Armada, the first Dreamcast game from small developer Metro3D, is an odd mix of the familiar gameplay of Asteroids and RPG elements. The game didn't seem destined for great success prior to its release, but it has become something of a cult hit, with a fair sized following. Clans have already started to pop up in anticipation of Armada 2, which promises online play.

An Asteroids/RPG hybrid may seem like a strange combination, or perhaps even a recipe for disaster. But at the very least, Metro3D has done a workmanlike job of bringing them together in a worthwhile package. The basic gameplay requires the player to talk to people on your home planet, pick up a mission, complete and repeat. The much-touted RPG elements essentially consist of these missions and the ability to rack up experience points, level up and buy new items, not to mention the story tidbits you pick up along the way. The action in space follows the Asteroids formula fairly closely. You control your ship using shoulder buttons for thrust, the analog stick to point your ship in the right direction and the remaining buttons for your ship's remaining features, like bombs and shields. Such a basic control scheme would be fairly difficult to get wrong, and Metro3D has ensured everything is responsive and works nicely.

Space combat makes up most of the gameplay. Once you leave your home planet for the first time, you'll find yourself in the expanses of space, set upon by Armada ships almost immediately. Much like in Asteroids, you'll often find yourself being closed in on from all sides - in this case, however, by alien spacecraft rather than big hunks of rock. In the early going, you'll likely find the gameplay consists mainly of ramming armada ships head on with blasters blazing.  Thankfully, with a little bit of experience, you'll soon be able to take out opposing ships using more strategic and rewarding methods. A variety of special items and the race you choose to play as (there are six options) will also have an impact on how you play.

Armada can often put you in the middle of a sea of unfriendly fire and exploding ships. At these times, the game looks its most impressive, but it can also be at its most unwieldy. Sometimes there's just too much going on for you to have much control over your own destiny. When you take on a large enemy ship on a planet, for example, you're usually swarmed by Armada ships and laser fire, reduced to holding down your blaster button and using up your power pods in a battle of "who dies first?" The other major gameplay problem is that traveling through space and fighting Armada ships over, over and over again can get fairly tiresome. Most of the missions are either find and destroy or find and deliver. In between times, you can escort friendly ships through space for money, perhaps the most entertaining activity to engage in. Leveling up takes a long time, so while leveling up can be a motivator to keep going, you still need a bit of patience to actually reach a new level. Leveling is sometimes necessary, as some missions are just too challenging for ships that haven't reached a certain level.

Armada's graphics are always functional, and with a lot of things going on at once, they can be downright impressive. The ships, planets and space itself all look the part, although they're nothing particularly special. The real meat of the graphics is in the shot and explosion effects, which are pretty eye catching. The overall look, however, is fairly basic with the occasional flash of excellence.

As far as sounds go, the voice acting is quite good, particularly when you consider that a small developer like Metro3D has produced better results than bigger developers such as Capcom and Activision. The sound effects are all fairly crisp and fit nicely with the action on screen.  The music is very nice, existing more as ambient background sound than as a theme that underlies the game. As such it's very forgettable, but it also never becomes annoying, as game music often can.

All in all, Armada is a neat distraction, but it takes a while to get into before you reach a level where you can use much strategy. Once you've reached that point, it's rather engaging... for a while.  Ultimately though, a lot of gamers will find it soon after becomes a little too repetitive - too much repetition with not enough immediate reward and still perhaps not enough strategy.  Those interested in the game may want to hold out until later this year, when Armada 2 is released. That game will feature online play and hopefully more varied gameplay as well. If you're really itching for a space shooter, do yourself a favor and give this one a test drive before you buy it.