Game Review Page

Marks are given for each game by giving it a number of . 5 means that it is excellent and 1 means that it is rubbish. 3 is average.

• PC Games:
  
  • SYSTEM SHOCK
  
  
• N64 Games:
  
  • Turok
  • Pilot Wings
  • Super Mario 64

PC Games:

SYSTEM SHOCK

LookingGlass Technologies / Origin

Reviewed by Chris Chapman

From the team that brought us Ultima Underworld, and its even more excellent sequel Underworld II, comes System Shock. Using a similar engine to its two predecessors, it deals with science fiction rather than the medieval kingdom of the Ultima series. And it does it pretty well too.

The year is 2072, and a hacker is brought in to remove all ethical constraints from SHODAN, an artificial intelligence in control of Citadel Station around Saturn, a research station run by the Trioptimum Corporation. The hacker, in return, is awarded a neural cyberspace interface, which will entail a healing coma lasting six months.

You’re that hacker, and after six months in hibernation you wake up on Citadel Station and discover something is very, very wrong.

It seems everybody is dead. Killed by cyborgs and mutants, and it seems you helped create them.

System Shock is a tightly plotted and engrossing game. It incorporates elements of plot- driven graphical adventures like Underworld II, shoot-em-ups such as Doom, and elements I haven’t seen before, like the cyberspace sections. For those who don’t like the combat, or who have an aversion to the puzzles or plot sections, there are several types of difficulty level that can be customised.

The flickering lights, atmospheric sound effects and, above all, absolute carnage in the sterile station environment often generate caution and fear (and on some occasions, panic). The logs of the dead station personnel can all be heard in full on the CD version, and they do even more to increase the mood. There’s no trolls here that call you Rodriguez – there’s little comic relief in this game.

The plot is one of the best I’ve ever come across in a game, and includes several amazing and perfectly timed twists. This is one of two games I’ve ever played that’s made me recoil in genuine despair and horror (if you really need to know, Ultima VII is the other one). Advice to new players: whatever you do, however great the temptation, you do NOT want to read spoilers for this game. No, really.

To the technicalities: the graphic engine is quite impressive, but slow and rather old (textures sometimes warp when you get close). However, playing on today’s top-end machines is a dream – full screen SVGA and pretty smooth too. Just don’t expect Quake.

Sound effects – faultless. The noise of the huge doors is ominous, the audio logs (with their own background sound effects) build up palpable tension. The voice of SHODAN is one of the most perfect elements ever created for a game – friendly, soothing but dangerously insane.

Music – for the first time ever playing an Origin game, I turned the music off. Origin’s game scores are usually gorgeous, but I found this one repetitive and grating. Not to say it doesn’t fit the game – it fits quite well – but I dislike the style. Besides, playing with no music increases the tension ten-fold.

Design – very well implemented. An easy to use interface reminiscent of the Underworld games. Sometimes it gets awkward juggling all the different windows though. As for game universe design, again faultless. A totally believable station, thrown into disarray. A cast of dozens of characters, with the details of their actions leading up to SHODAN’s takeover.

Mood – haven’t you been listening? For a truly harrowing experience play this game at night, alone, with the lights off and the sound up (oh, and the in-game music off). Yes it’s a cliche, yes it’s true. Deeply horrifying at points.

Difficulty – can be configured. I can’t get far with combat on normal, and prefer the plots, so I play with combat on the lowest setting. But if you prefer action, turn plot and puzzles off and roam freely, killing everything in sight. The game caters for all types of player.

Overall – an absolute 5 out of 5, and one of the few games I’d ever award such a mark.

Why not visit TRIOPTIMUM, Chris’s site devoted to the game?
Warning: contains spoilers.

N64 Games:

Turok:

The games is about a young man who has been trapped in an alien dimension/world. He is a Turok and has been brought to the land to fight for freedom against dinosaurs and cyborgs. You start with only a knife, but soon get automatic shotguns and particle accelerators. The last weapon two weapons are the Fusion Gun and the Chronoseptor. These are extremely powerful and destroy most of the things on the screen.

The game play is excellent and in my opinion the game is a must for all QUAKE and DOOM players.

Pilot Wings 64:

In this game, you are a trainee pilot, trying to learn to fly things such as a hanglider. You also get a chance to play with a cannon and a parachute. Tests include shooting down balloons and firing yourself at targets.

The graphics are very good and the levels are quite hard. The bad part is that you soon get bored of a level after failing it for the tenth time in a row. The game continues with all the same sorts of things throughout.

Super Mario 64:

As usual, the Princess has been kidnapped by Bowser and our hero, Mario, has to go off and collect stars to save her and defeat Bowser. There are 120 different stars to collect and 15 levels each with seven to collect. Yoshi isn’t in this until the very end, which is a shame, but nothing can be completely perfect.

The game play is truly excellent and you can never get bored of the game. The graphics are also very good as well as the music. I’ve finished the game and have started again because I liked it so much.