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Text File
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1997-04-16
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11KB
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168 lines
The Killing Game Show by Psygnosis
==================================
The time is presumably somewhere in the next century. At any rate, the
world is now ruled by the 21st Century Government Inc., a benevolent,
all-powerful corporation working to build a caring society. Riiiight.
Well, if you believe that you'll believe anything, and if you don't you
might just find yourself appearing (for one night only!) on the latest
game show to hit the idiot box. Yes, that's right, it's The Killing Game
Show! Come on down!
Because the victi... er, contestants have this unfortunate habit of not
surviving to the end of the game, 21st Century Inc. thoughtfully provide
an unending source of cannon fodd... um, fun-loving gamesters always
ready to try their luck. Yes, that's right, they're all criminals! Who
else would "volunteer" for a game like this? (Pipe down at the back
there!) So tune in every night, all night to Channel KGS for The Killing
Game Show!
Playing the game is simple. The contestants, or MUGs, start at the
bottom of the first of sixteen Pits of Death, and all they have to do is
climb to the top! To make things more interesting, we throw in a few
HALFs - Hostile Artificial Life Forms to you - specially designed for
homicidal tendencies. We add some more fun with a few dollops of DOLL -
Deadly to Organic Life Liquid - which slowly rises to fill the Pit. Of
course, the MUGs don't have everything going their way; to reach the top
of a Pit before the HALFs finish them off or the DOLL reaches them, they
must solve a number of very clever puzzles and keep clear of one or two
cunningly concealed traps...
If this seems to be a bit too much of a challenge, don't forget that we
generously provide each contestant with a little help in the form of
some minor surgical alterations. As you can see, the bottom half of the
body has been removed, and the squidgy bits in the middle replaced with
a metallic armour specially developed by 21st Century Inc. scientists.
The arms are reinforced for walking on, and are tipped with suckers for
climbing up walls. A variety of weapons and tools are hidden in the
pits, together with keys to open the secret doors blocking the way out.
The last commercials are running now, so settle back for another fun-
filled evening's viewing on Channel KGS with The Killing Game Show!
All right, so much for the scenario. (Who writes that stuff, anyway?) So
what sort of game do we have here? There's a little man, or at least
what's left of him after the "minor surgical alterations". A network of
platforms to run and jump about on. A variety of tools and power-ups to
be found tucked away in odd corners. Waves of hostile opponents to zap,
blast, disintegrate or otherwise discombobulate. A very tight time limit
in the form of the rising level of liquid in the Pit. Blocked escape
routes which can only be opened by using the right key in the right lock
(and, considering the tight time limit, in the right order). Yes, you've
probably guessed by now, it's yet another runny-jumpy-shooty platform-
type wotsit.
In fact, the game plays a bit like that ultimate in cutesy games, Flood.
The main difference is that KGS (I'll call it that from now on) is about
as cute as Freddy Krueger and as cuddly as the Terminator.
Okay, what else can I say? Well, KGS is from Psygnosis, so you'd expect
it to ooze quality. And that it certainly does. If you leave the keys
and fire button alone for a little while after booting up, you'll be
treated to a very nice animation sequence (as good as you'll find in
some PD demos!) in which a fully kitted-out contestant, in the height of
Cyberpunk fashion, goes through a screen test - with live ammo! Leave
your fingers off the keys and you'll go through the full credits
sequence before coming to the main options screen, where you can select
music or sound effects. The music's very good, with a nice chunky
rhythm, but be warned: if you set the volume so that the options screen
music is just right, the in-game music WILL BLAST YOUR HEAD OFF!!! The
sound effects are a little bit monotonous, but the separate noises for
picking up weapons and tools are unmistakeable.
If you've already played a few games, you also have the option of
starting at any level you reached before. This is done on keys F1-F8 by
grouping the pits into eight levels of two pits each, although the pits
in each level are totally independent. Hit Return to start, and you're
dumped at the bottom of Level One, Pit One. Up, up, and away! Hold on,
that one sounds familiar!
Gathering weapons and tools is simple enough. As you wander around the
Pits you'll find things like psychedelic blue seashells containing the
goodies. Just shoot them to reveal an icon showing what you've found,
and crouch down over the icon to collect it. The weapons I've come
across so far include triple-shots, laser beams and mine-sweepers. All
these power-ups have limited ammo, after which you go back to your bog-
standard peashooter.
The tools include little Hearts (gives you a half charge of energy),
Water Freezers (stops the rising level of liquid - while it lasts), and
a very rare Energy Replenisher (slowly builds up your energy level).
There are several Shaped Keys, some Swappers (which don't do anything)
and a few Red Herrings (Literally!). The Swappers seem to be totally
useless until you realise you can't put a tool down without either using
it or picking up another. One useful tactic is to pick up a useful tool
which you don't need just yet, move to a Swapper on a higher level, and
leave the tool high and dry where you'll have time (maybe!) to come back
for it later. Perhaps the most useful tools, though, are the Oracles.
These are scattered about in strategic locations, and give hints as to
how to continue. Beware, though: some of the more hard-to-reach Oracles
only say "Have a nice day!"
As for the hostiles, all I can say is that they're very hostile. The
HALFs come at you in waves, and if you destroy a whole wave before it
vanishes you're rewarded with a little fluttering heart. If you can grab
it you'll get a small boost to your energy level. Don't just snap up
everything you find, though, because a few of the wave rewards are
little fluttering skulls: grab at one of these and you lose a life in
spectacular fashion. After a couple of levels there is a bonus for
collecting a number of diamonds tucked away in various places - not
always easily reached!
The game controls are nice and simple. Only the joystick can be used,
and it's a fairly conventional left-right, up to jump, and down to
crouch. The jumping is easily controlled (usually!) and you can get
extended jumps by getting a running start. Climbing walls is easy: just
jump up at a wall and you'll stick to it. One nice touch is that you
can't leap off a wall accidentally by shooting over your shoulder: you
must push up to jump as well as left or right. In addition, if you find
yourself (as I do far too often!) hurtling floorwards from a great
height, you can save yourself by reaching out for a wall, if there is
one within reach. Remember those suckers on the MUG's arms. There is no
limit to how far you can fall without damage, as long as you don't
actually fall into the liquid.
One feature I've never seen before comes into play after you lose a
life: all the actions of the last life are shown again in a video
replay. This follows every movement of the MUG and the HALFs. The replay
can be interrupted at any time by moving the joystick or fire button to
give you full control, so you can let the recording run on (there is
also a fast-forward) until just before your last mistake, then take
over. Beware though: the appearance of hearts or skulls as wave rewards
is entirely random and can vary from replay to replay. This killed me
off more than once before I realised what was going on!
This enthusiastic blurb is all very well, but how does it feel to play
KGS? Psygnosis has a reputation for stylish graphics and gameplay, and I
don't think anyone's going to be disappointed. The graphics are very
good, with bright, colourful backdrops and distinctive weapon and tool
icons. No struggling to figure out what that vague blob's supposed to be
in this game! The only disappointment is in the design of the HALFs:
they are all just floating shapes, with no animation. A bit more work
here would have improved the game's appearance. The MUG is very well
animated, though, with a lolloping gait that looks just like
knucklewalking. Remember the MUG doesn't have any legs.
The sound also has its ups and downs. The music in the option screen and
during the game is good: unlike some games I could mention, it's more
than just a heavy beat and some fancy rhythms. On the other hand, the
sound effects are a bit bland and unexciting.
Gameplay is as fast and furious as anyone could wish for. It didn't take
long to figure out the basic tactics for surviving more than a few
minutes, with the exception of Level Three. This one is sneaky!!! The
trick in all levels, though, is to keep in mind where everything is,
then cut down the time taken next time round. The replay option is a big
help here, as you can choose not to take control, and the last game will
just replay over and over. This gives you plenty time to take notes,
work out the best route and what tools are and aren't necessary.
Remember, the timing is very tight, and even a second or two saved at a
crucial point can be a big help later on.
To sum it all up, then, Psygnosis has done it again. KGS is one of the
fastest games I've seen for a while. It's colourful, easy to get into
and, if I'm any good example, has a very high one-more-go factor. All
this and it doesn't even carry a Government health warning!