Creature Shock
| Creature Shock | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of Creature Shock | |
| Developer(s) | Argonaut Games |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive, Data East (PS/SAT) |
| Producer(s) | Mark Washbrook |
| Programmer(s) |
Lewis Gordon Mark Johnston Jonathan Wolff |
| Composer(s) |
Martin Gwynn Jones Justin Scharvona |
| Platform(s) | PC, 3DO, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, CD-i |
| Release date(s) |
PC‹See Tfd›
Saturn (regular edition)‹See Tfd›
Saturn (special edition)‹See Tfd›
PlayStation‹See Tfd›
CD-i‹See Tfd›
|
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Creature Shock is a 1994 sci-fi first-person shooter game released on the PC and 3DO. The game was developed by Argonaut Games and published by Virgin Interactive. The game was later ported to the Philips CD-i, Sega Saturn and PlayStation video game systems.[1]
A Jaguar CD port was being made by Argonaut Games,[2] but it was canceled.
The title was one of the first extensive CD-ROM titles and used full-motion video for both cutscene and interactive portions. As a result, the game spans over a gigabyte in size and over two discs. Gameplay is divided into two portions: an on-rails shoot 'em up portion in which the player pilots a ship through various pre-rendered environments and an adventure-style first-person action portion where players chose between track-based paths at various nodes.
Plot
In 2123, the UNS Amazon is sent as part of an exploration fleet to various planets to determine new viable locations for settlement as the Earth is destroyed by human activity. En route to Saturn, the Amazon is ensnared by a massive alien being resembling a large asteroid. The protagonist, Commander Jason Barr, is sent to investigate the incident.
He encounters heavy resistance on his way to Saturn, and after fighting through multitudes of alien ships, encounters the UNS Amazon almost completely absorbed by the organic asteroid. As he explores it, he comes into contact with what appears to be Captain Sumoki of the Amazon. However, she morphs into a demonic looking alien and attacks. Upon defeat, it reverts to the appearance of the Captain and Barr takes it back to the Moon base.
The being is examined and determined to be an alien clone. Upon interrogation, it reveals an alien listening base located on Tethys. Barr heads to Tethys to find the base and destroy its communication uplink. Upon his arrival he encounters a probe which proceeds to scan his ship before heading back to the base. Barr chases it through the valleys, where he locates the base. He manages to complete his mission and escape the base before it's destroyed. His ship, however, gets caught in the data beam and he is pulled up through it.
Regaining consciousness, he pilots the ship through several pieces of debris and destroys an awaiting alien ship. His ship is badly damaged in the process and crashes into the alien mothership. With no means of escape, he searches the ship and engages the leader in battle, finally defeating him on the bridge. He then accidentally activates the ship terraforming ability, changing its coordinates from Earth to Mars. With this Mars is transformed into a second Earth, providing humanity a new home.
Version differences
The PC and CD-i versions feature mouse support, and the CD-i version also supports the use of the CD-i light gun. All other versions of the game are compatible with standard controllers only.
The PC and 3DO versions include three FMV exploration levels and two rail shooter levels. The CD-i and PlayStation versions and the Japanese release of the Saturn version contain only the three FMV exploration levels.
Two versions were released for the Saturn: the Japanese release, which is similar to the PlayStation version, and the North American release, which is labeled as a "Special Edition". The Special Edition features slightly enhanced visuals and some options which do not appear in other versions of the game, but its main feature is two exclusive rail shooter levels with polygon graphics. These levels appear in the place of the PC version's two rail shooter levels, but bear no resemblance to them. They have a number of glitches; for instance, level 3 sometimes fails to end when the boss is defeated. Presumably due to space limitations, the Special Edition splits the final level into two levels, one on each disc. Sound disappears at set intervals during cutscenes in both Saturn versions.
Reception
| Reception | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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While hailed for its elaborate and beautiful artwork, the gameplay was razed. IGN stated in their 2 out of 10 review, "track-based shooters with lots of prerendered cut-shots are the bane of our existence. Woe to the hapless gamer who actually pays his hard earned money for these dogs. I warn you now: avoid Creature Shock like your life depends on it".[4] A reviewer for Next Generation deemed Creature Shock "positive proof that a good game must consist of more than just flashy graphics and loud sound effects." He judged the game's limited level of interactivity to be utterly backwards, pointing out that the gameplay resembles the 1987 game After Burner.[5]
Notes
- ↑ The heading indicates the PlayStation version is being reviewed, but the review refers to a "polygon shooter level", something only found in the Saturn "Special Edition" of the game.
References
- 1 2 "AllGamesGuide: Creature Shock". Retrieved 2007-01-07.
- ↑ "Jaguar Plugs into the CD Revolution". Next Generation. Imagine Media (6): 18–19. June 1995.
- ↑ Jeff James (February 1995). "Computer Gaming World - Issue 127" (PDF) (127): 132. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
The Incredible And Regrettable Unite In Virgin's CREATURE SHOCK
- 1 2 "IGN PlayStation Review". Retrieved 2007-01-07.
- 1 2 "Creature Shock". Next Generation. Imagine Media (4): 91. April 1995.