Side Effect

Side Effect is a cancelled fixed-screen shooting game where the player's ship is positioned in the center and rotates 360 degrees in order to shoot down waves of enemies which approach from all sides and prevent them from reaching the center of the screen where the player is positioned. Most likely the game was meant to be released in 1991.

The game is set on earth in 1999, in a future where though mankind is reaching the peak of their civilisation, environmental pollution means the planet is descending into chaos and decay and the computer networks, owing to computer technology's merging with biotech, has grown to a network which covers the earth. A network which becomes sentient, and swiftly outgrows human ability to control it, becoming a threat to their continued existence. Project 'Deep' is formed with one objective: enter the network's central control and destroy it.

Players rotate their craft around the center of the screen using an Arkanoid-like paddle/spinner controller and a single button for shooting. The shot can be charged up for a more powerful shot by releasing the fire button.

The game features a unique viewpoint for the genre at the time, neither scrolling horizontally or vertically, or having the ship positioned on a horizontal track at the bottom of the screen, a la Space Invaders or Galaga. Power-ups enable multiple craft/gunports to control, enabling the player to defend a wider area of the playing field from the enemy onslaught.