Assault Rigs
Overall Rating: 9 (of 10)
Sony/Psygnosis
59.99 (Ouch!!!!) at Electronic Boutique; Mall-of-America, Mpls
(great service, but way too expensive for frequent shopping...)

My friends in junior/high school loved Asteroids, PacMan & Donkey Kong.
Myself, I was always glued to those twin sticks of BattleZone. I was
thrilled when Microsoft released their ³Arcade² collection with a PC
version of my favorite classic, but it seemed slightly depressing to play
such a comparatively simple game on a Pentium, which I KNEW was capable of
so much more. Namcoıs CyberSled seemed like a possible torch bearer to
carry on the first-person tank tradition, but the PSX version was rather
lame (I only played the coin-op for a couple rounds; I was innebriated at
the time, so Iıve no basis for a fair comparison)

Upon seeing ³Assault Rigs² screen shots & descriptions online (mostly at
Sonyıs excellent web site), my interest was piqued. When it appeared on
the store shelf, I snatched up the last copy, brought it home and popped
it in. After playing if for over 5-hours straight (havenıt done that since
Toshinden...) I can confidently label this game a ³must buy² for any
fellow BattleZoners, or anyone else who likes first-person
shooter/thinker/tank games.

Graphics:10
The texture mapping is nothing new to PSX games, but A.R.ıs is well done.
The sweet looking tanks are very nicely rendered. Plus, your tank takes on
different looks as the game progresses to different zones. The sheild is a
particularly cool effect; reminiscent of Dune (the movie version, with
those funky personal shields...). Everything just reaks of quality and
class.

Sound:8
Good explosion, gunshot and impact noises with precise timing. The music
is the standard techno/rock/pop variety, and itıs perfectly appropriate
here. I couldnıt notice any Dolby effect AT ALL (even after enabling it in
the Options menu...), so I was a little disappointed on this item. Then
again, FIFA 96 is the only game I HAVE noticed the surround sound effect,
and even IT wasnıt true Dolby (same signals in both rear channels). Iım
looking forward to games that really exploit this capability...

Animation:8
The games moves smoothly enough; not quite as smooth as Wipeout, but
better than Jumping Flash or Twisted Metal (two great games, IMO, but not
known for smooth scrolling...). My only complaint here is the camera
zooming; it seems to get confused very easily in tight quarters, making it
difficult to get/keep your bearings in a heated shoot-out. Solution: keep
it set to the ³in-tank² view. The intro FMV is spectacular (nice little
video game history lesson for the kids; instead of showing a Defender
clone, though, I think they shouldıve paid some homage to BattleZone...).
I havenıt finished it yet, so I don't know if thereıs any more FMV at the
end.

Gameplay:10
Absolutely flawless. Itıs got an amazing blend of action and strategy.
Sometimes, youıve got to blast your through a level full of enemy tanks &
turrets a la Twisted Metal. Other levels require you to really think shit
through, like Lemmings 3d. The weapon variations are equally stunning.
Personal favorite: the Guided Missile. ³Guided² does not mean ³auto² or
³heat seeking² (although you can find these, too...). When you fire off
one of these nasties, YOU become the pilot of the rocket (anyone remember
Slim Pickens at the end of Dr. Strangelove? Sorry; obscure reference
there...). Anyway, the gameplay is smart & sassy all the way.

Replay Value:9
These levels are long, tough, and extrememly varied. I myself didn't
really mind the VR levels; they passed rather quickly and allowed a chance
to get used to the controls. Iıve only hacked through like 18 of them (my
favorite so far was "Coaster", as in roller...), and Iıve heard there are
40+. The three different tanks will each require different strategies, so
I donıt expect to get tired of this anytime soon. Then again, ANY game
should inspire this attitude after only 5 hours of play, so donıt put too
much faith in this rating yet....

Options:7
Why canıt designers perfect the Options menus of cool games? To save a
game, you must wait until getting killed, DO NOT continue, then choose
³Options², then ³Save². CONTINUING your saved game is not just a pain, its
counter-intuitive: youıd think youıre supposed to choose ³Load², find &
select your file, then start a 1-player game and choose from a collection
of completed levels. Nope. Instead, you have to go view the Hall of Fame
(Oh, of course! Silly me!), then choose your level. Come on, people! Also,
it seems to cater more towards password users than memory card oweners.
Enough, already! Dump the codes and stick with RAM cards! To be fair, its
not as bad as Extreme Games (the WORST offender of ruining a decent game
with crappy menus & options). Still, this is the EASY part of designing a
game, so I wish developers would get it right!

Finally, my verdict is still out on the Link cable thing. Iıve yet to try
any PSX games using the link, since I havenıt ever had a.) a visiting
friend/relative who b.) brought along their own PSX and c.) happened to
have their own copy of A.R. (or Wipeout, or D. Derby...) and d.) could
arrange to TVıs close enough together to hook the shit together. The
logistics just arenıt feasable. Iım sure that when I try it, Iıll love it,
but I donıt see it happening anytime soon. I hope Sony (or some 3rd-party)
releases a modem for this thing ASAP, so I can get my ass kicked by one of
YOU people reading this!

In summary, Assaut Rigs is one helluva game. It is way up on top of my
favorite PSX games (FYI, this list currently includes Destruction Derby,
Lemmings 3-D, Loaded & Tekken). Now, if only I could find a couple
BattleZone grips...

-EA
(Erik Anderson; email at erikandr@winternet.com)