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 North America 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.
North American run of Tempest 2000 on Saturn, distributed by Atari/Interplay in the US in 1996, a Saturn reading of the Llamasoft Jeff Minter vector shoot derived from the Jaguar version. Atari's presence on the American Saturn was very marginal and the console was fading in the United States: the NTSC-U run was brief and the title has become one of the harder US Saturn releases to track down. A sharp target for Minter completists, Atari fans, and NTSC Saturn collectors.
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.
