Review - Creature Shock
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 1:33 am
The real shock is the poor controls
The first thing I noticed about Creature Shock, other than the cool box art (ignore the obviously fake screen shots though), was that its sci-fi theme was a blend of fairly common elements (find a new planet for mankind, investigate a disappearing crew, etc …) Not only have I read similar in books and watched comparable on TV but another late 3DO release, Robinson’s Requiem, handles a very close storyline (albeit better in my opinion) So, while it is certainly nothing bad it’s also nothing new.
The graphics, though certainly atmospheric, are rather dark and much too pixilated (this is a ’96 release so I’m cutting it little in the way of slack) The 1st person segments seem to be borrowed from The Daedalus Encounter, and offer not nearly enough in the way of variety. The ship sections likewise are totally average, and suffer from a poor view that is non adjustable.
The one area where the game does do a good job of showing off graphically is with the alien creatures. They are very nicely designed and well animated. It is clear that the bulk of the effort was focused on this part of the game, and as a result I played with some excited anticipation, wondering what interesting looking beast I would next encounter.
Less of a mixed bag than the graphics is the games audio. Rather good music accompanies the game play. Appropriately suspenseful without sounding like commonplace sci-fi tunes, it is a fine compliment that will please most. The voices and sound effects, while not as good as the music, are still fine cd fare. (I like hearing my heartbeat as I explore the asteroid … it adds tension)
Control … ouch! If any name needed to support the ALG gun, it would be Creature Shock. The cursor is simply far too s-l-o-w for the task at hand. No compensation is made for generous targets either, as there is only a small sweet spot that will produce any damage. The screen is constantly moving during confrontations too which may add some artistic flair but is detrimental to the control and fun factor. (Can you believe the box actually boasts “easy to play controls”?)
It makes the game too challenging. I like challenge don’t get me wrong. Most serious gamers do. But do you like it as a result of lousy control? Certainly I don’t, and I know I’m in agreeable company. I only made it to the 2nd level (although I do think that I went fairly far into it … seems a bit needlessly long) Could I beat the game in time? Probably … but I’ve simply lost my desire to. I’m willing to memorize the alien patterns and all, but I just don’t have the patience to wrestle with the slow controls (the whole game seems rather slow actually, with long load times to boot) The short cut scenes aren’t enough to hold my interest that long. And I’m left with the nagging doubt that the payoff isn’t worth the work (a game should never feel like work) Perhaps I’m wrong and Creature Shock does have a good payoff. If so, it’s hidden too well for its own good.
Good creature designs and music fall short of masking the failings that make this game a weak title. It feels more like a corporate design (looks good on paper) than a gamer design (who needs good control?) I would have liked to been a fly on the wall when this game was going through the play test stage (I want answers Mr. Clive Burbon!)
A late release means that Creature Shock is rarer than most U.S. titles, but is also tends to be overpriced when it’s found. No worries though, as it can be avoided unless you are a collector … or a gamer who likes to see potential choked by those unable to bring it to fruition.
Its two cds are “packed with an undiscovered universe of mystery and adventure” Pending the discovery of Game Guru codes though, it will remain undiscovered by me ... sadly.-Trev
P.S. For the curious, check out the "special edition" of this game. I’ve always wanted to pick it up for my Saturn, but info seems scarce on just what makes it “special” Supposedly better graphics seems to be the consensus, although it’s also the consensus that they aren’t noticeable. If anyone has concrete info or screen shots, I’d love to compare.