Name this game

[FryCook]

not another one of those "do you remember this game?" posts!

indeed it is. the folks here seem very knowledgeable, so maybe you folks can help me with this one.

it was a multiplayer game with up to four players each controlling a little space ship.

the object of the game was to push enemies into a vortex that randomly appeared and moved around the playing field.

you couldn't actually damage ships by shooting them, but your shot would push them in a direction. plus you could bank a shot of the walls and nail some one on the other side of the arena.

there also was a group of ai controlled ships that spawned and if you managed to push them into the moving vortex, you would advance to the next stage.

the last couple of things i remember are that the levels had powerups, the arena was exactly the size of the screen, and the background was a blue grid that would deform as the vortex moved around it.

i believe the name of the game was the same as the name of the vortex that appeared, but no, the game is not called "vortex". = )

any help would be greatly appreciated. ever since i started thinking about this game i just remember more and more great times i had playing it!

thanks!

[FryCook]

first off, thanks for all the replies.

looking at the screen shot mepmepmep linked too, that is definitley not the game.

the screen did not scroll. all the action took place on a single screen, but trust me, it was done right.

please don't hate me, but it could have possibly been an atari ST game. i owned both systems at the same time, and loved them both deeply. of course the amiga won me over as it was clearly a superior machine when it came to graphics (my line of work).

the game i'm thinking of also was commercially released. it was not a demo or freeware, and the quality showed. it had super tight visuals, game play, and design.

don't know if that helps ring any bells.

i've checked some amiga game list on-line, but they all seem incomplete. although they brought back tons of memories. airball anyone?

[FryCook]

howdy folks.

well i don't know how i missed such a fantastic game list, but after perusing the seemingly endless list of titles that could match this game, i found what i was after.

the title of the game is Ebonstar, which as i remember it now is NOT the name of the vortex, but the name of the little satellite that creates the vortex.

anyway...check it out if you get the chance. really a fantastic game.

http://www.amigagames.com/gage/

thanks!