This game is played in a small part of the screen, why I don't know, perhaps they have tried to confuse the players with many moving objects in a small area. Xavior is quite well animated - fairly detailed as are all the graphics in this game. Everything moves very well at a nice pace. However, the game seems to lack in content, just mere shoot em up skills won't sell a game these days, high content is just as important. I must say that either the game is very simple (that is, not easy playing) or l must have missed a very large point of the game. A good, but confusing shoot em up, watch the tune - it drives you mad!\r\r\nUnknown","There seems to have been a drive recently to provide us with 'complex' games that contain thousands of locations. While this sounds impressive and can even be fun, the problem with such games is that the locations are all very similar if not identical. Such is certainly the case with Xavior, where there is little to distinguish between one room and another. That apart, the game is quite playable, for despite the size of the moving characters and the tiny playing space, the program is very kind in allowing you to hit aliens easily and does not kill you off at the merest contact. Good looking graphics, annoying sound, a reasonable shoot em up, but in the end a bit boring as well.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Above average to good.","Page":"46,47","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"One of the thousands of identical rooms from XAVIOUR with the red indian-like hero fighting his way through tons of materialisations."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"79%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"74%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"67%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"64%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"71%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"71%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 37, Apr 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1985-03-21","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\nEditor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne, Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Craig Kennedy\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nPublisher: Neil Wood\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nAdvertising Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Kathy McLennan\r\nProduction Assistant: Jim McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Maria Keighley\r\n\r\nMAGAZINE SERVICES\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\n\r\nTELEPHONE\r\nAll departments [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Peterboro' Web, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1985 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\n96,271 Jan-June 1984"},"MainText":"XAVIOR\r\nPSS Software\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nPrice: £5.95\r\nJoystick: Kempston\r\n\r\nStrands of DNA are firmly connected in most people's minds with biology lessons, yet PSS has succeeded in basing Xavior on those tiny gene carriers.\r\n\r\nXavior, the last surviving member of his race, must find and collect all the strands of DNA which carry the make-up of his people from a subterranean storage complex. Only when that is done can he ensure the perpetuation of his race.\r\n\r\nThe game starts at the entrance to the cavern; Xavior enters and at once sees a shimmering blue orb in a corner of the room. He picks it up knowing that this will de-energise the doors to each room in the complex. However, the orb has only enough power to neutralise four doors, and though others can be collected en route it is wise to pick them up only when needed.\r\n\r\nYour task is enormous - hidden in over four thousand rooms are a small number of DNA strands guarded by apparitions formed from pure energy. You have just enough time to run through each room before they materialise, but should you stop to pick up an orb or piece of DNA then they will do their best to neutralise you.\r\n\r\nXavior is the kind of game which leaves you panting in frustration, convinced that it is impossible to find all the strands of DNA and thus complete the game. The instructions state that the player must find the secrets to the orbs - an impossible task if, indeed, any secrets exist.\r\n\r\nHowever, for those that like bashing their heads against a brick wall - this is the game for you.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"30","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Clare Edgeley","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 89, Dec 1984","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-23","Editor":"Peter Worlock","TotalPages":66,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Peter Worlock\r\nDeputy Editor: David Guest\r\nProduction Editor: Lauraine Turner\r\nSub Editor: Harriet Arnold\r\nEditor's Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nNews Writer: Ralph Bancroft, Sandra Grandison\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPeripherals Editor: Kenn Garroch\r\nHardware Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nPrograms Editor: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: Dave Alexander\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Tim Brown\r\nLayout Artist: Bruce Preston\r\nPublisher: Cyndy Miles\r\nPublishing Assistant: Tobe Bendeth\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nGroup Advertising Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Bettina Williams\r\nAssistant Advertisement Managers: Laura Cade, Claire Rowbottom\r\nSales Executives: Claire Barnes, Phil Benson, Mike Blackman, Julian Burns, Steve Corrick, Tony Keefe, Andrew Flint, Christian McCarthy, Isabel Middleton, Sarah Musgrave, Tony O'Reilly, Anita Stokes\r\nProduction: Richard Gaffrey\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Jan Moore\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"PRICE: £5.95\r\nPUBLISHER: PSS [redacted]\r\n\r\nAs you might guess from our hero's name, your aim is to save something - no less than strands of DNA, crucial to the continuation of your race. In the cassette wallet there's a half-page story which outlines the scenario. You control Xavior, who is pretty large but quite well animated, even if he does waddle up the screen. Control is key-definable or joystick.\r\n\r\nThe display is the standard square with action to the left, gauges down the right. Instrumentation includes counters for DN As Linked, Bugs Purged, Orbs Unused and an Orb Meter.\r\n\r\nThe action takes place in rooms linked by hexagon-shaped blue doors. Some rooms contain orbs, which must be collected to keep up strength, needed to get through the doors. Others contain fragments of the DNA which have to be collected. Unfortunately, the rooms are monitored by a security system which is activated as soon as you enter, and a host of nasties slowly materialise.\r\n\r\nYou can dodge them if you're nimble fingered, and you can hurl orbs at them. This may help your rating when you've lost your third life, but don't be reckless, as you only start with 2,048 of them. Unfortunately the orbs don't bounce around.\r\n\r\nThere are supposed to be 4,096 rooms, and 32 designs. Many of the locations look rather similar but the monsters are varied and neatly animated.\r\n\r\nXavior is so complex and difficult that it should keep you amused for hours.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"48","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Bryan Skinner","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]