Introduction: This review is not meant to convince you that Syndicate is a great game. It’s a release from the far past (13 years in computer gaming is an eternity), and should be treated as such when comparing to the games of today. Bullfrog managed to produce amazingly innovative titles (how about Dungeon Keeper, Magic Carpet and Populous?) and its shot at cyberpunk was nothing short of their other best-selling releases. Contemporary gamers may sneer at the antediluvian graphics and a soundtrack that’s easily put to shame by any polyphonic mobile phone ringtone, but a hardcore cyberpunk (or someone with a long history in gaming, dating back to the 8-bit machines and the peak of Amiga’s fame) will easily recognize a gem.

The Story: The 22nd century. Dark and bleak. Organized crime turned into business and politics as nation-states crumbled, one by one. You were not willing to become one of the helpless citizens sealed in stalag-like compounds, slaving for a “syndicate”, as the new powers were called. You started a syndicate of your own. Amassing illegaly raised funds, black-market specialists and military-class technology, you decided to get a piece of the cake that Earth became.

Such lust for power needs to be fed appropriately. You knew you couldn’t take on the whole world alone. You needed help. And there it came, with the astounding Leonardo device, turning common men and women into hi-tech combat machines that you control. Storing those who were not needed in deep-freeze, you assemble a lethal quartet, equip it with implants, weapons and non-lethal combat tech - and then you send them straight into enemy territory to perform a mission that will grant you what you crave most. Control.

But beware - other syndicates are more than willing to come in your way and bring you down to your knees. You’ll need all the money you can grab and all the tech you can either steal or develop in order to best them. Are you hard enough to crack the opposition?

The Game: Do not expect a complex and intricate plot to explore. This ain’t Blade Runner, choomba. You’ll need guns, lots of guns, and an attitude to match the armament. You’ll also need a working brain - nobody is going to fear an organization ran by a dimwit. Yes, this is another issue which makes games different from reality Wink.

You start with a company name (look for some cheats concerning this - only if you’re a cheater, of course…), a company logo (you can choose the design and the colour) and a single territory in Europe. Each territory is connected with a different mission. Once you acquire a territory, you can set its tax level to get funds. Be reasonable, you don’t want people to rebel against you - you’ll have to reclaim an area if there’s an unrest. Think “Godfather” Wink.

Syndicate puts a lot of emphasis on research. The funds you obtain should be promptly invested in the R&D department, where you are going to receive new guns (from uzis to lasers and miniguns), extra equipment (personal shields and so on) and, last but not least, new implants. You’ll need those to make your agents faster, more intelligent and resistant to enemy fire. The implants come in three versions, and you should focus on developing the more advanced ones as soon as possible - expect the difficulty of the missions to increase rapidly (OK, if you’re a hardcore gamer you’re clear them all with ease… but not everyone doesn’t have a life, right?).

Once you choose a mission, you can equip your team, buy some extra info about the assignment (or an enhanced map which doesn’t really do you any good - you shouldn’t expect a lot from sloppy intelligence behind enemy lines Wink) and send them to their de… success, of course. Seriously, you might lose an agent once in a while, but do not panic - you can always recruit new people.

The game offers an array of missions. You get to assassinate VIPs, rescue captured personnel, “persuade” civilians and scientists join your company “willingly” (no bloodshedding necessary - at least not from the ones you’ll be trying to convince to work for you), demolish buildings, or simply kill all opposing agents. Sometimes, using guns is not really necessary - sometimes it’s not even advised, especially when you have to sneak into a heavily guarded compound. Thanks to an ingenious device - the persuadetron - you can force others to join your agents as living shields, extra firepower or simply to snatch them away as new personnel (this way you can fill your cryo tanks at the HQ with new agents). The persuadetron is necessary in many missions, and it is extremely useful in almost all of them.

As you can see, the mission takes place in a isometric environment, which can sometimes obscure your field of view. You get to infiltrate cities full of civilians, policemen, enemy agents and vehicles (including APCs). The architecture is sort of “1984 meets Equilibrium”. You can feel the uneasiness of the surroundings, and the colours add a lot to the general feeling of the game.

Your team (which does not have to include 4 agents, by the way - if you feel you can pull off an assasination using just one guy - go for it!) can be controlled using a very simple and efficient interface. You also get a scanmap with friend/foe IDs and signals telling you where to head and what to do - as long as one of your agents carries a scanner module. You can order your agents to move independently (by clicking an agent in the team window and giving him/her orders) or as a group (the button between the two rows of agents allows you to group-select them). You can also manipulate the Intelligence, Perception and Adrenaline levels of an agent, allowing him/her to act when necessary - this is pretty handy when you want to set up a defensive perimeter or enter a building (your surveillance camera cannot penetrate walls).

If you want to pick something up, point the cursor at the object and it should change into a manipulator - click and it’s going to be picked up. Another hint you might find useful - sometimes you’ll need to pass a gate - vehicles are best for that. To board one, click on it while ordering agent(s). To unboard, click on it again. One final piece of advice - policemen won’t fire at unarmed people. So, if you don’t click on a weapon in your inventory, your agents will be considered civilians. Enemy agents, on the other hand, will easily recognize them regardless of their stance - avoid them, persuade them or dispose of them in some violent way. Remember, after a mission you’ll have to leave the area, so be prepared to escape when necessary.

The environment is well scripted (although you might find driving around a bit confusing at first - it takes some practice, just like in real life) - civilians will run if they notice anybody wielding a weapon, police officers will warn you and shoot if you don’t obey, enemy agents will engage you when you least expect it, and all will generally burn pretty nicely once you put your flamethrowers to work (yes, one of the massive attractions of that game in 1993 was the possibility of incincerating whole crowds). Have I already mentioned the fitting architecture? Some of my “wet cyberpunk dreams” were based on Syndicate’s levels Wink.

If you happen to fail a mission (failure is unacceptable! Wink), you can repeat it with no penalties (well, if you lose agents and/or pieces of equipment, don’t expect to find them be back at your home base). Of course, failing a mission doesn’t have to mean losing all the agents - it’s enough the person you were to extract dies.

Once you conquer the last remaining territories, you win - it’s as “simple” as that. At least until you choose to play the extension pack entitled Syndicate: American Revolt or the sequel: Syndicate Wars.

Why You Want to Play Syndicate: Cause it’s simply one of the genre-defining computer games. Back in 1993, Syndicate was all the rage when it came to showing others what cyberpunk was. Sure, there is no c-space and hackers, but does running a corporation/crime syndicate by means of controlling a bunch of highly lethal cyborgs roaming dark futuristic cities, killing and kidnapping people sound non-cyberpunk to you? The intro alone was enough to hook up many a gamer with the concept of cyberpunk.

It’s also one of the best pieces of computer gaming history, and if you are into stylish antiques, you should check it out Wink.

Availability: You can find it online for free, e.g. HERE. You need the DOSBox utility to run it under Windows (or an appropriate emulator, if you’re running any non-PC version). Pick it up, get it running and prove you’re tough enough to rule the future!

PS. Apparently, an open-source version of the game is in the works. Check the website here.

Introduction: When I heard the name Hideo Kojima the first thing that came to my mind was Metal Gear. But this has changed as; Kojima has other games for being remembered, like Snatcher. Besides the fact that Snatcher has been released on several systems it has also gained a small group of fans due to its storyline, adult themes and voice acting. Influenced by sci-fi and film-noir, most notably “Blade Runner” and “The Terminator”, Snatcher submerges one into a Cyberpunk World while giving you that nostalgia of older games.

The Story: Due to the release of a chemical weapon known as Lucipher-Alpha, developed in Chernoton, Russia, half of the people on Earth died. The contaminated area becomes uninhabitable for a decade, when Lucipher-Alpha mutates into a non-lethal form. This tragic event occurred on June 6, 1991 and became known as the “Catastrophe.” Fifty years later, a artificial life-forms known as “snatchers”, began appearing in the artificial island of Neo Kobe City, killing their victims and taking their place in society. They have skin, can sweat, even bleed and, at first sight, it is impossible to notice any difference between the Snatcher and the person they replace. Nobody knows exactly what they are or where they come from.

In the game, you play as Gillian Seed, an agent working for an Anti-Snatcher force called JUNKER. Seed has amnesia, which serves as the reason for him joining the Anti-Snatcher force. The word “Snatcher” always appears in his head whenever he tries to remember his past. In playing Gilliam Seed, your goal is to track down the source of the snatchers and discover Gillian’s mysterious connections with them.

The Game: As this game is ALL about the storyline, I won’t spoil it. You can really see how Kojima likes directing and making his games movie-like. It is clear that as a consequence the shortcomings in technology options, Kojima knew he had to make the story the driver in order to make up for the game play and technology of the time.

In playing it, the game is harder that it first appears. You have to notice and remember many details from witnesses or things you read. It also it has some questions and puzzles that will drive you mad for a while. It’s the first game I’ve had to play with a notebook for capturing important details. For your luck, Gillian has a navigator that helps him with all the complicated substance analysis and investigative matters. Kojima use of the Gillian character shows how he mixes things, as it is pretty similar to the minirobot Otacon uses to follow and help snake in MGS4 (Watch the trailers on youtube). For breaking the game investigative monotony, there are a series of shooter scenes where you have to use the Blaster - a special type of laser gun made to fry snatchers. These scenes aren’t numerous, but you will remember them as they require significant reflexes, especially as you near the end of the game.

Why You Want to Play Snatcher: The characters and storyline are what makes the game special. Even if Gillian physically resembles Deckard from Blade Runner, it’s still comes across as unique and believable. There are other “homage” characters included in Snatch - I’ll just name Dune and Sting as a clue for when you meet certain individual during the game. The Snatchers are pretty smart for being just biodroids, and they are pretty cunning and dangerous too!

Available Platforms:

• NEC PC-8801 and MSX2 (1988)
• PC-Engine (Remake 1992)
• Sega CD (1994)
• PSX and Sega Saturn (1996)

Visually the Sega CD version is pretty good and creates a great cyberpunk world with shadows and dark colors. The Sega version is obviously better than the 1988 versions which still make the task pretty well. The Sega voices are part of the remake versions that came from 1992 forward. The later version also have a better soundtrack.

The Availability: In terms of availability, get it from Internet or buy it used. The better and easier version to get is the Sega CD version as is the only original English translation available and you can find it on P2P programs. There are older roms translated, but the Sega CD version is better.

The Verdict: This review came about due to a reply I made to a Deus Ex post, saying someone should review Snatcher. Then I remembered I was half in the game. I picked it up again, started to play, and finished it that same afternoon. I liked it so much that I wanted to contribute with a review. While engrossed in the gameplay, when I realized the game was close completion, I just hoped another event would make the storyline longer. Despite being from all the way back in 1988, it’s #9 on the Best Cyberpunk Game List, so it deserves a try. I just gave it 9 stars because is older and the gameplay may not be for players who prefer more action. Anyways for me personally is 10/10 stars and modern remake would kick ass! Bottom line, this game is amazing, and has great storyline, and actually makes you feel you are in the cyberpunked city of Neo Kobe.

Introduction: With Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima made a name for himself as one of the most gifted and ambitious video game designers today, so when the sequel to the game was announced, and moreover on the(then) brand-new PlayStation 2, fans were overjoyed. However, instead of a sequel which only included more of the same, Kojima used the power of the new system and DVD medium to create a game that defies characterization. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty is one of the most ambitious, complicated, even puzzling games ever made. But even with all its differences from the original, it is still very much a Metal Gear game, so that guarantees an incredible storyline and intense, stealth-oriented action.

The story : Two years after the events of Shadow Moses, Solid Snake and Otacon are back on the field on a new mission. Snake and Otacon are now part of a UN-backed covert organization codenamed Philanthropy, whose purpose is the eradication of any and all Metal Gears around the world. Since Shadow Moses, plans for creating a Metal Gear have surfaced on the black market, leading to a multitude of clandestine organizations creating their own version of the dreaded war mech. At the start of the game, Snake and Otacon are particularly targeting a new amphibious model, Metal Gear Ray, developed by the U.S. Marines. However, things get ugly when the tanker carrying the new machine is hijacked by Russian military forces. During the course of the hijacking, Revolver Ocelot betrays his Russian comrades and, controlled by the spirit of thought-dead Liquid Snake, steals the Metal Gear prototype and sinks the tanker, causing an oil spill with Snake in it. Snake is presumed dead.

Two years later, on a routine visit to a plant created to control the oil spill, the President of the United States is kidnapped by a group calling themselves the Sons Of Liberty, led by a rogue black-ops group nicknamed Dead Cell. SEALs are sent to rescue the President, but the group is wiped out. As a last resort, the U.S. sends agent Raiden, a newly graduated member of Foxhound, to infiltrate the facility and rescue the President. However, as can be expected, this is no ordinary terrorist attack, and the facility houses secrets which point to a secret conspiracy only known as The Patriots. What do the terrorists want, and what does Raiden’s past have to do with the whole thing?

The game: While Metal Gear Solid’s story and themes are pretty straightforward and well established, MGS2 goes on a much more abstract direction. The dialog and situations in this game are much more bizarre and even postmodern than those in the previous game, and paranoia is rampant. This is the most cyberpunk of all the chapters in the series, this time the story focusing on meme theory, artificial intelligence, information control, conspiracy theories, and political and military maneuvering. But above all, the topic of the dehumanizing effect of technology and the influence of genetics in human behavior really make this a fascinating game to analyze with others. Like with The Matrix trilogy, a straightforward first chapter leads to a much more complicated second one which may divide fans and confuse newcomers. However, it is this complexity which makes this probably the most important game in the series yet. The game has a sense of urgency and even fatalism that moves one to try to solve the problems contained therein, but it also constantly dangles a thread of hope to grab on to. This is probably Kojima’s most personal game, and it shows.

Like the previous game, the action itself is stealth-based, but this time Snake and Raiden are MUCH better prepared and capable of dealing with the game’s dangers. The jump to a new system has resulted in a much more complicated game, but also one you have more tools for taking it on with. Enemies don’t instantly sound the alarm when they see you anymore, instead they have to radio in before an alarm is called. This gives you an extra second to dispose of the enemy before they alert their comrades. However, once an enemy is incapacitated, his friends start looking for him when he doesn’t report in, so you might want to hide the body somewhere. You can also knock enemies out or put them to sleep instead of killing them, which would cause less of a fuss than a body would(enemies even humorously kick friends awake when they’re dozing). Your characters are much more athletic, too, able to flip out of gunfire’s way, and hang from ledges to hide from foes.

The cast in this game is just as great as the previous game. Snake’s a little lighter in attitude and able to crack a joke, having made some new and faithful friends in the previous game, and Otacon’s friendship with Snake has deepened his resolve and made him a little more sure of himself. The new characters are great, too, although some people might be put off by Raiden, the new protagonist of the series. And if Psycho Mantis was freaky, Vamp is off-the-hook SCARY.

The jump from 32-bit to 128 did wonders for the game’s graphics. This game came out in 2001 and it STILL looks amazing. The amount of details in this game is incredible, and character models look gorgeous. The game is also much more cinematic, with expert direction during cinemas that makes the game even more of a blockbuster than the first. The music is also on a whole different level, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams, of The Rock, Armageddon and Enemy Of The State fame.

Availability: The game is just as available as MGS1, with many different versions. The recommended version is MGS2: Substance, the special edition of the game with lots of extra goodies. However, GET THE PS2 VERSION. The XBox version is a glitchy mess of slowdown.

The verdict : MGS2 is a worthy followup to the amazing game that was MGS, and stands on its own both as an entertaining game and a fascinating document of electronic literature. I sadly have to dock it a point because it isn’t the easiest game to follow(probably the same reason that made SFAM give Matrix Reloaded 9 stars instead of 10), but that’s just being fair to the first one. And it’s still a spectacular game. 9 out of 10 stars: get it, play it, be thoroughly puzzled yet amazed.

Introduction: There are few video game creators today as revered as Hideo Kojima. A producer/director of superb storytelling talent and limitless creativity, he is respected and admired by both gamers and fellow video game developers. Even mighty Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Super Mario and the father of modern video gaming, is a declared fan of Kojima’s work. However, Kojima was a relative unknown as little back as 8 years ago, until Konami gave him the go to create this, Kojima’s first modern gaming masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid. While at first glance a military game, Metal Gear Solid is actually a deep cyberpunk analysis of warfare and morality, topics that Kojima had been exploring for years, but for which, before the creation of the Playstation, he had no hardware powerful enough to tell the story with. Thankfully, he finally did, he finally made the game, and he reinvented a lowly NES game into one of video gaming’s most respected and acclaimed franchises.

The Story : A nuclear weapon disposal facility on Shadow Moses, an island off the coast of Alaska, is invaded by an army of Genome Soldiers(genetically enhanced super-soldiers) led by Foxhound, a U.S. covert special ops team. The Genome Soldiers are dying, victims of genetic disorders caused by the gene therapy. Foxhound’s leader, Liquid Snake, makes a list of demands: one billion dollars and the body of Big Boss, Foxhound’s former CO and the one whose genes the Genome Soldiers are based on. Should the United States fail to comply, Foxhound will launch a nuclear warhead at the nation’s capital.

A direct attack on Shadow Moses may cause nuclear retaliation, and the presence of nuclear warheads in the facility is a secret from the world at large, so a media leak would be catastrophic. To make matters worse, Foxhound is the nation’s most elite special forces unit, each soldier capable of slaughtering entire platoons with ease. The Pentagon decides to “persuade”(i.e. force) retired Foxhound agent Solid Snake to infiltrate Shadow Moses and stop the terrorists through covert action. Armed with only his wits, radio communication with various mission analysts, and whatever he can find at the base, Snake must rely on stealth and cunning to complete his mission. However, there is MUCH more to Shadow Moses than meets the eye, secrets that could put the entire world in jeopardy, secrets dealing with Solid Snake’s shadowy past.

The Game: If I said in my Deus Ex review that I didn’t want to spoil the story because it’s so good, this is INFINITELY truer with Metal Gear Solid. Although Deus Ex is a more “authentic” cyberpunk game, Metal Gear Solid can only be described as a playable blockbuster film. It is truly an amazing experience in storytelling, and my personal favorite videogame franchise.

The gameplay itself relies heavily on stealth. While Solid Snake is a formidable combatant, he is hideously outnumbered by much better armed forces actually looking to shoot him down. Snake must remain hidden and either bypass his enemies or eliminate them as silently as possible. Luckily, Snake is a superb covert operative, and he can use the environment in truly ingenious ways to hide, distract and dispatch the enemy. Snake also has various tools to help him. Throughout the game, he will find weapons and gadgets of all kinds, from infrared goggles to assault rifles, and even the now famous cardboard box to hide in. He also has a radar that permits him to not only determine enemy position, but also their line of sight, enabling him to sneak where the enemy can’t see him. However, this radar gets jammed if Snake is seen, and Snake must RUN AWAY as fast as he can until things cool down!

Snake also has a CODEC built into his ear, which enables him to access a multitude of helpers to give him information, tips and moral support throughout the game. The CODEC conversations are truly one of the game’s greatest strengths. They showcase the characters as more than mere cardboard cutouts. During the game, the nature of conversations will range from simple mission objectives to discussions on morality, technological development, politics, human rights, and even what it means to be human. Topics such as genetic engineering, the arms race, nuclear energy, cloning, nanotechnology, biological warfare and many more are expertly discussed. This makes for quite an endearing cast, they are truly intelligent people with their own opinions and beliefs. This is where the game’s cyberpunkness shines through. The way the game explores technology, it’s impact on society and the military in particular, and the morality of technological development are ESSENTIAL elements to the game’s story that continue to resonate through all chapters of the saga. Metal Gear Solid establishes the base for future games of the series to develop these concepts even more thoroughly.

And on that note, we see the game’s greatest strength: the characters. Kojima has created a truly spectacular cast, no character is wasted or underdeveloped. From the cynical and gruff Solid Snake to the spunky and optimistic Meryl and scientist/über-nerd Otacon, the characters are diverse and uniformly interesting. The bad guys are truly an awesome force, too. From the enigmatic Liquid Snake to the sadistic gunman Revolver Ocelot and the oh-so-sexy Sniper Wolf, Foxhound’s members are quite the match for our heroes.

Visually, the game couldn’t be more cyberpunk. Greens, blues and grays dominate the color scheme, with cold metal surfaces everywhere. Cybernetic ninjas with Predator-like cloaking devices, gigantic mecha, you name it. This game wears not only its cyberpunk roots, but its anime roots as well, on its sleeve with pride. Cinemas are expertly directed, giving the game an A-list action movie fell. AND THE VOICE ACTING!!! This is the absolute GREATEST voice acting EVER. David Hayter has actually made a career out of his work as the voice of Solid Snake, and the whole cast is composed of voice acting veterans from a multitude of games and anime. Metal Gear Solid established the standard for voice acting in the video game industry.

Availability: Honestly, if you can’t find this game, something’s SERIOUSLY wrong with you. There have been myriad releases of the game, including a Playstation Greatest Hits release, a PC version, and even a remake for the Gamecube(dubbed The Twin Snakes) which updates the game with next-gen graphics and gameplay elements from its sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty.

The Verdict : If you want the closest thing to a playable cyberpunk/military movie or anime, Metal Gear Solid is truly it. This is videogaming at its finest, and it has rightfully been called a masterpiece the world over. Get this game and play it, just so you know what comes before Metal Gear Solid 2. My highest recommendation, this is my all-time favorite video game series. And maybe once you play it, you’ll know why too. I(and half the press, already) give Metal Gear Solid a perfect ten stars.

Introduction: Blade Runner was published in 1997 by Westwood Studios who also made titles like Dune II, Legend of Kyrandia and an estimated 27,836 variations of Command and Conquer.

This is a point-and-click adventure played in the Blade Runner universe of both the novel by Philip K Dick and the motion picture by Ridley Scott. The story takes place in roughly the same timeframe of the events in the movie and features some of the same locations and characters.

The gameplay was hyped at the time because of the “Real Time”system and the randomization of events. This results in giving the player four different endings based on his or her decisions during the game.

The Story: The player takes on the role of Ray McCoy who is a rookie Blade Runner in the city of Los Angeles in the year 2019. Ray is given his first assignment of investigating one or more animal killers.

From there on Ray follows a trail of clues leading to a group of replicants who are trying to escape their retirement by hijacking a moonbus and leaving earth.

The strength in the story lies in the fact that some characters clearly are replicants while others can be either replicant or human. This is ofcourse due to the randomization but in some cases because of the decisions made by the player.

Along the way we get to meet a myriad of characters all adding to the story. It would simply take up too much space to describe them all but among them are: Gaff, Tyrell, JF Sebastian, Chew (i make your eyes) and Rachel from the movie while introducing some new ones. Ofcourse the ‘other” group of escaped replicants with a charismatic leader but also Ray’s partner Crystal and a young girl named Lucy.

Every now and then we find traces and clues of Deckards investigation in progress while we visit some of the same locations he has or will.

The real star of the story (imho) is a 14 year old girl named Lucy. Lucy has great doubts about whether she is a replicant or a human. She takes on the role played out in the movie by Rachel posing the same questions she has.

The use of different endings based on the choices we make during the game makes the player more aware of them. Even though the story follows predetermined scripts it can branch out in a few different storylines. Don’t expect several completely different games though, just small variations of the same story that do very much change the outcome further on.

The creators tell their story with enough room for interpretation. This may sound vaque but i will illustrate this with an example: As Ray you can decide to retire (kill) everyone you meet including humans. Do so and Gaff will simply give you an origami unicorn and its game over. No more explanation required, right?

There are some variations in the game that either you like or you don’t because these parts do not appear to fit in a further straightforward point and click adventure: Use of the ESPER is vital in finding some clues in photographs, Voight-Kampf is used to determine people are people or replicants and there even is a 3rd person shooting section which may scare the common adventurer.

The Game: The visuals are the beef of the game. All backgrounds and environments are simply stunning and truly grasp the feel of the movie. The downside are the 3d animated characters that just do not live up to the standard. They look and move like rag-dolls. The music is very good as it incorporates the Vangelis score as well as new tracks composed just for the game. The game is controlled like any other point-and-click adventure so there is no story there.

Gameplay: The puzzles used are sometimes logical but can also be a bit too farfetched. Also there is some dreaded “pixel-clicking” (slowly moving your mouse over the screen trying to find that one pixel that enables you to find that one vital clue.

In overall the story takes its time and can be boring to those who are only used to frantic shootemups.

To be honest there isn’t very much gameplay in its own to make this game stand out. The graphics and music do however. Any fans of the movie will find him or herself just wandering around LA and taking in the sights and sounds.

The Verdict: The gaming-experience leans heavily on the atmosphere created by the graphics and music. The appearance of numerous locations and characters from the movie greatly enhances this feeling even more. You do feel you are participating in the movie which is its greatest strength. If you do not like the movie there is simply not enough gameplay left to buy this.

Introduction: As far as hybrids go, this one has to be among the most unusual. A bizarre fusion of- as the name implies- fantasy and cyberpunk themes, Cybermage is a peculiar mutation- but one that actually works, at least to some degree. Developed by Origin (a steady purveyor of cyberpunk-related games at the time), this first-person shooter has never quite achieved the status it deserved. It was slightly overshadowed by System Shock- a spiritual predecessor of sorts- and never attracted enough attention to warrant as much as a sequel, which meant it has fallen into obscurity soon after its debut; yet it is worthy of attention both because of its unusual storyline and innovative gameplay which introduced a couple of features that would not be commonly used in other games in the genre for some time to come. Also, all screens taken from Mobygames.com

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE: Cybermage is a schizophrenic beast. It begins with a comic-book slideshow in lieu of a more usual intro animation, which may at first look like a lame cost-cutting exercise but is in fact crucial to the character of the whole experience. You see, Cybermage is, in part, a dark superhero story, and the comic book elements become even more pronounced as the time passes by. Once you do realise that this is a part of the package, you will learn to forgive certain strange traits, such as exaggerated graphics or cheesy character speeches. Yet this is only one part of the game’s split personality; mixed with the comic book narrative are distinct cyberpunk themes evident in both storyline and graphics- the main protagonist is, after all, a cyborg- a result of an experiment by SARCorp (hello to another nice, socially responsible corporation!) whose adventure begins in a shattered cryotube. Yet his exploits subsequently leads him not only through the more predictable cyberpunk settings such as war-torn wastlenads and assorted urban ghettos, but also slightly more unusual locales- including a sprawling Gothic sanctuary populated by fanatical death cultists. It is then that the “mage” bit comes in, leading to some almost comical theme clashes. You have to admit that bombarding the area with explosives one minute and then spraying it with magical projectiles the next can feel a bit like quickly changing channels between Lord of the Rings and Aliens. Yet the overall feel of the game is actually quite consistent, as Gothic and dark future themes do have a peculiar ability to go hand in hand, sharing what one could refer to as certain aesthetic and spiritual core values. It didn’t bother me an awful lot back where the game first appeared, but then I didn’t really pay that much attention to thematic consistency or other highbrow stuff like that anyway. More frags was all that mattered. Simple days…

REBORN: Our journey begins in an underground lab, where our character has spent a while being enhanced and reconstructed so that he could finally begin his life anew. Yet it seems that becoming a cross between Robocop and Gandalf the Gray, clad in an outfit of a bad Power Rangers copycat pissed him off a bit- so on he went, slaughtering corporate vassals and butt-ugly mutants like there was no tomorrow. The actual story is of course more complicated than that- involving a helpful guardian-angel sorceress Earthmother and a mysterious crystal embedded in our man’s tacky rugby helmet- but the no-spoiler rule and overall vague recollection of the plot mean that I’ll stop at this point. Suffice it to say that the enigmatic leader of the unlovely corporate monolith that is out to get us- the aptly named mr. NeCrom- will stop at nothing to reduce our superhero to a piece of scrap and molten tissue, and so the only option is to ensure he suffers this very fate himself.

This will be no mean feat. SARCorp is a massive entity involved both in hi-tech experimentation and dabbling in the occult, resulting in a steady stream of murderous thugs of various sorts opposing our progress wherever we go. Along the way we will have the pleasure of smacking down overzealous satanist monks, vicious mobsters, dumb zombies and a dazzling array of android assassins. In addition, we will often find alongside allies, who are generally quite helpful as even when they can’t shoot straight, they will at leas draw some enemies away. Their inclusion is also cool in that it greatly enhances immersion- the world of the game feels much more alive when populated by NPCs rather than being some imaginary Gehenna where the only righteous man left standing is yourself. NPCs will often engage you in dialogue, revealing subsequent goals and plot issues, and sometimes letting us increase our arsenal. Due of our character’s Terminator-meets-Saruman nature the weaponry used will be more than varied, ranging from missile launchers to fireballs; what’s more, we will also have a chance to fly about in a levitating aircar or better still, hop inside a small tank, which inevitably results in a handsome carnage of enemy infantry. And after we slaughter the corporate stormtroopers with high-velocity shells, we may jump out of the tank to harvest their souls, visible as bluish spectral phenomena hovering above dismembered corpses, which is useful for regenerating our mana. You’ll get more of this schizophrenic design as you go on, including scorching hordes of cyborgs with malevolent sorcery of yours, or peppering robed wizards with plasma blasts if you wish to. At some point we even meet a bizarre military figure with a tiger-like looks which, given that Origin also made the Wing Commander flight sim, made me think that he was some kind of fugitive Kilrathi. Pure conceptual insanity.

What is even more astonishing is that there seems to be a method in this madness and the whole thing actually fits together. Cyberpunk visuals abounds, from the neon-lit alleys of a futuristic metropolis to cold, sterile laboratories where watchful androids prowl. Many areas may feel rather generic, especially today, after many sci-fi games have followed this particular path insofar as aesthetics are concerned, yet the tedium of nondescript corridors is interrupted quite often and in a grand fashion. Highlights include a suicide run through a gang-infested slumtown, survival of the fittest in the war-torn no man’s land and the cleansing of an unholy monastery, superior firepower taking place of the more usual exorcisms. In the middle of the game we will also spend some time in the decadent metropolitan hub, where pleasures of various sort lurk around every corner. Prudently, the developers have spared us any chances at in-game carnal knowledge (perhaps because at close range characters dissolve into hideous pixel heaps- hardly titillating I presume) and thus secured a marketable rating for the game. What you can do, on the other hand, is engage in gambling- including watching urban gladiator fights. Funnily enough, it is very easy to cheat in these- just pick your man, then lob a grenade over the fence at his opponent… In any case, the feel of this part of the game is simply awesome- especially when a curfew is declared later on, visages of NeCrom on huge screens advising citizens to remain indoors… Pure genius. The cyberpunk feel does decrease a bit when we leave the neon towers and sinful streets behind and head further, yet the dark, medieval grandeur of NeCrom’s stronghold somehow manages to feel consistent with what comes earlier, even though sometimes the place feels so D&D that you may expect an goblin or two to emerge from the tunnel ahead. This part also does show that thematically the game is anything but pure, but our replicant sorcerer’s troubled transformation, megacorporate dominance and abundance of sci-fi locales and robotic foes still make for an overwhelmingly cyberpunk experience.

GRAPHIC VIOLENCE: As in the case of any elderly game, the looks are hardly a strong point today. The game runs on a half-decent engine from the pre-Quake era, which means pancake-flat characters and blocky, simplistic architecture. That Cybermage manages to convey that much atmosphere using simple level design and low-res textures is quite impressive, although even in its times Cybermage was not without fault. The art direction might have been very cyberpunk and nicely executed, but with the characters the fussy, comic-book feel seems to have gone a bit too far, resulting in individuals that look more like shiny G.I.Joe action figures than living beings. Much less forgivable is the engine’s lamentable lack of stability. Cybermage would very often crash spectacularly with no apparent reason which prompted me to punch the quicksave key way too often for comfort. Amongst many misbehaving games I have sampled, this definitely counted as one of the worst offenders. Sometimes the sound would also die; the soundtrack itself was, again, nothing to complain about in those days, especially since the characters actually spoke, rather than communicate with you through written messages.

The Bottom Line: Cybermage is ultimately a love it or hate it affair. If you find the concept of a comic-book inspired game that follows the exploits of a mutant techno-Gandalf laughable, stay away. Yet if you do make it through the initial strangeness of the concept, you will find a game that is endearingly diverse and packed with intense, non-stop action. It is a stylishly violent, complex and atmospheric game that, a few crashes aside, will keep you glued to the screen. Shame about the massive pixels, then…