Parents' Guide to Mothergunship

This first-person shooter draws players in with its fast-paced action, clever crafting system, and reliance on reflexes to make it stand out from other run-and-gun games. At first glance, Mothergunship looks like a traditional shooter: Players have to move from one place to the next, trying to make it to the next level while fending off enemies. But clever features help it stand out. First, it has a rich crafting system: As you go through each room and defeat enemies, you'll gain items you can use to build everything from shotguns that fire lightning bolts to rifle rocket launchers. This isn't just for amusement; without augmenting your firearms, trying to fight your way through the hordes of enemies in each ship will become impossible. This is part of the "bullet hell" gameplay, in which dozens of bullets are fired at you, and it's up to your reflexes to avoid getting destroyed by theincoming fire. The barrage of missiles coming at you is borderline surreal, and while there are pauses to allow you to catch their breath, the action leaves little time to think. But that adrenaline rush is part of the fun.

If there are any downfalls to Mothergunship, it's that the game's overall tone rarely changes. Ships frequently have similarities in their layout, and the gameplay almost feels like a wash, rinse, repeat style after a while. But the pacing is so quick that players won't have much time to think too much about the repetitive nature of the action. Similarly, while you won't pay much attention to the plot, it does have solid voice-overs and an amusing cast of characters who don't praise your efforts as much as they remind you to "not die." Full of style, challenge, and entertainment that breaks the standard shooter mold, Mothergunship delivers on all fronts.