The Final Word game review

Cybermorph -- Atari

E.Phoenix
If first impressions meant that much, this game would be sitting next to the sprinkler in my front yard. Luckily I spent a few hours in front of this brilliant game and fell in love with it. No, technically it is not especially impressive, to say the least. What it does have, though, is something that many game companies have forgotten in the age of flashy FMV and liscensed characters; it has unbelievable depth and gameplay, not to mention the sheer length of the game itself. After toying around with the controls for a while, I found myself careening around mountains and between buildings with ease to save those poor pods. Pods. The object of the game is to save POWs and supplies that have been sealed in pods and scattered around many (very many) worlds and laying waste to anything that crosses your path. Agressive enemies include kamikazes, hovering cannons, sea pirates, and many others plus universe bosses. Along with the agressive enemies, passive pod hunters and cargo ships make up part of the enemy fleet. Each world - there are eight worlds plus a boss world per universe and there are five universes (not including bonus levels) - is different in strategic complexity. Some require you to destroy the station that is jamming your radar, in others you may need to find the transporter that delivers you behind a force field or destroy the spikes that energize it. Do not judge this game on looks, you may end up regretting it.

(03/95)