Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!unsvax!arrakis.nevada.edu From: niobium@arrakis.nevada.edu (Christopher W. Carlson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games Subject: Killing Game Show -- The Review Message-ID: <2218@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU> Date: 29 Oct 90 09:26:03 GMT Sender: news@unsvax.NEVADA.EDU Distribution: na Organization: University of Nevada, System Computing Services Lines: 120 Somewhere far above his head, Idruk knew, lay the exit from this hellish pit into which he had been cast for his crimes, and between himself and that exit were uncounted masses of bloodthirsty, mindless beasts bent on his death. It was most definitely _not_ a situation in which he wanted himself to be. A klaxon roared out, breaking his pensive mood, and suddenly a quiet burbling sound filled the air from below. The liquid. Idruk threw a mental switch which he had been told of just moments before and activated the mechanical exoskeleton upon which his survival depended. The crudely-formed joints and servos creaked into action, and the prisoner hurtled himself across the catwalk floor towards a small blob on the ground--a casket. One, two, three bursts of fire from the weapons built into the exoskeleton flamed forth and shattered the casket open wide, revealing a shiny, triangular stone. A key. He rushed forward and kneeled to allow what now acted as his hands to scoop up the key, pausing for a fraction of a second before racing off again, the putrid, acidic odor of the death-dealing liquid rising even as the liquid rose to fill the shaft. Idruk leapt upwards and clamped onto a vertical wall, his sensors trained on another casket just above and to his left. Without warning, a swarm of metallic avians burst from a well-disguised hole in the wall and dove at him, chipping away huge chunks of armor with each brush of metal against metal. Idruk swore bitterly and leapt away towards the new casket, leaving the senseless avians to their frenzied dance. Another three bursts of his rifle, and as the dust settled, Idruk spied a long, wide cylinder fashioned of white metal and bolted to a mounting bracket. Grinning, he ran forward and kneeled at the beam weapon, which unfurled a long, spindly arm and clasped onto the exoskeleton. Even as Idruk ran back the way he came, the weapon climbed mindlessly across the exoskeleton and nestled into a crook of its' own free will. Drills bit, leads snaked, and the weapon was suddenly powered up. "Weapon," it announced. Idruk reached the end of the platform upon which he stood and glanced down- ward. The liquid was nearly upon him. "Never!" he scolded himself, "Never look down!" He crouched, tensed the servoes in his metallic, barrel-like legs, and jumped... Too short. Legs reached out, toes clenching, arms scrabbled against metal walls, searching for a handhold, a deliverance, and the viscous liquid below burbled in anticipation... An explosion, and one solitary, thin scream was all that marked the passage of another contestant in... The Killing Game Show --------------------- Gameplay: The object of TKGS is simple--to reach the top of each of 16 pits filled from top to bottom with deadly, semi-intelligent beasts, lock-and-key puzzles, and the everpresent, forboding Deadly to Organic Life Liquid. A simple enough goal until you reach the third level, upon which you discover that they're _Serious_ about this lock-and-key thing, and that it's not always easy to jump up a few platforms and leave the DOLL behind. Control: Intuitive. You control your on-screen persona from a side-view perspective. Push left for left, right for right, and up to jump, with up-diagonals for jumping from side to side. To pick up tools and weapons, a quick crouch is all that's needed, taking up a minimal amount of time. Using a tool is equally simple: hold down the fire button just a split second longer than you would to fire a weapon. Graphics: _Excellent_, period. Backgrounds and platforms are well-done, with plenty of detail. The enemy creatures could be more fleshed-out, but the rotating, pulsating beasts move quickly enough and with enough purpose to keep you from complaining for too long. And your character is as well-done as in any Psygnosis game, which is to say wonderful. Seemingly a cross between Robocop's ED-209 and a chicken, the robotic beast runs, jumps, and generally behaves as you'd expect it to, with smooth-enough animation to make you weep. Sound: Also excellent. You've got a choice between a quick-beat musical score or sound effects (which I prefer). The sound effects alert you to such things as the picking up of tools and weapons, the damage being done to you by enemies, and just about everything else that could happen to you, all in stereo. Intro: I wouldn't normally mention something like the introduction to a game, but this one is so absolutely incredible that I feel obliged. Heck, I've had people stop by my room and swear in amazement that it's the intro to a GAME... I don't want to spoil the surprise except to say that the intro sequence would look right at home in a movie, and could even effectively be used to show off the power of the Amiga like no other demo I've ever seen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Verdict ----------- Buy it. If you like arcade games, this game is packed with enough arcade action to keep you jumping for a LOOOONG time to come. If you like cerebral games, TKGS has enough puzzles and memory-testing to make you scream. A perfect blend of the two genres, TKGS is the everyman's game. Playability, you ask, and rightfully so. Psygnosis isn't known for the playability of their products, and this one has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing, save NOTHING is beyond these guys. Addictive, and just enough so that you'll sit in front of the machine 'just one more time' in an effort to reach that last lock before the DOLL comes up to take your life away... Buy it. That's the most honest appraisal I can give. Congratulations, Psygnosis. You've truly outdone yourselves. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am in no way associated with Psygnosis except as a satisfied customer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -=* Christopher W. Carlson niobium@arrakis.nevada.edu P.S. I'm still looking for TKGS maps, for any and all levels. Anybody? -- __ _ _ _____ _ ___ __ | Christopher W. Carlson | _ // / __ / \ | / \ | / \ |__ / \ (__ | niobium@nevada.edu | \X/ \__// /_\ |___ / /_\ | / /_\ |___ \__/ ___) |-------------------------------- Galataeus, Wizard of Brigadoon | I never said these words...