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A.P.I Review:	OVERBLOOD
Developer:	Rivershillsoft	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	Electonic Arts	1 Player
Game Type:	Adventure Platform	Memory Card
Availability:	Out Now

Rapid Review

Imagine waking up in a strange chamber filled with sleep pods, without
any idea who you are or how you got there or why you look like Al from
'Home Improvement'. The chamber is bitterly cold and if you don't find
some way to warm up soon you're likely to turn into a giant bearded
popsicle. This is the story presented by the movie intro and opening
scene of Overblood.

The basic idea of the game is to navigate your way through the underground
facility that you find yourself in.  To assist you in your quest you come
across a little robot companion named Picky. This introduces the game element 
that separates Overblood from other games in this genre because you can
actually swap between any of three characters in the game in order to
complete certain tasks and solve puzzles. Unfortunately that's where the
differences end, this game offers nothing really new and you will spend
most of your time walking around dull corridors, opening doors and
pushing giant crates to activate other doors and elevators so you can
walk through them to find more doors.  You get the idea. 

The story unfolds as you progress through the game and actually makes it 
worthwhile struggling through the interface and the boring scenery. The 
character graphics are also quite good and easily up to par with 
Resident Evil. 

The music does quite a good job of setting the scene and putting you on
edge as you attempt to discover your identity and escape your dark
imprisonment. There is quite a lot of sampled speech and while it may not 
be the best acting I've ever heard it does get the idea across.
Sounds effects are well done if limited to the sound of footsteps, doors
opening and robot beeping sounds from Picky.

Comment

Overblood attempts to emulate and build on the success of similar games
in the genre and really doesn't cut it. Resident Evil 2 is a much better
buy if you're interested in this type of game. Having said that,
Overblood isn't a bad game, it's just arrived at a bad time, and in a
world filled with plotless shooters and pointless beat-em-ups it's a
breath of fresh air.