Brilliant reinterpretation of the Atari arcade classic by Jeff Minter. Hypnotic tubular gameplay, electrifying techno soundtrack, psychedelic effects. Difficult to describe, unique to experience. One of Saturn's most original and exhilarating games.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player7+
Description
Cult tubular shoot-'em-up by Atari in which the player glides along the edge of a tube to destroy enemies. Published by Interplay, released in Europe in 1997. One hundred and twenty-eight levels with varied geometric shapes, directional shooting and bonus jumps, PowerShield and SuperZapper, haunting electronic music by Yak. Saturn port of the Atari Jaguar classic Tempest 2000.
Tempest 2000 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
A cult work by Jeff Minter and Imagitec, the music unfurls a hypnotic, supercharged techno-rave that fuses with the game's psychedelic abstraction. Each level becomes a heady electronic trance, cut for the intoxication of reflexes. This visionary sonic energy, ahead of its time, remains a peak of the abstract shooter.
European PAL Saturn edition of Tempest 2000, distributed by Atari in January 1997, a conversion of the Llamasoft Jeff Minter vector shoot in a Saturn reading derived from the original Jaguar version. Atari Europe run was short given Atari's marginal position on the Saturn market, the European jewel case is fragile, and the general scarcity of Tempest 2000 on the Saturn makes it for Minter and Atari completists a targeted archive object. PAL identified clean complete with intact manual clearly valued.
An underrated gem
A psychedelic frenzy from Jeff Minter, this tube shooter turns a simple idea—gliding along the rim of a tube to blast everything—into a hypnotic trance carried by an insistent techno soundtrack. Overshadowed by the sinking of the Jaguar it came from, it stays underrated. Addictive and exhilarating, it's a trip arcade fans will adore.
Is Tempest 2000 still worth playing in 2026?
A Saturn adaptation of the famous Atari Jaguar vector shoot, Tempest 2000 offers a vertiginous shoot where you fire on enemies approaching through a vector geometric tunnel. The psychedelic vector art direction, hypnotic techno soundtrack and minimalist handling make it an absolutely cult gem of the Saturn catalogue. For anyone fond of minimalist shoots or seeking a unique psychedelic experience on the Sega machine, a warm recommendation still valid today without any hesitation for fans truly here indeed for any newcomer.
