AmigActive 13/AACD13.ISO/AACD/Information/DiskMags/AIOIssue38/data/gr1

Text File | 2000-08-22 | 5KB | 100 lines

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{subhead}Classic Games- Gods{def}{p}
Review by David Muscat ([e-mail])
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Back in the early nineties, platform games were amazingly popular
with titles such as Super Mario Brothers and Alex Kid to name a few.
Yet nearly all platformers were of the cute,
jump-on-the-monsters-to-kill-them type, which turned off many
potential players who wanted something more serious and less
childish. Some titles, such as the classic Shinobi, indeed managed to
do this, but it was not until the arrival of the Bitmap Brothers’s
Gods did Amiga players finally get to really explore this new avenue
of platform gaming.
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Gods is set somewhere in ancient Greek myth, a time when the various
gods enjoying toying with mortals for divine amusement. Their
favourite source of entertainment is to set challenges for specific
heroes to complete, and should that warrior accomplish the mission,
they will be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams. Their latest quest
is to enter an ancient city notorious for the demonic minions who
dwell there and to slay them all. The reward for anyone brave enough
to do so is a gift humanity would forever search for: immortality.
But defeating the denizens of this city was not easy, and everyone
who hears of this quest unanimously agree that there is only one
among them who has any hope of returning alive. His strength is
unparalleled among warriors, and he is a master of all forms of
combat. You guessed it- Hercules.
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The graphics are some of the best ever seen on the Amiga, with
beautifully detailed levels. Your breath will be taken away when you
see the colourful, yet ancient textures on the bricks and tiles as
well as the medieval carvings on doors and blocks. The enemies could
have been more varied, but still look very good and fit in well with
the feel of the game. You'll find gargoyle statues that come to life
in your presence, two-legged (or is that two-handed?) gorilla
mutations, monsters dressed in Greek and Roman armour, and even a few
who like nothing more than to steal the valuable items that litter
the City. Hercules himself is magnificently detailed, with well-drawn
muscles and a helmet, complete with plume, in this incarnation,
making him look much meaner than the television version. His death is
also very well portrayed and again, very original; with a
mind-numbing scream, he explodes into a group of moaning souls. The
animation is smooth, with few loading periods. And all this splendour
can be achieved with an Amiga 500.
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The sounds are excellent, in particular the thud thud of Hercules
boots, his groans when he is injured, and the ominous rotating of
grounded spikes which can do large amounts of damage if you get too
close. At first, many may be surprised that Gods does not have any
in-game music at all. This was a clever move by the Bitmap Brothers,
as along with the realistic graphics and sound, the lack of music
adds to the game's overwhelming atmosphere, which is what the game is
all about. Much like the recent Half-life on PC, you cannot simply
play Gods- you must be enveloped by it. And this is what it certainly
achieves. Yet Gods does have a fabulous intro tune, called Into the
Wonderful by NationXII, which blends in well with the game and is
always a favourite on my MP3 player.
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In playability stakes, Gods is a pick-up-and-go affair, with your
basic walk, jump, crouch, kill etc. The action is interspersed with
many puzzles that can be taxing but eventually solvable. The action
itself is basic, but still extremely fun, especially when you find
(or buy) new weapons, or collect multiple weapons of the same kind.
Projectiles have different properties to discover, such as the spears
that pass through walls and the maces that can destroy selected
bricks, usually to uncover a secret item. Later on in the game, you
can even purchase a small reptilian bird that follows you and shoots
fireballs at your enemies. And so the fun continues
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Perhaps the only gripes about Gods become visible in the lastability
department. First of all, the save system is limited to a password
for each world, and some players may find their patience tested when
they have to complete the three levels that comprise a world. Yet
this is not a major problem, as most players will be so addicted to
the game that they will be prepared to put in the required effort.
Yet there are only four worlds to explore which means that there are
only twelve levels in the whole game. It may sound like a lot, but
those who complete Gods will probably find themselves yearning for
more. Perhaps another world (or two?) would be in order
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These problems aside, Gods is perhaps one of the best games the Amiga
500 era has ever produced. With gorgeous graphics, great sounds and
loads of atmosphere and detail, it really is a must. Somehow, the
Bitmap Brothers have crammed a masterpiece onto two disks.
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Developer:  The Bitmap Brothers
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{bold}Available from{nobold}: VENDOR OR Aminet:game/DIR/FILE.LHA ({link ftp://de.aminet.net/ftp/aminet/pub/game/DIR/FILE.LHA}Download This{end}){p}
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{bold}Graphics{nobold}      : 94%{p}
{bold}Sound{nobold}         : 91%{p}
{bold}Playability{nobold}   : 93%{p}
{bold}Lastability{nobold}   : 88%{p}
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{bold}Overall{nobold}       : 93%
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