The Final Word game review

Off World Interceptor Extreme -- Crystal Dynamics

You play the part of a bounty hunter hired to bring in the trash in this fast paced combat/racing game. Off World Interceptor Extreme features 3-D texture-mapped terrain across its 26 levels, and is for play on the Sony PlayStation from Crystal Dynamics.

Ferrari Man
Off World Interceptor has undergone some nice cosmetic cleanup in this release -- mostly in terms of a higher color palette. I found the tracks easier to manuever than the 3DO version, but the game still did not have any addictive qualities for me. I found myself tiring of it quickly, and having no problems solving any of the levels. The difficulty on this title is a little low, the theme a bit thin, and overall only mildly amusing. I had hoped for a totally revamped PlayStation release taking advantage of the 3-D hardware, and since the game has been around for a while, adding some new features.

E.Phoenix
Mayhem. Destruction. Nuclear weapons. YEAH! Good old fashioned empty calories.

R.I.P.
Graphically this version is superior to the 3DO version in every way, but my main complaint with that version still applies... this game has no depth of play... no thoughtful challenge. All of the enemies seemed to have a sweet spot that I could find within seconds, and then it was just a matter of patience, waiting for them to explode. Gameplay consists of jamming down the accellerator and just mindlessly blasting through the levels... The only thing that ever made this game entertaining is the intermission cinemas with the MST3K style comedy relief. The music in this release is pretty decent as well. Not a crowning achievement for Crystal Dynamics, and personally I think they could have spent time better working on a totally new project rather than a rehash.

Salamander
This game never really excited me on the 3DO, and frankly it didn't really do anything for me on the PlayStation. The graphics are pretty, and the story (narrators?) are quite funny, but the gameplay just isn't there. I sat down and walked all the way through my first time, and I haven't played the 3DO vesion for what seems like ages -- and that's the other part of the problem. The 3DO version came out so long ago, the game just seems dated. Not bad, but this one just isn't for me.

>>>>> 63.0/100 <<<<<		Ferrari Man	E.Phoenix	R.I.P.	Salamander
Graphics		3.5	4.0	4.5	3.5
Sound		3.0	4.0	4.5	4.0
Gameplay/Control		3.0	4.0	1.0	3.0
Longevity/Playability		2.5	3.5	0.5	3.0
Overall		3.0	4.0	1.5	3.0
Total		15.0	19.5	12.0	16.5

(12/95)