Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
(apcmag.cd's number one games demo)

Shogo: Mobile Armor Division is an impressive first-person perspective shooter with an anime theme. Players take on the role of Sanjuro Makabe, a maverick commander in the United Corporate Authority Security Force, charged with the mission of assassinating the terrorist leader Gabriel. The missions in Shogo are linked with movies (generated by the game’s engine) and the whole experience is like being in an anime movie.

 

Shogo
by Monolith Games

 

 

shot1.JPG (42191 bytes)The action in Shogo takes place on two scales. In some missions players pilot 10m tall transforming mecha known as Mobile Combat Armor (MCAs) while in others they will set out to slay the enemy on foot. Controls are identical in both modes and Sanjuro handles the same whether on-foot or in-mecha. As with other games of this genre, a combination of mouse and keyboard gives the best control.

In foot mode, Shogo is similar to other first-person shooters. Sanjuro has access to an impressive arsenal including a sword (looks cool but really is a last-resort weapon), a pair of pistols (great fun to use, particularly with the twirling animation), a submachine gun, and a very scary rocket launcher. Charging headlong towards the enemy is not advisable as even the lowliest foot trooper can cause massive damage with only one or two shots, and Sanjuro will quickly perish if caught in the open by a group.

Picking off the enemy one by one is the most effective approach. The critical hits make the target suffers extra damage and the shooter is rewarded with a small health boost. Critical hits can also be made in mecha mode.

Allies, enemies and bystanders will all talk to Sanjuro, which adds greatly to the atmosphere of the game and gives a sense of development and purpose within each mission. There are a few bugs though. In one area, a pair of civilians will beg for their lives if Sanjuro moves too close to them, even if he is outside the room.

In mecha mode, players can expect to face tanks, mecha and foot troopers, to leap and strafe amongst skyscrapers and billboards, and to remodel the landscape with a tasteful selection of highly destructive weapons. Of the weapons available in the demo, the curiously named Bullgut is the most spectacular, firing a salvo of four unguided rockets that hurtle towards their target in a smoke-spewing spiral and produce a series of devastating explosions replete with particles, lighting and plenty of noise. shot3min.JPG (8284 bytes)

Another favourite is the sniper rifle. Fired from the hip it is an effective blasting weapon, while selecting it again (by pressing 6) enables sniper mode, in which a crosshair can be placed with the utmost precision. In this mode, one or two head shots will be sufficient to dispose of enemy mecha.

In keeping with the anime theme, the MCA is also capable of wielding a sword and transforming into a racing car useful for chases, escapes and high-speed reconnaissance. Sanjuro can receive messages from other characters with the speaker identified by a thumbnail portrait in the upper left corner of the screen.

The level of detail in Shogo is exceptional. Bullet holes can be made in any surface, with different effects for each material. For instance, shooting concrete will produce a small crater and a spray of chips while toughened glass will dent and star. In sniper mode the MCA sniper rifle will shatter glass (thoughtful of the designers to include plenty of neon lights!). Billboards and motor vehicles also make satisfying targets, with many revealing powerups when destroyed. Just remember not to stand too close when they blow up.

shot2min.JPG (8110 bytes)Shogo uses Monolith’s own LithTech engine. LithTech’s many features include coloured and dynamic lighting, light mapping, translucency and transparency, custom textures for models, large-scale particle systems and real-time shadows. Explosions and other special effects in Shogo are truly mind-blowing.

Occasional gaps are visible between polygons (this can be corrected at the expense of a little speed and is recommended for newer video cards such as those based on the Voodoo2 chipset), but on the whole the visual element of Shogo is convincing and solid. Monolith have thoughtfully produced a list of 3D cards with recommended detail settings and information on where to obtain drivers, and gamers can check drivers.lith.com for the most recent information on 'Shogo-certified' drivers.

Shogo’s sound is excellent, with some great weapon sounds and a cool soundtrack which uses Microsoft’s Interactive Music Architecture to react to situations and the environment. Musical styles range from electronic to ultra-cheesy ballads, and some tracks at least will keep you dancing as you obliterate your foes.

Of course, when you’ve finished the single-player version, you’ll want to demonstrate your superior martial skills by crushing your friends under your giant, mechanised boot. No problem -- Shogo supports modem, network and Internet play and has a strong presence on the Web. The Version 1.1 Alpha patch is recommended as it improves Internet play (among other things).

The two levels included in the demo will give gamers enough exposure to Shogo to cause addiction, and the full version contains over 35 levels, with city, underground and outdoor environments. A further 12 multiplayer levels are provided, as well as support for mods, custom levels and extensions. With such dedicated fans and strong online support there will no doubt be plenty of these. For more information on Shogo, check out http://ww.shogo-mad.com, http://www.lith.com and http://www.planetshogo.com.

by Richard Lovett

 

Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

 

Download the version for your operating system here:

Win95
(40,734K)
Classification: MA 15+
Rating: score_45.gif (1448 bytes)
Description: Shogo is immersive, spectacular and refreshingly different from other shooters. If you’ve ever wanted to be an anime hero, go out and get a copy now!
Requirements: Pentium 166,  32M RAM, Windows 95/98, Direct3D-compatible video card, DirectX 6, 65M hard drive space Note: Shogo will not run correctly in hardware acceleration under NT as it needs DirectX 6 and NT only supports up to DirectX 3. The software renderer will work, however users may encounter some sound problems. The designers recommend you use Windows 95 or 98.
Install instructions: Internet Explorer users just click on the file and choose Open to run the setup program straight from the CD. Netscape users download to your local drive and run the EXE file.
Links online: http://www.shogo-mad.com

 

Shogo: Mobile Armor Division 1.1 Alpha patch install/remove

 

Download the version for your operating system here:

Win95 PATCH
(2,018K)

Win95 UNPATCH
(1,439K)
Description: The 1.1 Shogo Alpha patch greatly improves Shogo Internet multiplayer play both over modems and other Internet connections, such as cable modem, ISDN or T1 lines. The Alpha patch also improves the Shogo AI and offers other fixes and improvements over Shogo 1.0 , while the Unpatch utility allows the patch to be uninstalled if any problems are caused.
Requirements: Shogo full release.
Install instructions: Download the file to your hard drive, then unzip it and run the EXE file.
Links online: http://www.shogo-mad.com

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