HyperZone (Nintendo SNES, 1991)

Borrowing shooting elements from Space Harrier and emulating the overall look of F-Zero, HyperZone is a colorful outer space shooter in which players pilot five different ships (varying in speed, power, and weapons) down futuristic "highways," blasting away at hostile aliens while avoiding fireballs and space junk. Straying off the road into areas of radiation zaps the ship's energy, but cruising over panels in the road restores power and repairs ship damage. The viewpoint is from behind the ship, and players can maneuver up, down, right, and left, but the course never veers from its stubbornly straight pathway, making for some mind-numbingly repetitive shooting action. The sound effects are serviceable at best, but the music is fast and far out, and the landscaping is otherworldly. Hyper gamers will appreciate all the shooting, but the game is too repetitious and one-dimensional to put players "in the zone."