Redneck Rampage by Marty Dodge The Good If you read the comp.sys.mac.games.action newsgroup, you will have seen many negative, often brutal, comments about Redneck Rampage. In fact, negative comments outweighed the positive 9-1 the last time I checked. One could hardly imagine a turnover of opinion. Despite what you may have read there and elsewhere, there are some good aspects to Redneck Rampage. The first positive note is the soundtrack, which features Rev Horton Heat and Mojo Nixon, two great punk-a-billy bands. I am sure that many who bought this game will be using it as an audio CD long after they tire of the game. The intro RMV is fairly humorous as well, as it contains nods to several well-known sci-fi invasion movies. Another good thing about Redneck Rampage is that it is a fairly good port that manages to improve upon the original PC version. Alas, this improvement does not save this title from universal derision. Granted, Logicware had to completely rewrite its engine, as the programmers were not given use of the original PC code. This was one of the reasons for the delay in the release of this aging title. Because the game features fairly basic graphics, its requirements are not high, so those who have older systems will be able to play this game. A 120MHz PowerPC with 32MB of free RAM and 60MB of free hard drive space, as well as a CD-ROM drive, are all the game needs to run. Another nice thing about the game is that it does not require the CD to be in your Mac at all times, which makes it a perfect traveling game for your laptop. It is possible to play the game and listen to the music on the soundtrack on a separate CD player attached to a stereo. The Bad The graphics in this game, while they are an improvement on the PC version's, are still poor. They are grainy, and there are a lot of bleeding objects. In some places if you stray too close to the edge, you get sucked into the walls and the game crashes. When compared to other games vying for Mac gamers' dollars, Redneck Rampage just does not hold up, even to another Logicware-ported title, Quake II, a game that will be blown away by the forthcoming Quake III. Gamers used to the flashy graphics of Unreal or Klingon Honor Guard will consider this game decidedly flat, pixelated, and blocky. The storyline is not very deep, and neither is the plot. There is very much a repetitive element about the whole game, with most levels not really differing from each other. Basically, aliens have invaded the bodies of locals in a small southern town, and you need to go kill 'em to save your brother who keeps getting captured. One odd element is that in order to end the level you have to hit your brother with a crowbar. For those of you who wish to play the game in its full glory, there is a Cuss Pack included on the CD, which adds profanity. This soon gets tiring, as it does not vary much--it gets annoying real quick. The humor is not varied at all like on South Park or in Duke Nukem. The characters are not as endearing as Duke, either, and the monsters are just predictable and annoying. The game AI is terrible and oddly enough, it is impossible to kill a bad guy until he notices you and starts shooting, so any attempt at stealth is out. Another negative aspect of the game is the fact that there is no multiplayer element. Redneck Rampage might have actually been kind of fun with a bunch of other players on, say, GameRanger over the Internet. Having a fight with a bunch of other people sporting crowbars might be kind of interesting in a sick sort of way. Because of the problems with the porting process, Logicware made the decision to get it out the door rather than delay it any further--a shame, really. The CD insert refers to a "Redneck Manual" on the CD; don't bother looking for it, it is not there. You have to go Logicware's site to download the 3.1MB manual. The Ugly The most glaring of the ugly bits of this game is its interface, which is strictly PC. It is not even possible to map the keys to your preferred configuration. In addition, the Help function of the game is clearly one meant for the PC, mentioning, for example, multibuttons on the mouse. The mouse interface is even worse: even if you adjust it to maximum sensitivity, it is impossible to use the mouse in the speedy way you would in Unreal or Quake. I was convinced that I had managed to break my mouse when playing this game because it was so sluggish. I even cleaned it out completely to no effect. Should you wish to use a joystick, there is no way to do so. It is almost impossible to go up ladders: you need to dexterously use both the forward button and the jump button to go up one rung at a time. Last, but not least, is the gameplay, which is horrible. The game is boring and will keep even the most patient of gamers interested for only a short time. Anyone used to a modern first-person shooter will grow frustrated with the entire game and will wish to throw it out the window. Some of the levels are rather hard, but not in a fun way--an annoying way. And because the game was out on the PC so long ago, there are no sites that have complete walkthroughs. There are a few hints and cheats available, though. Also telling is the fact that RedneckRampage.com is no longer an active URL. The fact that the game is pretty unstable at times does not help matters at all. I can honestly say that this is the single worst first-person shooter I have ever played on a Mac. Why this game was ported to the Mac, I will never know. It was terrible on the PC and only slightly better on the Mac. Pros • Music • Low Requirements Cons • Gameplay • Plot • No multiplayer