Pixeljunk Shooter 2

3 cert, Pixeljunk/Santa Monica Studios, PlayStation Network ***

3 cert, Pixeljunk/Santa Monica Studios, PlayStation Network ***

Now this looks familiar. Last month we reviewed Microbot, a shooter about a miniaturised vehicle that courses through the arteries and organs of the human body. Pixeljunk Shooter 2follows a spaceship trapped inside a giant creature. To be fair, the tone and pace of the new game is different; the music, with tones of hip-hop, has a pleasant rhythm, and the gameplay is both faster-paced and more puzzle-focused than Microbot. It's also ickier, with the graceful, swimming cells replaced by bile and gastric acids. Your tasks involve rescuing lost civilians and shooting and manipulating objects to make a path while fighting enemy crafts and parasites. The difficulty level is well-pitched and the gameplay smooth and logical. There's also a nice multiplayer co-op experience. A solid retro experience.