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by LucasArts
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When I first
read the synopsis of this game, I thought, "Oh no, not another space
marine saves Mars from alien attack" game. I wondered exactly how much
more derivative games could get and not get sued for licensing
infringement. But as RTX (short for Radical Tactics Expert) started in
its cinema screens, I felt myself starting to laugh. Apparently Im not
the only one out there thats had that thought. This game does a great
job of satirizing this sci-fi gaming genre while creating a plot driven
experience that keeps you going through the action. I just wish that the
action hadnt needed as much support.
Lets start with
the good stuff and work our way around. Our hero is Eugene Zeno Wheeler,
otherwise known as E.Z. He is a ranger, astronaut, and radical tactics
expert, who was wounded during an army operation and now has an enhanced
left eye and right hand. His Han Soloesque ways make him perfect for
one-man reconnaissance on the red planet, but he has the help from
I.R.I.S., his Independent Removable Information System that he has
programmed with the personality of a femme fatale. While on the planet,
youll be fighting L.E.D.s, or Light Emitting Demons, who communicate
with light instead of sound and are planning to finish off Earth if your
mission fails. The writing on this game is hilarious, as it takes all
the stereotypical elements weve come to expect and is self-depreciating
and delightful to the end. It is well acted and the cinema screens
deserve an enthusiastic "two thumbs up."
The set-up
for the action is well thought out. Your bio-enhanced eye has four
spectrum modes. Thermoscan is infrared and is used to reveal enemies in
the dark; naviscan is your maps and mission objectives; electroscan is
used to identify electrical malfunctions and control systems; and
bioscan is ultraviolet and used to detect forensic residue and foreign
life forms. You can move and fight in Thermoscan mode, and the visual
effects fighting the L.E.D.s is a fun layering to gameplay. Your right
arm can be fitted with a torque wrench, grappling hook, taser, plasma
cutter, or catapult, which augments your initial weapons selection. This
is not one of those games that has a massive armory to chose from.
Fortunately , the game doesnt really need it. Other items can be picked
up in the environment and used either as weapons or as an integral part
in getting you from point A to point B. There are ten levels to work
through (although the first is more of a short training mode), and they
include both indoor and outdoor terrain.
E. Z. can
jump, climb, and do evasive rolls, and the game does a good job of
playing with the gravity in outdoor levels. The third-person hovering
camera keeps up well with the movement, even on the stages where a lot
of jumping is required, and the only complaints I have are the
occasional moments in tight, indoor spaces where you are trying to
maneuver around and keep your perspective straight at the same time. Not
a major issue, however.
The graphics
are everything Ive come to expect from Lucas Arts. These games are now
getting a recognizable visual style to them, and RTX really reminds me
of Jedi Outcast, visually speaking. Fighting the L.E.D.s in thermoscan
mode looks especially cool, and reminds me of Final Fantasy: The Spirits
Within (the movie). Both the indoor and the outdoor environments are
well rendered, and I dont really have any complaints about the way
things looked. The execution of the design is equally well done. My
problems with the game, however, start with level design.
I felt very
confined in my ability to meet my objectives in the game. Its not that
Im not used to games where you cant open door X without the keycard,
then proceed through door Y, but especially with the aid of my scanning
modes, I almost felt as though all the fun had been taken out of getting
through the hoops. For instance, if you use you electroscan, you can
tell that there is an important piece of the puzzle locked away a
key needing to be found, for example, or a money card hidden behind an
air duct. Its not as though this sort of thing isnt done all the time
in other games. Its just that with a game that had such an irreverent
plot going on, I was hoping that it would ask for a lot more ingenuity
from me than it did. OK, so maybe Im pouting here, but I really wanted
more options in meeting game objectives, more complicated, branching
levels, and more of the sense of fun that popped up occasionally,
interwoven throughout the game.
And I guess
it is that sense of disappointment at missed fun that keeps a very solid
title from being a "must own" property. I would like to see the gameplay
become a little more complicated and zany, and I know that the minds at
Lucas Arts can deliver on that. After all, they are the ones who must
have asked how to give a fresh perspective to the space marine plot. So
now all they need to think about is, "How can we make getting from point
A to point B unexpected enough that our jaded audience wont be able to
put the controller down?" RTX is a game that definitely is worth taking
a look at, and those of us who have been through the whole Mars mission
thing a time or two will find the satire pretty humorous--which is a
good thing because if a person were to miss that the game is poking fun
at the genre, then it would certainly seem a pale, tired copy. But I
find it funny enough to rate playing through, though not necessarily
long enough to require purchasing, nor really having enough replay value
to need shelf space at home. So run out and rent it, enjoy the show, and
then wait for the next installment.
Monica Hafer (08/10/2003) |
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Snapshot
Ups:
Great storyline; excellent cinema scenes; some cool visual features.
Downs:
Too short; not enough replay value; mediocre
action.
Platform:
PlayStation 2
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