Platform: PlayStation 3

Genre: Shooter

Number of Players: 1 or 4

A few months back developer Housemarque offered fans of their downloadable game Super Stardust HD a chance at some new gameplay with a new solo pack. That’s just the thing that some players have been looking for, but there have been those who have wanted a multiplayer game, something beyond just the co-op mode that is offered with the addictive space shoot-‘em-up. Housemarque promised that there was in fact a multiplayer patch that was soon to come, though not before Super Stardust HD became the first game on the PlayStation 3 console to offer the new trophy system. But, just as we were promised, the new multiplayer options are now available as well as a few other goodies that we probably weren’t expecting.

I’ve mentioned quite often that when it comes to the downloadable content on the PS3, Super Stardust HD has become one of my favorite titles and one that is played quite frequently. Personally, I’ve never had the longing for a multiplayer version of the game, though some undoubtedly have. The new Team Expansion brings even more options into the game which is already brimming over with possibilities. The new multiplayer mode offers gameplay that isn’t too far removed from what you might find in just about every first person shooter, though the focus is still on overhead action.

A split-screen mode is brought into Super Stardust HD with this new expansion, and what you’ll find has a very familiar ring to it I’m sure. Deathmatches, Grab and Run, Last Man Standing, and King of the Hill; all the same things that many have played time and time again in an online setting with their favorite FPS titles. The options allow you to play these versions as every man for himself or to work together in teams. There are a variety of maps to work with as well as the ability to set the overall method of victory such as the time limit or the points needed for a win. The usual gameplay is still in tact as well, so you can expect to find upgrades for weaponry in large quantities, just the thing to turn some unsuspecting opponent into space dust.

The game now also offers the option to customize your spacecraft, something that works perfectly for the multiplayer mode so each player can have a ship that is to their liking. This option is also carried over into the single player version of the game as well. A new music selection has also been added into the game and Super Stardust HD now has orchestral versions of the tracks that you are familiar with. Hopefully Housemarque will eventually not only make these and the previous tracks available for download at some point (I do like the music quite a bit) but also offer them in such a way that those of us who like to do a bit of remixing might have the option to come up with our own versions. I smell a big contest potential.

What I had really hoped would be made available though is that ability to play the multiplayer and co-op mode in an online setting. I’m not one who really has guests over that often, mainly due to work schedule and my own, self-imposed seclusion. Multiplayer is great for those who do have company over quite a bit, but for me, it’s just one small thing that probably won’t get utilized nearly as much as it will for others. There’s also no new trophies added, but it would be something rather difficult to implement unless, again, this new patch was given the ability to be played online.

If you’ve been wanting multiplayer action though, the Super Stardust HD Team Expansion will offer plenty of it. Part of the enjoyment however might come from the size of your television, and while a 27” set probably isn’t gong to be the highlight for the game, it does look good on a 46”, something that should be the minimal requirement for those planning to jump into the realm of HD, and Stardust certainly is a game that can showcase that, multiplayer or otherwise.

 -mike-