Return to Eden
Written: Oct 12 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great gameplay; impressive graphics; interesting lead character; good sound effects; requires loads of strategy and planning.
Cons: No multiplayer option
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| lalalaladasj's Full Review: Heavy Metal F.A.K.K.2 For Windows |
This is my home. These are now my people. I will watch over them and protect them from all that might blight this holiest and wondrous of places. I am F.A.K.K. 2 and no mercy shall be given to the spoilers of the Universe.
-- Julie, saviour and protector of Eden One
WHEN I got my hands on HEAVY METAL: F.A.K.K.2 (and that stands for Federation Assigned Ketogenic Killzone To The 2nd Level for all you clueless people out there), my first thought was "Oh no! It's Lara Croft in disguise!'' But after several hours of navigating my way through a planet gone mad and battling some really nasty-looking creatures, I have decided that Tomb Raider was a walk in the park compared to this.
For one, there is a lot more action than adventure in F.A.K.K.2 than I had bargained for. (In Tomb Raider, solving puzzles and finding clues were the main objectives of the game).
Not that I am complaining.
Personally, I find all that hacking and blowing up of monsters, highly entertaining. (But then again, that's just the violent streak in me talking).
Secondly, F.A.K.K.2 is all about strategy. (Sorry folks, no mindless carnage permitted here). You have to plan your every move. This gets clearer as the game progresses; the price of one careless move is none other than instant death.
The story
So what is F.A.K.K.2 all about? Well, the game is actually based on the 1970s comics cult classic Heavy Metal, which spawned a movie. The game is set 30 years after the events in the movie.
You take on the role of Julie, the saviour and protector of the survivors of Eden One -- a place of perfect natural balance.
It's been 30 years since Julie defeated the evil would-be God Lord Tyler on the bloody battlefields of the Holy Land.
In that time, together with the help of the survivors she gathered on her journey back from the Holy Land, Julie has begun rebuilding the ruined city of Eden atop the mystical bubbling geysers of Eden One, the home planet.
Eden is the source from which flows life-giving water; which also stops the ageing process and grants eternal youth to the inhabitants of Eden One.
Over the years, however, with the discovery of this new water source, the inhabitants of Eden One have grown complacent and their warrior instincts, softened.
And it is into this very atmosphere of Utopian complacency that Gith comes calling -- thus turning the once peaceful planet into a place of utter chaos and destruction.
Gith is the extremely powerful ruler of Gith industries, an evil corporation designed only to implement the evil and twisted dreams of Gith.
Those who refuse to live Gith's dreams are turned over to the Phantom Limb Corp where they become involuntary "organ donors'' for the betterment of Gith. (Hmmm. Not a very nice guy, is he?)
As the saviour and protector of Eden One, it is up to Julie, therefore, to save her planet for she is the only one able to defy the mantra of "Gith Wants. Gith Gets.'' and spare Eden's population from the enslavement of this would-be god.
The game
As Julie, your mission is simple. Stop Gith at all and any cost. Save the people of Eden from the probable future and restore peace to Eden once and for all.
Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?
Hmmm. That's what I thought too until I actually started playing the game.
Heck, it took me almost an hour before I finally figured out how to kill the biggest boss monster at the end of the game. I am serious here.
I tried every weapon I had from electric swords to rocket blasters and used all sorts of combo attack moves. Nothing happened. It was like hitting a brick wall with a pillow. I finally discovered the secret -- quite by accident really. And boy was it a neat little trick to know. (I wouldn't mind sharing this secret with you but since that would mean taking all the fun out of the game, I think I will leave you to discover it yourself).
Highlights
* Gameplay and controls -- F.A.K.K 2 which is the first Quake III engined game to come out, is one of the easiest third person games I've ever played. There are several reasons for this, of course.
For one, game controls in F.A.K.K.2 were modelled so perfectly that I had no problems whatsoever in controlling Julie -- unlike Tomb Raider which often left me feeling frustrated and fed-up.
It was also easy to remember the control keys since there were no weird key combinations required to get Julie to perform any kind of action.
(Like Lara Croft, Julie can also climb poles, scale narrow ledges, jump across platforms and crawl into small caves. However, controlling Julie was a piece cake when compared to Lara).
For example, to climb a pole, all you have to do is press the Jump key and once Julie has grabbed onto the pole, simply press the Up or Down keys to move her in the direction you require.
Now compare this to Tomb Raider where players are first required to press the Jump key, then while holding down the Action key, press the Up or Down keys. This is not only a difficult key combination but also one that could be very frustrating when you are in a hurry to get somewhere.
Secondly, in F.A.K.K.2 Julie can choose to hold weapons using either her left hand, right hand or both hands at once to attack her enemies. (Yes, you can mix and match your weapons).
For example, Julie can hold a sword in her right hand and a gun in her left hand and perform a series of combo attack moves using both weapons. A really cool move, if you ask me, especially when surrounded by a bunch of small evil-looking monsters that insist on spitting poison at you.
There is also a wide range of weapons to choose from, such as sling-shots, swords, guns and rocket launchers. My favourite was the battle axe and the electric sword.
(What can I say? I am the kind of gal who prefers to hack my enemies to death instead of pumping them full of bullets. Besides, guns have the nasty habit of running out of bullets at the worst possible times).
Selecting weapons was also easy once you remembered the controls -- Key 1 for swords, 2 for slingshots, 3 for guns, etc.
You can also save or load your game at any time, which comes in real handy if you are not sure what to do next.
* Character -- Unlike Lara Croft, Julie is not merely a face with a great body. She kicks butt. And does it with a whole lot more style than Lara.
This is largely due to the fact that Julie is modelled after Julie Strain -- the 6ft tall model, actress, photographer and website star of truly extraordinary proportions -- and not just some artist's version of a what a female gun-totting, buxom-bodied female would look like.
Get it?
Julie was not only a lot more interesting to look at -- her outfits change from full-length bodysuits to a striking red bikini as the game progresses -- she also has character and is a whole lot more skilful in combat compared to Lara. (I'm sure the guys will agree with me on this one).
* Enemy AI -- F.A.K.K.2 is not exactly an easy game to play. It required a lot of forethought on my part and a lot of planning as well.
I liked that. Mindless carnage gets boring after awhile.
With F.A.K.K.2, I become so engrossed with getting to the next point in one piece that I often lost track of time.
(Oh, and just for the record, I finished the game in less than five days. A pretty good sign, don't you think?)
* Graphics -- I have no complaints about the graphics. The game offers an impressive set of stage settings where Julie is whisked from dark gloomy sewers to strange brightly-lit worlds.
Do pay attention to your surroundings and take note of how lighting and shadows have been put into effect to create truly visually stimulating scenes.
There are also loads of cutscenes which tell you what to do next, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.
* Sound effects -- The sound effects are nicely done, and are timed perfectly to create very life-like situations. The sound effects also serve as early warnings to the alert player.
The heavy metal music playing in the background compliments the game really well, creating the perfect atmosphere for it. Unfortunately, all that thrashing and pounding, gave me a headache after awhile.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lalalaladasj
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Reviews written: 9
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