It's nice to see a new franchise out of the house that Luke built, and it's even nicer to see that it not only has some rock solid shooting action, but a bit of entertaining platforming as well. The real shocker, however, is that RTX Red Rock manages to retain much of the charm that was the trademark of many of the company's classic adventure games.
The setup is basic enough, with you playing the role of a cyborg soldier, sent to take care of Earth's mess on a distant Martian colony. What sets RTX aside from the countless other titles that have used this core concept of gaming, is its sense of humor and personality. At the center of this is the main character's personal companion, which takes form as a ditzy blond variant of Halo's Cortana AI construct. Every time you need to check a navigation room or check with a console to see where to go, the witty humor is in full effect. For example – among spotting your first female survivor, your AI construct accuses you of thinking she's pretty. This kind of thing keeps up throughout much of the game, and it helps to let you know that it's onswy a game, and you shouldn't take it too seriously – a nice change in the space shooter genre.
Unfortunately, the rest of the game, while ranging from decent to good, doesn't measure up to the audio work. Graphical detail is impressive, and little touches are all around you, but so is slowdown, and jumps just seem awkward as a result of some kind of weird draw in distance and texturing choices. Combat is enjoyable, and there actually seems to be a point to most of the doodads you collect, unlike in most games of this ilk. Still, RTX suffers from the curse of the unwieldy camera during combat, and the game could have benefited greatly from an improved map system, because the current one is just inexcusable, as it seems like it was left over from an early, entirely different build of the game.
RTX is a solid action game, and I got more out of it than I thought I would. It has a nice assortment of weapons, variety (you get to pilot vehicles, too), and a sense of atmosphere that you can't concoct based on formulae and demographic groups. It definitely deserves a rental, and a second shot to work out all the bugs.
-George
Company Line
Gripping Character-Driven Original Game for PlayStation(R) 2 and GameCube(TM) Introduces a Unique New Hero to Defend Humanity from an Overwhelming Alien Threat
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. May 7, 2002: 100 years in the future Red Rock(TM), mankind's first colony on Mars, is besieged by a brutal alien force and military leaders on faraway Earth are stymied -- so they call on Radical Tactics Expert (RTX) Eugene Zeno "E.Z." Wheeler as their best hope in RTX Red Rock from LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. RTX Red Rock is an epic third-person action-adventure expected to release spring 2003 on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo(R) GameCube.
Radical Tactics Experts, who evolved out of the military's special forces, are the smartest and toughest members of the armed services, uniquely known for their strategic thinking, adaptability, and pure military muscle. Individuals from this elite unit are trained for insertion into undefined combat situations where even a small team is too large and unwieldy. In RTX Red Rock players immerse themselves into the role of Wheeler, who engages in fierce tactical combat, investigates mysterious, foreboding environments, and solves challenging puzzles to reclaim the Red Rock colony on Mars.
The game begins when Wheeler embarks on a reconnaissance mission to Mars' inner moon, Phobos, to monitor the movements of the L.E.D.s, a ruthlessly hostile alien species who have ransacked the colony. The expectation is that everyone is dead. Upon arrival, Wheeler picks up a distress call from Cimmeria Rajan, Red Rock's young and beautiful Chief Colony Officer. Contrary to the military's worst fears, she and a handful of others survived the alien invasion. Wheeler quickly descends to the planet's surface for a sustained rescue operation that challenges him to swim through underground waterways, cross Mars' frozen deserts, penetrate the colony ruins, and sneak into alien ships, battling L.E.D.s at every turn.
"RTX Red Rock follows in the tradition of classic award-winning original games from LucasArts such as Grim Fandango(R), The Dig(R), and Full Throttle(R)," says Tom Byron, director of product marketing for LucasArts. "We know players will quickly welcome E.Z. Wheeler into the LucasArts family of heroes, as this game perfectly blends them with a rich, compelling story and gripping game play."
Action in RTX Red Rock is distinguished by Wheeler's unique mechanized abilities, granted to him through a series of medical operations to mend previous combat injuries. Wheeler's synthetic right arm is both tool and weapon, upgradeable to grappling hook, taser, grenade launcher, and more. Likewise, his synthetic left eye is sensitive to special wavelengths and can be used to locate and target hidden aliens, identify traps, and uncover power-ups throughout the game's 10 levels. State-of-the-art computer techniques allow LucasArts to blend realism and fantasy, bringing players to the planet Mars in a way never before possible.
Joining Wheeler in this treacherous adventure is his faithful digital sidekick IRIS (Independent Removable Information System). IRIS is a portable computer module with an impudent female personality. When inserted into standard ports on various robots and control panels she comes to chattering life and, guided by the player, helps Wheeler solve his problems. Utilizing control of IRIS for portions of the game, players directly command robots, Martian rovers, and other highly maneuverable alien craft.
RTX Red Rock also will feature a two-player split-screen multiplayer mode for head-to-head battles, capture the flag tournaments, and exhilarating races in some of the game's many vehicles.
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