Category: Game On

In a word – tops!

Graphically it is extremely well done, and the gameplay and story line in two player co-operative mode is really absorbing. Just when you’re thinking you’ve come to the end of a fairly short game – wham! – you have completed a fraction of what lies ahead and the quest continues.

This is the game we always wanted Gauntlet to be back in the 80’s. Even if you’re not a Dungeons and Dragons fan (I’m not), I can really recommend this game on all levels. Oh yeah, and the barmaid’s bazongas area really well animated too!

I’ve got so many games on the go at the moment it’s mad. First up is Wipeout Fusion – I’m a bit biased there, but I’ll sum it up by saying it’s the fastest racer ever and it looks great!

Next up is Ace Combat 4 – brilliant stuff, brings back Top Gun in a big way and the atmosphere is great during the tense missions and dog fights. The graphics are almost photo-realistic in places, and the menus and loading times are sensational. Top marks!

Jack & Daxter follow on behind, pushing a whole load of polygons in their journey over a fabulous looking fantasy land. It does smell a little like Crash Bandicoot… well, a lot actually, but it’s heaps better than Crash because it’s more open. If you find something that’s a pain to do, the chances are you can go and do a load of other things instead, and that’s great game design.

Now on to Rockstar’s State of Emergency – it’s crap, avoid it at all costs. Ok, to be fair, if you loved the missions in GTA3 where it was really frustrating and you lost your life just before you completed them then this is up your street. Even more so if you love games with scewed up camera movement, ‘cos in SoE it swings from your back to your side and round to your front without any logical reason while you’re getting a kicking from 8 riot police. Not fun and not a very good game either.

Dropship made it out of the packaging long enough for me to play the training level. It looked good, but it’s a little less playable than Ace Combat 4, so I’m leaving it ’til later.

Airblade on the other hand is still in the celophane. I have Tony Hawks’ 3 and I another take on the theme doesn’t really appeal to me. Could save it for a rainy day, I suppose.

Unlike similar games (Driver 1 & 2) the story line isn’t wrapped up in some convenient fuzzy plot about being an undercover cop, or trying to avenge your wronged or murdered sibling/lover. (Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Segal have been there way too many times!)

Oh, no. In this game you are a criminal. A dirty rotten one at that. You can beat up old men on the street for starters, smack a prostitute around for main course and then steal the ambulance that comes to their aid for deserts! And that’s not even scratching the surface of the multitude of missions you’ll have to complete for the various crime lords that operate above the law of Liberty City.

Sadly, our anti-hero has no such protection from the boys in blue and you can find yourself being rapidly hunted down by multiple cops in multiple cars, choppers and even the SWAT team will show up to lock you up or take you out. They really don’t have a preference on which.

As noted in far more professional reviews elsewhere on the web, the most striking thing about GTA3 is the size. The city, throbbing with traffic, fellow criminals and pedestrians is awe inspiring. It even has its own subway system so you can hop on a train to get between the three distinct areas without having to drive or steal a boat to get around.

However, the later options are much more fun – screaming about the streets in a stolen supercar or slipping through the waves in a procured power boat are what this game is all about.

Acquiring the vehicle of your choice, flicking to a radio station that suits your taste, and racing off to the scene of your next crime is the very strong glue that holds this whole game together. Add to that the changing weather conditions, time of day and artificial intelligence of the other inhabitants of Liberty and you have something instantly playable with deceptive depth.

It would be criminal to miss this one.