Dec 2001 Volume 82 Number 1 "serving the protectors"
By Mike Horsfall

HEROES CHRONICLES

The award-winning gameplay of the Heroes strategy series has, since its launch in 1995, won fans worldwide. Now, the same magic is delivered to a broader audience with Heroes Chronicles, a series of four episodic, easily accessible strategy games. A single character, Tarnum, finds himself sent on a succession of quests to earn redemption from the gods. Tarnum wanders the land seeking redemption for the tremendous wrongs he performed in his youth.

The series includes:

• Warlords of the Wasteland - After generations of oppression, Tarnum discovers his people’s true history and leads an army of troops against its tyrannical masters. Marching across treacherous wintry wastelands, he follows and even surpasses the deeds of the legendary barbarian king who defeated these spellcasters long ago.
• Conquest of the Underworld - When the soul of Queen Allison’s father is kidnapped from Paradise, Tarnum escorts her through the twisting tunnels and endless cursed grounds of the Underworld. Every step of this epic journey is blocked by a fiery Inferno or foggy Necropolis from which march demons and undead determined to make Tarnum a permanent inhabitant of the land of the dead.
• Masters of the Elements - The Elemental Lords end 10,000 years of peace and prepare to make the world their battleground, unless Tarnum can overcome his hatred of magic and learn the spells necessary to build the Conflux and defeat them. To form an army capable of stopping the destruction of the world, he’ll need to journey through the magic clouds, lucid pools, rocklands, and fiery fields of the elemental planes.
• Clash of the Dragons - Not even the elven armies of the woodland Ramparts can stand against the combined forces of Black, Red, Rust, Crystal, and Azure dragons led by the Dragon Queen Mutare. As the elves retreat into the dense forests and magic plains, Tarnum rides forth to battle this new enemy who threatens to bring the entire world under her deadly claws.

During each of these episodes, the hero finds himself facing a fresh challenge in a new locale, each consisting of one thematic campaign made up of about eight scenarios. Also included are sneak peeks of other episodes, to give players a taste of the various games available. Each episode also features a “tutorial level” to teach new players the rules of engagement.

STARSHIP TROOPERS

With the questionable success of this year’s movie release of Starship Troopers comes the PC game of the same title. The plot it revolves around a battalion of bug-bloodthirsty men and women.

Starship Troopers is the latest 3D strategy game from sim leader Microprose. A new release, it offers the latest in graphics and sound. To play this game you will need a 3D accelerated video card - but who’d bother playing the latest games without such a card.

The programmers have concentrated on providing very realistic terrain and lighting, which provides for very nice visuals and audio. But, where the ambience is well provided for, many gamers will find Starship Troopers somewhat lacking in gameplay. The viewing system must be constantly controlled, as must the troopers. Things can get somewhat confusing when managing a multitude of little people running around in armour, while determining who is the leader and establishing which weapons everybody has.

However, to the game’s credit, all the bugs, guns and starships are identical to those in the movie. Overall, Starship Troopers is a great game and will hold players’ concentration for hours, but there are better titles from which to choose.

CARMAGEDDON-TDR

Just like its predecessors, TDR 2000 will be controversial. It is sure - again - to be the source of several moral arguments about children and violence - and rightfully so. One might wonder why more work wasn’t done to provide more meaningful gameplay - it has, after all, been in the making since December ’98.

But criticism must have adversely affected sales as in Carmageddon TDR. Instead of running down innocent humans, players have the ability to flatten zombies who have been throwing Molotov cocktails at the players’ brand new Eagle Car.

Responsible for this is a new graphics engine, which provides the ability to run higher resolutions than 640 x 480, as available in the previous versions. The physics engine has also been rejuvenated, certainly for the better. It’s now a pleasure to drive, with more body roll, four-wheel slides and the trusty handbrake.

The detail of the environments is unbeaten, with hundreds of lamp posts, streets, buildings, houses, lakes and anything else you might find in a crazy city - even animals.

The sounds have also improved, with better quality and support for more than just two speakers. Other developers should take note that a decent soundtrack can turn a good game into an excellent game.

Carmageddon TDR is a great, fun game that definitely requires skill. It is sure to be one of the greatest car/adventure games of the year, but is probably not for the die-hard driving-sim fanatic. Rather, it would suit someone looking for a not-so-Sunday drive. Carmageddon is a heap of fun and very well presented.

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