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July 30, 2008 Help Perry Save The Universe
The Immortals of Terra (A Perry Rhodan Adventure) (**** out of four) is a wonderfully cheesy space western CD-ROM adventure game based on the extremely popular sci-fi pulp fiction series of Perry Rhodan novellas published weekly in Germany. The series has been published since 1961, making it one of the longest-running science fiction epics in the world. The epic follows the adventures of Perry Rhodan as he, an immortal being with a long history of how he got that way, battles to save Terra and its colonies from all types of alien creatures and other assorted disasters. The original pulp fiction series is high on the action scale and low on the brain scale--you know, where you park your brains at the door and enjoy the adventure. The CD-ROM version, the first video game of the series, is low on the action scale but does give you a chance to become interactive in the world of Perry. This world is filled with ancient secrets, dangerous villains, true love, much evil and more--all tucked into a multi-galactic adventure. Just keep In mind the park-your-brain bit. You get to control the actions of Perry, with a story line running something like this: the home base of the Terran empire is attacked by aliens who, in addition to inflicting much damage, also capture Perry’s true friend and greatest love, Mondra, who leaves behind only her research notebook. Thus begins your quest: find who or what is behind the attack, save Mondra and perhaps the universe--remember the ancient secrets? As is typical for this type of adventure game, you point to where you want Perry to go, and he goes or runs there. If there is a switch to turn or a door to open, point to have him turn it or open it--unless it is locked, in which case you’ll need to have him explore his surroundings, other rooms, other buildings or other worlds to find a key or maybe a combination, only to discover that you need to find the person who has the special code-reading goggles needed to read the invisible combination or command. You’ll need to gather all sorts of objects for use, some by themselves others to combine with each other for use. And so it goes--a typical adventure game. Tucked in here and there are puzzles (logic and other) requiring some thought or mostly trial and error to solve, and not a whole lot of shoot ‘em up adventure. The game requires time, patience and a general enjoyment of the genre, especially when you get to work out some sequence for an "aha" moment. What makes the game stand out are the graphics, with hundreds of beautifully detailed renderings of Terra and the alien worlds making them fun to explore. Voice acting is OK and quite appropriate for pulp-fiction characters, but the voices aren’t given much to say and use phrases such as "The door is locked so I guess I can’t get in there." Sound effects, music and animation, especially facial expression, is quite good, making the game a shade more fun to play. If you like the adventure game genre and would like a chance to play in the world of the longest running sci-fi pulp fiction hero, then The Immortals of Terra: a Perry Rhodan Adventure is for you. From Viva Media, Windows 2000SP3/XP/Vista, $29.99.
Merv Griffin’s Crosswords (*** out of four) features the voice of television game show host Ty Treadway and a new take on PC crossword puzzles. No more pondering the words and taking time to think of the possible solution--this game has you racing against the clock to solve the puzzle. If you’re successful, you qualify for the final round of the game or increase your score to become a puzzle pro against your opponents. The game includes hundred of challenging crossword puzzles and combos that you can use to increase your overall score and earn special rewards. You start at the Beginner level, move into the Wordsmith and then on to Puzzle Professional if you are successful. As an added bonus, as you enter correct words, you receive help in the form of a tip that you can place in your bank and use when you want. Each game has three clue-based rounds and one timer-based final round, where you can skip clues and come back to them later. When you play the game, you must "Buzz In" by using the space bar. Just as in a game show, once you buzz in, you have to fill in the word in a given amount of time. When you complete a puzzle your score is displayed, along with any bonuses you’ve won, such a "trip" or an option to select an amount of money to bet. Once you select the amount, you have one minute to complete another puzzle and win more prizes. The game includes options that let you turn the music, voice over and tips on or off, select music and voice volume, and choose full screen or play in window. You can also change players at any time, and up to 10 players are allowed. The game keeps you moving constantly and is fun to play, especially if you enjoy crossword puzzles and the game show type of playing. From OberonGames,www.oberongames.com,Windows,$9.99 (www.amazon.com). |
