Unreal

Title		Unreal
Publisher       UBI Soft
Game Type	Shoot-em-up
Players		1
Compatibility	Not AGA (but patch available)
Submission	Chris Vella cvella@specdata.com

Review
This game is broken down into 2 parts. A 3D shooting section and a 2D arcade
section. The first thing you notice about the game is the excellent graphics,
especially in the 2D section. The game switches between the 2 sections after
every level starting with the 3D  shooting level. The shooting section has you
as a bird character shooting at a variety of different dinosaurs while
collecting power ups. You have to be careful because you can fly into the
scenery depleting your energy in the process. Get to the end of the level and
your treated to an amazing still picture previewing the  next level. This
level is 2D and the graphics and sound effects are stunning! You now become a
warrior who carries a sword and must make your way to the end of the level.
There is a fair amount of Hack & Slash that has to be done to dispose of
monsters. There is also a slight puzzle element involved in this section. You
have to use your sword to flip some kinds of switches to be able to overcome
obstacles. Not very hard to figure out, but it is a nice touch. Once you get
to the end of this level you go back to a different 3D level and shoot
different enemies. Complete the shooting level again and you'll go to the next
2D level which has you in a wintry setting. This was my favourite level. It's
hard enough to walk without slipping on the snow but you have a howling wind
blowing at you to further impede your progress. The sound effects in this
section adds so much to the atmosphere of the game. Listen to it and I'm sure
you'll agree.
   I feel the overall difficulty level is a little to  easy. I completed the
whole game on just a couple of tries, saving my positions as I progressed to
the different levels. The game does allow you to save your positions to floppy
which I feel is always a good feature in a game.
   In conclusion, this game is a decent arcade game. Average by todays
standards but was amazing years ago when it was first released. The Graphics
and Sound will Amaze you. The use of color is great. The colors are almost
flourencent in appearance. All this without AGA. An AGA version of this game
would be tremendous. I wish more games would use the same color pallette. See
for yourself! The sound effects are very realistic. Some of which include a
crackling fire, wind howling, and running water. Upon completing the game your
unlikely to want to play it again for a while, which leads me to say that more
effort was put on the visual and audio aspects of the game rather than
gameplay. It's still a good game however. The ending animated sequence alludes
to a sequel which sadly never appeared.

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