Playstation > Whats New > PlayStation Reviews > Staff Review | ||
|
A.P.I Review: | RE-BOOT | ||
---|---|---|---|
Developer: | Electronic Arts | OPTIONS: | SCREENSHOTS: No.1 No.2 No.3 |
Distributor: | Electronic Arts | 1 Player | |
Game Type: | Shoot-em-up | Memory Card | |
Review Date: | April 1998 | Analog Compatible |
Setting the Scene
You take on the role of "Bob" and must battle the destructive forces of a robotic villain known as Megabyte. The action is set in Mainframe, an expansive futuristic world which exists inside of a computer. Derived from the television series of the same name, the games action centers around Megabytes obsession to take control of Mainframe. Bob's mission is to stop Megabytes "tears" from destroying the computerized cites.
Genre
The game is a 3D Shoot-em-up with Platform and Strategy elements.
Graphics
The game contains loads of FMV. Right from the opening sequence to level introductions you are treated to a feast of cartoon-like video. Some of it appears to be quite grainy - probably just a sign of the compression needed to fit it all on one C.D. The in-game graphics are truly state of the art. Each city is a completely 3D polygon world packed with nice little details everywhere. The Style is similar to that of G-Police and the games designers have used the same technique of blurring out the objects in the distance. Another great accomplishment is that there appeared to be no "Break-up" or "glitching" of the graphics. Better still when you move very close to the walls the resolution of the graphics was not blocky at all. Proof - if we really needed it, that games programmers are starting to harness the full power of our console at last.
Sounds and Effects
Hooray for E.A, they continue to be one of the few companies who know that the sounds contained within any game can contribute massively to the overall atmosphere that is created. Once again they have incorporated crystal clear surround sound effects into the game giving it a far greater 3D feel than would otherwise be possible. The background tunes are very DooM'esque in their feel and a few could be quite easily be mistaken for those used in the star Wars movies!
Playability
With any 3D game that involves moving around in a gravity free environment, its essential that the control of your character is easy to master. E.A have done the right thing and kept things very simple - so much so that the game still plays very well using the normal Sony digital pad. You first enter a game level with no objective other than to get familiar with the city its-self and gun down a few of the robotic enemies that lay lurking in a few of the back alleys. Shooting your enemies, or indeed many of the trash cans and boxes lying around will reveal power-ups that range from health to weapon rechargers. Further investigation will reveal symbols (usually located in harder to reach areas of the city) that will give you additional; lives or completely new weapons. Within a few minutes the arrival of the first "tear" is announced, a timer starts to count down and your real mission begins.... So what is this "tear" thing? Well think of it as a computer virus that needs to be killed very quickly before is wipes out the whole computer generated city with you still in it! Using your radar you need to quickly find this thing, zooming up ramps, lifts and jumps to get you up to the higher levels of the City. You have full freedom of movement due to the entire city being stored in memory and the speed and grace that your character moves is a joy to behold. The Platform "feel" to this game is created by the elevated walkways that need to be very carefully navigated - often one careless move will send you crashing from the sixth level back to the ground with a bump. Walkways often need to be jumped between - requiring a good run-up followed by a blast of the jets on your hover board. To make life a little more interesting there are also various enemies located at different points on these platforms - some stationary, some that form barriers to areas of the city and some who will pursue you firing at will. On arrival at the "tear" you must use your special repair unit to neutralize it. Sounds easy, but if you stand too far away your repairer wont work and standing too close sees you zapped by an electric bolt as the tear protects its-self. Once two or three of the tears have been located and removed you will be asked to find a number of "Pass Keys" that will let you leave the city and move to a new area, where you will face tougher enemies and more difficult to reach "Tears". The game has the following Features: * 21 Levels * 8 Bosses * More than 30 enemies * Multiple Weapons and gadgets
Value for Money
I found the difficulty level to be a little on the tough side, by level 3 the cities were becoming very maze-like, with numerous enemies and some very difficult areas to reach. Needless to say I don't think that you will be completing this game within a few hours of owning it.
Opinion | ||
MARTIN | ||
GRAPHICS: | 18/20 | A
very slick game with loads of FMV and some nice sound effects. The
in-game visuals are also very impressive. The game should appeal to fans of the DooM genre and those who like 3D platformers. Expect to throw down your Joypad in frustration a few times during the course of the game, although I feel sure that you will keep coming back to it time and again. |
SOUND: | 9/10 | |
PLAYABILITY: | 45/50 | |
VALUE: | 16/20 | |
OVERALL | 88% |