Descent for PlayStation
$43.99, Best Buy, Brooklyn Center, MN

Overall:8.3
Trying to get EVERYONE to blow chunks in 3-D, Interplay releases Descent
for PSX (and Macintosh, and a sequel for DOS/Win/Win95 users). For those
who havenıt played Descent: imagine taking an accurate, complex (at first)
flight simulator, adding some major weapons, and dropping it into the
middle of a big, nasty Doom dungeon. Then, imagine that dungeon having
rooms of different sizes, connected by doors & tunnels; except that
instead of the basic door in front of you & to the sides, thereıs more
doors on the CEILING, and a couple more in the floor! THATıS what they
mean by ³True 3-D². 

Graphics: 9
Outstanding. The textures are good nı dingy, the detail is high, and the
lighting effects are gorgeous. Firing a laser down a hall never looked so
good!

Animation: 8
The scrolling & movement are top notch, but the enemies & doors seem to
have lost something. The look jerkier. Maybe Iım just used to other PSX
games, like Kingıs Field. To keep pace with other titles on the
PlayStation, Interplay wisely added some F.M.V. intros & cut scenes. The
first time my ship blew out of the exit, beer came out my nose; I was
shocked at the quality. After a few more, though, it looses a little (but
just a little) impact.

Sound: 7
Pure DOS/SoundBlaster, but still good. The music is OK, but gets a little
annoying if you leave it blaring at full-volume. 

Control: 9
Oooo, controversial score there! The thing is, Descent offers SO MUCH
control of itıs ship. Pitch, yaw, forward, back, slide left & right, slide
up & down, and thatıs just MOVEMENT. Factor in two weapons systems with
firing & selection on each, plus map access and more, and that PlayStation
controller gets mighty crowded! Interplay left out NOTHING from the PC
versions, and kudos to them! So, for those who donıt like the control,
just keep trying different configurations Œtil you have one you can live
with. Personally, I did without the yaw (twist, I think; Iım no pilot!)
and instead added slide up & down. This made all the difference. Iım sure
the analog joystick would help even more, but Iım not planning on that
investment quite yet.

Gameplay: 9
Once the controls are mastered, its completely engrossing. Although the
polygon-modeled enemies donıt have the personality of an Imp (Doom) or
Pfor (Marathon), they make up for it with cunning and intelligence. The
way they cower behind a corner is downright spooky sometimes...

Level Design: 8
The levels are MASSIVE, possibly the largest of any first-person shooter.
Personally, I prefer a little more symmetry in my levels, but the twisting
tunnels and jagged rooms just add to the ³mine shaft² theme, I guess.

Misc.:
The end of Level 6 (actually, its now level 7) is still too tough. That
big, yellow, teleporting asshole is just too well armed. Even on easy I
burned through 3 lives (hadnıt lost ONE till then!). Oh well; I made it
through finally, so now Iım happy again.

Personally, I loved the PC version, but I never got the full effect on a
66-mhz 486. This Sony version is both smoother and faster at full screen
than my PC at half screen, low detail! All in all, this is probably the
best version of Descent available, once you find the perfect control
setup. Iıd really be curious, though, to know how it compares to:
a: A Pentium running the DOS version
b: A Pentium running the Win95 version
c: A PowerMac with a QuickDraw 3-D card

This is Interplayıs second Sony winner for me, and another hit in their
cumulative history. Loaded was great, while Lost Vikings, Rock & Roll
Racing & Clayfighters will always be three of my favorite SNES games. I am
a little wary of PSX Cyberia; Iıve got enough flight simulators (Warhawk,
Air Combat), and Iım more curious about W.C. III. However, if Interplay
keeps up this kind of quality in their VR Sports series, weıll never miss
Electronic Arts on the PSX platform!

Happy Hurling!
-EA
(Erik Anderson, e-mail at erikandr@winternet.com)