C2C Reviews
Carmageddon
II - Carpocalypse Now The
following is a review of C2C way back in 1998. How things
have changed since then! Controversy
that surrounded the game, seems to have died down, but only
because a more violent race game has entered the
market. What
the experts have to say... The original
Carmageddon was a game surrounded by hysterical controversy,
and the sequel is likely to be at the centre of even more.
That's right, PC GAMER has awarded both games less than
90%. Although the
mass media has yet to notice the arrival of Carmageddon 2 as
this review is written, we're confident that it will be
splashed all over the mainstream news once again this
Christmas, garnering huge sales for SCi and calls to 'ban
this filth' from people that don't even play games and have
no appreciation that they aren't played by
'kids'. But while we
can justifiably insist on freedom of speech and no
censorship, there's little doubt that Carmageddon 2 is going
to offend a significant portion of society. Thinking that it
encourages people to run other people down is, of course,
ludicrous, but the basis of a free society must surely be
respecting everyone's opinions, including not only those
people who buy the game but also those who condemn
it. While the
original was probably a bit too close to the knuckle -
slaughtering a massed church congregation was a particular
gripe - the sequel doesn't appear to be quite so particular
in its targets. In fact, people from all walks of life are
now available as bumper-fodder, which is nice - at least the
game can't be accused of discriminating. It's one of
the sequel's many subtle changes and additions. Of course,
the graphics engine has been overhauled to provide a
slightly more comprehensive 3D world; the cars are
constructed from a number of polygons, meaning that bumpers
break off, windows smash and a particularly vicious
collision can even cause a vehicle to tear in
half. Similarly,
the pedestrians and animals (of which there are now a huge
number) are basic polygon models, meaning that they too can
shed parts. The buildings and backgrounds are still rather
rudimentary textured polygons, but the variety of objects
and scenery is such that the simplistic art can be
forgiven. And it is
the variety score that bumps up Carma 2's average. There are
now ten locations, each with three different races and one
task that must be completed before you can progress. The
task stipulation is the biggest improvement to the
single-player game, providing a varied selection of missions
and puzzles, with secret areas opened up by triggers. Having
a definable purpose, apart from pure carnage, gives some
welcome direction to the bloodthirsty
proceedings. The
locations are satisfyingly varied, with, of course, the
inevitable city, a quarry, an alpine ski course, a
stunt-track and zoo-filled American desert, Egyptian
pyramids with bizarre alien constructions, an airport
(complete with aircraft taking off and landing, usually
taking out some of the computer cars in the process) and
even, astonishingly, an aircraft carrier. One of the
original game's strong points was the large areas of
activity off the beaten track. Shopping malls and holiday
homes can be found where you wouldn't normally think of
going, encouraging random exploration. You can drive into
many of the buildings, possibly by smashing through windows
or walls, and many smaller buildings hide power-ups (see
'Stitch that'). Like secret areas in games such as Quake,
Carma 2's hidden rooms can often be identified by, say,
slightly mismatched textures, or features in the landscape
pointing to a secret door. All of this encourages plenty of
exploration. Also, some
of the objects littered around the levels can be activated,
destroyed or shoved around. Particularly enjoyable, for
instance, is pushing an enormous boulder, Road Runner-style,
down an alpine road, and watching it take out skiers and
computer cars. But it isn't
perfect. The control of the cars, while influenced by some
excellent physics resulting in brilliant jumps and crashes,
is still frustratingly sluggish at first, with poor
acceleration, braking and cornering blighting your first few
games (although the performance of your instrument of death
can be increased with money). And while killing people is
disturbingly enjoyable, it doesn't entertain for ever. We
were justified in predicting that Carmageddon wouldn't be on
our hard drives after a month, and while Carma 2 should last
a bit longer, thanks to the improved level design and
missions, the novelty will wear off, and, as a 'proper'
racing game, it can't look Colin McRae Rally or GP Legends
in the eye. Plus, it
still hasn't been passed by the BBFC as we go to press, so
there's always a chance that the green blood 'zombie'
version will appear again, with red gore patches inevitably
appearing on the Internet, 'leaked' from some official
source. Stainless
are also supplying an 'alien' version on the same CD, as
apparently even the zombies are a bit too lifelike for the
faint-hearted Germans. It does at least mean that parents
can give different versions to their kids, and MPs can
safely play the game too. However, whether running over
aliens is as much fun as catapulting an air stewardess over
a fence is debatable. ©PC
Gamer, December 1998.
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