|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
           
|
Early in the PSX's lifespan here in the States, Electronic Arts releases were mostly ports of PC/3DO titles while they were working on 'true' 32-bit updates to software like "Madden" and "NBA Live" franchises. So in late '95/early '96 we got ports of such 3DO classics as "Shockwave Assault", "FIFA Soccer" and "Road Rash". But EA also saw fit to port the Neo-Geo shooter "Viewpoint", the 24-bit shooter created by American Sammy Corporation, and add SGI-rendered texture mapping to give the background and graphics a glossy and shiny look. Despite the 32-bit bells and whistles, "Viewpoint" has a 3/4' overhead perspective and an obscene difficulty level that sink this puppy into the 'why bother' category. Buy it for $5 at Babbages and use the clear plastic box for your Sega Saturn games, because this game is in serious danger of being used as a frisbee or split-in-half after you're done playing it. GAMEPLAY / FUN FACTOR: F Even on the easiest setting, "Viewpoint" has flaws in its level-design which include lack of balance in the attack patterns of the enemies, obstacles that need unheard-of dexterity in order to clear, power-ups that don't give the ship you're piloting enough firepower, bosses that are tougher than Evil Kanievil's skull, the 3/4' overhead perspective (which has yet to help a console game's playability), etc. There are a few extra weapons that might help you survive a handful of hard-as-hell spots, but there aren't enough of them for the sea of cheap-shots awaiting you in "Viewpoint", not to mention the annoying 'lag time' between pressing the pause button and the game actually pausing. And who was the bonehead that decided that three lives and three continues were enough to clear six levels of shooter mayhem? Even on the easiest setting, this game will turn your hair Clinton-like grey and tempt you to break the controller in half. Shooter experts usually laugh at gamers that complain about a shooter's difficulty level, calling them weenies and cowards that just couldn't 'tough-it out'. But when a game crosses the line between challenging and frustrating, and has an unfair amount of flaws that were conceived by developers and not fixed by the teams that ported the game (High Score Entertainment and Visual Concepts... to paraphrase Letterman reading Viewer Mail: it took two internal EA teams to port this game), the gamer is off the hook when it comes to the 'balance blame game'. I can't think of any other game were major slowdown and 8-10 second loading times are WELCOMED by gamers because it gives the player breathing room and a slight increase in the chance of survival. Masochism and videogame fun factor just don't mix, as "Viewpoint" so resoundly proves. GRAPHICS / VISUALS: B- The FMV sequences (intro, ending and in-between levels) are pretty lackluster by today's standards, with nothing but cartoony ships docking in bigger ships and going toward/away other distant planets; where's the eye-candy from the gorgeous FMV segments of "Shockwave"? The actual game graphics are pretty cool, despite the annoying 3/4' overhead perspective playing head games with your battered controller. The SGI-rendered sprites have a nice and glossy appearance that catches the eye, even as we enter the 4th generation of PSX visuals; the use of metallic effects and light-sourcing make this the best-looking "Viewpoint" ever (ahead of the Neo-Geo original and the Genesis port), despite the slowdown when things get really busy and bullets are floating left and right. MUSIC / SOUND EFFECTS: C Sound effects are lackluster, and don't have the 'BANG' and resounding strengths that are needed to make the player feel like he/she is destroying the world and cleaning it up of alien scum; regular laser shots sound like soda cans thrown against a window, and stronger weapons don't sound much different or better. There's some techno music for every level (six tracks overall), and they are good in a '1st generation tryout' sort-of way; just don't expect to remember any of them after you turn-off the game, or kill the pain that was the overall "Viewpoint" experience by tossing the CD into your pile of beverage coasters (which would include "Fantastic Four", "Batman Forever", "College Slam", etc.). OVERALL: D There is something about games in the 3/4' overhead perspective that screws up the controllers and, therefore, the fun factor of the games with that (pardon the pun) viewpoint. "Captain Quazar", "SPOT Goes to Hollywood" and countless others have fallen victim to the dreaded perspective, and "Viewpoint" is just unlucky enough to be cursed with OBSCENE DIFFICULTY, BAD LEVEL DESIGN, AND the 3/4' viewpoint. Unless you crave wrist pain, broken controllers and the sight of fish and crab-like bosses aiming their firepower at your puny ship, avoid this game like the plague. Get "Einhander", "RayStorm" or the upcoming "Thunderforce V" instead; if you're gonna cry and break into tears of frustration, you might as well get some quality level-design while doing it. To order Viewpoint, click
on the button
[Editor's note: No screenshots due to the inexistence of this game.]
|
|||||||||||||||||
