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Average Overall Score Given: 8.00000 / 10
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Reviews
Phantom Crash
Overall: A solid title deserved of belonging in your collection.It does require some work and many may get frustrated and move on before the game has a chance to deliver.
Persevere however and what we have here is a bit of a surprise package. Phantom Crash did not arrive on a chariot of hype, but instead casually strolled through the back door. The silent stranger in the corner which while appearing at first glance perhaps a little dodgy, nevertheless carries an air of intriuge.
Spend some time getting to know Phantom Crash however and a depth of character you never notice before suddenly becomes apparent. From that point you're gonna get along fine, hell you may even become best buddies.
Gameplay: Take a healthy slab of Gran Turismo, mix in some Mechwarrior and a spoonfull of Quake, then marinade in essence of Jet Set Radio Future.
This game draws influence from a number of sources.
The premise is simple, you will compete in one event per day chosen from the three available arenas over a total of 60 days.
The objective is to achieve as high a rank as possible over the duration.
The events themselves all amount to destroying as many if the oppositon as you can, with money being paid for each opponent you take down.
In short fairly standard Arena Deathmatch rules.
Like most arena games the gameplay is fast with combatants moving around the arenas at great pace and dispatching vast quantities of Scoobie shredding firepower.
While there are only three arenas the gameplay varies well between them, offering varying degrees of space, height and interconnectivity. The arenas themselves are all well constructed if a little lacking in size.
You can leave the arenas at any time throughout the rumble through any one of the gates. The longer you stay in and the more you destroy the more cash you get. Get taken out (crash) however and it's gonna cost you repair money, which can often result in you making a loss.
Wrapped around the rumbling matches is a GT style campaign which while fairly unique within the mech shooter genre, or indeed your average arena title, is very welcome.
You can spend a significant amount of time in between rumbles utilising the hard earned cash you have just received.
Everything has to be bought, from bodies and propulsion systems to weapons, paint jobs and tunes. Nothing comes for free, it is all earnt.
The depth of configuration is impressive with you being able to tweak your creations to achieve a number of playing styles, from all out rock hard, yet inevitably slow mobile fortress to a more fragile but nimble and stealthy assasin.
Different configurations will have varying degrees of sucess within each of the arenas. Don't worry though, you can assemble more than one Scoobie.
Up to Ten in fact if you buy the extra garage space. Additional slots over and above your gifted three once again cost money.
Tweaking your collection is a constant process as you attempt to work your way up the class system within each arena.
You must defeat a number of combatants within each class, split night and day, before the class rankers will present themselves foe challenge. Defeat them and the class is yours.
Complete all classes within an arena and you get to challenge the area ranker.
Take all three out and you can go for First Ranker who rules em all. This is no mean feat however and your going to spend a lot of hours before you achieve it. Plenty of replay vaue here folks especially as you can save your Scoobie experiments to the HDD for multiplayer purposes.
There is a lot of game here for those that want to commit the time.
There is room for improvement - see suggestions to developer - and I also feel there is one major gripe. The chat scenes. While I don't really have an issue with the retro graphics thing, and it sort of adds some character, most of what is said is drivel and you seem to have to endure it each time you play quest mode. First time round it was bad enough, third or fourth time and you start clawing at the wall.
An option to disable would be a godsend.
Graphics: Overall all I believe Phantom Crash to be a good looking and well presented game.
While not striking at first glance it has to be said that the longer you play the more you come to appreciate exactly how much is going on in terms of visual splendour.
During rumbling Soft focus, good textures, great lighting, particle effects and a very convincing Predator stylee Optical Camoflage are all in evidence. Oh and all without a murmur from the frame rate except for in extreme instances. Evne when there is a slight drop it is never enough to disrupt gameplay.
The intro seuences are good and set the scene well.
The campaign menus are well thought out and clearly presented.
Where it does, arguably, let itself down, are the chat sessions with other WireHeads. The developers have opted to go for a retro look harking back to the 16bit days. Whether it appeals will be largely down to personal choice.
Audio: Again Phantom Crash scores high, Sound effects are spot on and convinvingly portray the scene.
Any good shooter will enable you to discern the position of enemies and moreover give you a clue as to what type of enemy by sound alone, Phantom Crash is no exception.
Differing propulsion types, weapon systems, and your own sensory warnings are all instantly recognisable.
Tunes too are equally impressive with a wide selection of Japanese artists appealing to a variety of tastes.
The fact that you need to pay to play these tunes during rumbling adds another aspect of longevity and interest to the sound dept.
Suggestions: While a hell of a lot of fun, I goota say I think you are toe dipping. Testing the water.
What you have is the seed of something that could be truely great.
More arenas, more configuration options, greater variance between manufacturers, and ffs get it online.
The opportunity to be able to earn your Scoobie through a Campaign mode in single player and then take it into the multiplayer arenas online is something that appeals to a huge degree.
Even better if you could make the whole thing online with leagues and cups to be competed in by real players to earn money and buy parts.
Please make it so......
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
