Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

"If offered for even 10 bucks this singular level would be nothing without a few more levels. For free, this is a cute idea, and a fun tie-in to the actual series."

---from the review

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Game Over: In Machinimation!

This game is offered online, for FREE!

A Techtite Review

Sure, it helps to like this download if you like the series. However, one cannot help but love the publicity stunt at work here. UPN offers a sitcom involving video game characters, only nobody has ever seen these video game characters before. So; why not let them...for free? Welcome to Game Over in Machinimation, a 159 MB, one-level freebie that may lack something compared to an "actual" game, yet for free, this is a great download even by most demo standards.

To catch you up to speed; Raquel is the mother of the family, who is a Lara Croft type of action game heroine always looking for an ancient "monkey" statue of some kind: gold monkey, jade monkey, and so on. This time, you must help her to find The Alien Monkey, on an alien planet. That's fair enough; even fairer with over 5 weapons to choose from.

No toes are stepped on for this free demo, considering how kids can download it. Unlike the series there is no racy humor nor are there any living opponents to fight; only robotic sentry guards. Puzzles are strictly of the "detour to point B in the map to get past locked door A" variety yet for whatever reason this is fun if just because the level design is so well planned. There's even alternate solutions to a starting problem, whether you choose to run a gauntlet of security systems and their weapons, or sneak past them with the underground vent system. Again; nice attention to detail for a game that is as affordable as this one is.

This game uses the Quake III Arena engine, so graphics are superb. Special effects from weaponry is good in itself, but there are also a gaggle of additional FX to enjoy, like one room's mirror on the wall allowing you to see Raquel at every angle (ahem), or the way Raquel slowly disappears a la "Tron" when defeated. The options screens allow you to tweak these FX as much as you'd like, allowing for better shadows, better lighting, or other graphic tricks, based on the graphics muscle of your PC. The only regret is that, sadly, this is a PC-only offering, even though Quake Arena was made for Mac.

You may wonder what the "in Machinimation" means. Well, apparently this game was made with tools of that name, which are included in the download. Animate Raquel any way you see fit, then save the "movie" to your hard drive, and even share it with friends. Will people use this technology? I don't know; it seems pretty complex to do anything above basic movements. However, it's a cute touch, and the price is still free!

Drawbacks? A few. First of all this is a singular level. It's a long level, true, and it's still a cool level when the price is so free, and yet one can't help but wonder if another level isn't waiting in the wings waiting to be added to this one. I've seen many promotional materials for this game and they all show Raquel in a world totally different from this one. Was this just tentative test animation, or are these shots of other levels to be offered later in the series' run? One can only hope this promotional stunt goes the distance. Even if it doesn't, it still goes pretty far.

---Techtite