As a huge fan of arcade classics from many genres I’ve played more than my share of space shooters. As such, Vortex Attack EX very much feels targeted at someone like me specifically who can not only take on the challenge but appreciate the pretty wide variety of influences on its play mechanics. Your goal is simple, shoot enemies, avoid being hit, collect power-ups and gems that fall, and try to survive. As you progress and get more effective the game rewards you with each new mothership you defeat with a new ship variant to choose from as you start each game. These are really the game’s overall saving grace as each of them plays quite differently and provide both an incentive to play another run to try them out and new styles of play to master as you work to discover which works best for you. While it may not quite reach the heights of some of the other retro shooters on the system its budget price and variety in play styles still make it worthwhile for classic arcade shooter fans.