Have You Played... Velocity 2X?

If I wasn't writing about games, I likely would never have heard of Futurlab's Velocity. It was a top down shooter that had a unique hook: what if your space ship could teleport? The result was a slick game that was a lot of fun to play. Velocity 2X added 2D platformer sections interlaced in most levels. It was even better!

During the top down shooter levels, you'll need to master the art of darting across the screen. It's a bit fiddly at first. Once you've got the timing down, if it was anything like my experience, it should become second nature to warp around. Just make sure you're using a pad when playing, as it is a bit of a headache to try with a keyboard.

Velocity 2X is otherwise a rather simple but fun shooter, where the focus is to get the highest score by collecting survivors, finishing levels quickly, and collecting every crystal, all without dying.

The 2D platformer sections are placed partway through levels. They're usually found in areas where you need to find and destroy a gate lock in a sequence you began while flying the ship. So long as you correctly begin the sequence, you won't waste your time cleaning out a platformer section.

Futurlab have since moved on to work on other things, but Velocity 2X remains their crown jewel. Its lasting appeal might be old-school, but it's worth a look thanks to just how it subverts both 2D platformers and top-down shooters alike.