Messiah - A game I spotted with a preview rating in ComputerActive, and seemed to have a lot of potential. Well, it did, and does, it needs finding perhaps.
Developed through Shiny and Interplay, the delay of this game coming out I understand raged onwards for some time, and a hurried ending looks to have taken place. This, unfortunately seems to have turned the cards slightly from a most original game to a regular platformer. I'm not saying there are no decent platform games out there, on the contrary, (Flashback was once a favourite of mine), but this could have been something special.
Messiah concerns Bob, a young winged sprite who has the power to control the souls of other bodies, and it's primarily through this function that you conduct your passage through the game. The mite himself, without protection, is as delicate as a chocolate fireguard on melting point, and a few solitary shots will kill him, so it's essential to keep him under cover at all times. I also would like more power in his wings, because Bob can't properly fly in them. A definite drawback to the game is how anybody targeting Bob can accurately shoot him first time, as small as he is. The feature I like about the game, is how certain types of character must be possessed to gain access to particular areas, such as security sites or radioactive areas. However, if that character has been killed, that, obviously, does pose a slight problem. The enemy characters in the game are stealthy and cunning, and can take suitable cover, which impresses me, and somehow are always very durable. The difficulty arises with survival, since it's very easy to cause a conflict, and begin a mass shooting parade, and any character Bob is seen to possess is shot down at first attempt. On the positive front, the sublime pace and action of the game cannot be faulted.
Graphically, I thought this was superb, and see to an extent why the long wait existed. The futuristic, barren look is marvellous, adding to the hosility. The sound effects also are a bonus, as the music brings tension when necessary, the character voices reflect their aggression towards you, and I love the calamity of the battles, and Bob's possessing and depossessing of souls.
In conclusion, this game will still make a great opportunity for someone bored of the regular platformer and wanting a real, tough challenge, because most of my discrepancies are associated with difficulty. The game is very well presented, but the difficulty narrows the playability I fear to a minority of gaming pros.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Fully interactive environments, great first-person combat system, multiple ways to accomplish goals, online multiplay. Disadvantages: High system requirements for best visuals, large download if using Steam downloader, minor bugs.
May 29th, 2001
very helpful by (60%):
helpful by (40%):
