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by Craig Grannell (November 20th, 2010 at 2:58 pm)
Often, the best games are those that strip a genre back to basics, leaving it in its purist form. In this modern age of hugely complex 3D shooting games, Westbang has long been a breeze of fresh air, battling against the stench of shit that emanates from the bulk of iOS shooters.
Westbang cunningly eschews mid-1990s (and on) fare, instead drawing influence from Sega classic Bank Panic (or, as Suv points out on the comments, Gremlin’s blatant 1986 rip-off Westbank). You’re in a sheriff in a suspiciously busy bank. Doors randomly open. If it’s a customer, don’t shoot; if it’s a bandit, shoot—but only after they draw (because you’re one of the good guys).
An accurate representation of what happens when Western governments allow the banking sector to be destroyed by idiots. OHO! SATIRE! (Sort of.)
Over the game’s 25 levels, things speed up and 21 different characters are introduced. The basic tap controls are first-rate and the game looks, sounds and plays great. For 59p/€0,79/99¢, it was a massive bargain, but it’s currently free, do download it now.
Review 
Podgamer Recommended
by J Nash (October 8th, 2010 at 11:11 am)
Absolutely tremendous arena shooter crossing every coin-op you like with most of the others and which bungs character back into neon wireframe by featuring actual monsters rather than the post-Geometry Wars basic shapes every idiot and their idiot dog point-missingly photocopied. Instead of variously hued triangles you’re chased here by a pleasingly queasing cast of wriggling electro-beasties, all pouncing animation, hovering turrets, slithering distance and skeletal gliding.
The ingenious thrust of Cyber Circuit is nicked from Gauntlet — infy monsters from destructible generators. Each (Tempest-ily tight and angular) level has at least two walls where scampish cranes lay gens, so the idea is to zip over as fast as possible and blow up the factories before you’re overwhelmed by the production line OF EVIL. Kill all the gens, win the level. Naturally the gens are on opposite sides of the arena and equally naturally the worse the generated beastie the ominously larger and more bullet-resistant the compiler, from a row of four that squirt out tiny harassing pawns, through a pair that construct (er) sinister armed bishops, to the kingly wall-filling super-gen that promotes blenching.
Embarrassingly, these are promo shots. It’s IMPOSSIBLE to snap a neat pic, not least because the game locks out the screenshot-taking button combo after the first time. Anyway, this one is a pic of the whole arena that fairly reflects the game (except barely anything’s happening).
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