Hybrid Heaven Review

Hybrid Heaven - Review

Hybrid Heaven is a game that I had been waiting for years. Three to be exact. After its initial video debut at the E3 show in Atlanta a few years back, the press straight away picked up on its amazingly realistic graphics. It just looked like it could be one of those gamesâ¦

Well here it is, and it definitely not one of those games. But weâll talk about that later.
The game kicks in with an excellent intro with, gasp, real voice. Better enjoy it because itâs the last time voice appears in the game. The basic story isnât basic at all. In fact it could put Sunset Beachâs writers to shame.

Okay, at the start you play Diaz, a man straight from the Village People it seems, who kicks off the story by killing a Special Forces bloke called Johnny Slader. But as you play for a while you are informed, by aliens no less, that you are not Diaz. You are Johnny Slader, and the guy you killed wasnât actually Johnny Slader at all. Well not the real one anyway. You see this is a story about clones, or Hybrids as they are referred to, who live in a giant facility underneath the streets of New York. The brains behind the Hybrids want to, quite naturally, take over the world and their plan is to replace the US government with Hybrids, who will do whatever their masters tell them. The kidnapped aliens shape shifted you into the form of bad-guy Diaz so you could enter the facility and try to stop the evil ones carrying out their plan. Oh, by the way to make matters worse you accidentally released all the mutated monsters they happened to have lying around.

So what kind of game is it? Basically it is a fighting RPG, with you moving through various environments solving very simple puzzles ⦠like opening doors. A lot of time has evidently gone into developing the fighting side of the game, which actually works really well. It is turn based, with you selecting what move, technique or combo you want to pull off from a menu system. It is all very quick and simple, and it works well in the 2-player mode too. You learn new moves and build up certain parts of your body as you continue through the game, which makes it quite strategic. The problem is, there is simply too much of it. Once you enter battle mode with an enemy, you canât run away from them which is really annoying when all you want to do is reach the next door. Also the weapons you are given are so pathetic I could never be bothered to use them unless it was vital.

Oh and the enemiesâ¦dear me.

The âmonstersâ are so lame it is shocking. They all have this anorexic look about them that makes it impossible to take them seriously. I found it so difficult to believe that a kick from such a skinny leg could cause as much damage as it did. A few examples are the skinny one wearing a tutu and the skinny one with a horseâs head and matching hooves. One of the worst was a skinny one made of mushrooms. Bet heâs a fun guyâ¦

Graphically the game is good. Simplistic perhaps, but you can always pretend that it is just artistically minimalist. The main characters are well modelled and animated and there is no fogging. Overall, the speed is good and it all runs smoothly. Until you plug in the Expansion Pak that is. You can really hear the cogs of the N64 chugging to run the game in Hi-Res, so donât bother with it. Also the development time of the game really shows with the earlier stages looking shabby compared to the later ones.

I know that so far it sounds really bad, but it isnât. Thatâs the thing you see. It so nearly could have been great, but it just lacks the talent behind it compared to Metal Gear Solid. They are quite similar in some respects, but this seems low budget in comparison. The atmosphere of the game really gets you into it, and the story element is really strong throughout. Believe it or not, the 2-player game is actually quite good too, which in these sorts of games is a bonus.

In conclusion, this is a great game if you are looking for an atmospheric and cinematic sci-fi adventure not aimed at kids. It has the story, the fighting and the strategy. But if you are a casual gamer looking for an arcade-style romp, forget it. This is one of the last games for the N64 from Konami, and could have been their best, but it wasnât to be. Hereâs hoping for a better Dolphin updateâ¦

Abbas Jeraj