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Scrapland - Hands On Preview
Derek dela Fuente
07/09/2004
Isn’t life strange, a well-rehearsed line from a famous Moody Blues song, but boy that could not be truer…
The day starts as usual with a number of game packages coming in the morning post and I get a request by phone from my editor to chase up to do a feature on American McGee, a famous industry games designer, a person I have wanted to interview for many years.
Looking at some of the games that have arrived I am amazed to see American McGee, Scrap Land. Now after delving into American McGeeâs past history, and what an impressive one it is, having worked at ID for many years on titles such as Quake and Doom to name but a few, it certainly elevates Scrap Land into the category of more than interesting - must see, must play, NOW.
Like many gamers thoughts, publisher Enlight â“ which is releasing Scrap Land - has a rock solid reputation, their titles are normally safe and predictable, value for money and so expectations are never high. So loading in Scrap Land just like any other another game, with no real expectations, apart from the fact that the creative mind of American McGee is involved. A BIG surprise was in store.
To describe the first few minutes of Scrap Land, the loading sequence, the first in game interaction and presentation, will be hard and it has come as a bit of a shock. To make it easier letâs refer to what we all know. Think of Star Wars meets Lost in Space, with some of those weird and wonderful talking humanoid forms. Add in a dash of some more outrageous Lucas Artsâ characters and what you have is the cast within Scrap Land. A smile a minute! Getting instant affinity with in game cast is always a prime objective for a developer and here you get it within 60 seconds!
It must also be pointed out that this is a not a plagiarized game. Yes, the cast you can see has been heavily influenced by some well known brands but it has been done with such aplomb, that within Scrap Land you can forgive anything!
Getting the fullest flavour of this game you really have to eyeball it yourself but we shall continue to describe what we experienced!
You are placed in a strange space world, within a futurist space installation which itself is set inside a debris filled field thousands of miles wide â“ a tiny asteroid called Scrap Land. Scrap Land may be an amalgam of bits and parts but the inventive nature of the city you will enter is high tech and high energy! Centuries of destructive exploitation by a race long gone, reduced what was once a paradise into a world inhabited only by machines.
You control a cyborg, who looks pretty human, speaks in a human voice and is a cross between Data from Star Trek and that dude in the gold suit in Star Wars. Fact is, it doesnât matter where you are or what you have to do. Itâs a real treat just being there, although it will become apparent as you play!
Having a chat with some of the strangest forms imaginable presents not only some great humour but also some real gems. The idiosyncrasies of the first few forms you meet sets the tone for what looks like it could be one hell of a game.
Now you could well believe you are playing a sort of interactive adventure game, talking and merely getting loads of whacko information, which is in some cases so overthetop you just canât help thinking, who the heck has written the script? (Was it American McGee? If so, that guy should be a comedian!) Merely wandering around has never been so much fun. The fantastic animation and movements of the cast, the extensive amount of detail to each location and the truly in your face colours have you riveted to the screen! It appears you are assigned the position of reporter, as all residents have to have a job and have to make your way to the town hall. Now is this a red herring? Having to get to the desired place it appears first you have to build a space ship. Now this spacecraft will be a prime tool, flying around and shooting will be the real core focus to the game! Luckily you are given a hand via a neat little tutorial program and the process of putting it all together takes a few minutes.
Once complete, you are assigned a companion, a lovable sputnik sidekick, who chats away endlessly.
Aboard your space craft within a massive 3D space world you are invited via your control screen to follow the yellow arrow to the Crazy Gamblers casino. Flying your craft there is a pretty laid back affair. Getting the coordinates right takes a little juggling around but once inside the club a Shakespearean dialogue greets you, to be followed by some disco music by your seemingly hospitable host! Can this game get any madder!? Hey, I'm the Crazy Gambler and I make Crazy bets you are informed. Hey, let me test your metal, it chatters on. It asks you to go outside and shoot some cops. Now that is surely crazy seeing the Crazy Gamblerâs buddy and standing next to him is the Chief of Police! Well seeing you are asked, better to do as ordered.
Now the battles begin. High tailing and taking out two copsâ ships is far from easy for they can move at breathtaking pace and tagging onto them, as well as getting enough hits to waste them, is pretty tough, but would you expect less?
Now we need to tell you also that the controls are as slick as you could imagine and so it is a high dosage of skill that is required to achieve this objective. Whizzing around the vast metropolis with hundreds of other craft shifting, doing their daily business, sets the tone for the game. Itâs all full of vitality and get and up go.
Interestingly there are tons of little bonus pods floating around to collect, although we, at this early stage, are not sure what they do and what they are for but it could be a nice taster for later events.
Back to the ensuing action, avoiding other craft isnât so perilous as you might think, as minimal damage occurs. Your radar box is the most important icon on display and via this and some nifty other help aids and arrows onscreen there are plenty of helpful hints to assist â“ that is, so far!
Now if you so happen to get blown away, you are retuned to a last save spot and the great database in Scrap Land will grant you a new life!
Having spent an hour enjoying the company of the lead man D Tritus, the best way to sum up the focus of this game is that is offers you a series of ever increasing challenges which are supplemented with some fab narrative and dialogue. Avid web gazers will no doubt read some gaming comparisons to a rather big title but we will leave that for others. A lot of what is served up appears to merely go through a sequence of events but the formula works a treat. You move onto a location, talk about the task on hand and this is all tailored to present a challenge. Once youâve achieved your task and go on to the next. Pretty simple really but itâs all encased in a concept that offers fast paced action and above all humour â“ which we donât get enough of nowadays!
The player has total freedom of movements most of the game time â“ it is a little restricted at the beginning for tutorial reasons. In Scrap Land, one can freely wander round all levels/maps, interact with all characters, drive all ships and combine, with no restrictions! The unpredictable nature of the story line is also a massive bonus!
Other aspects of gameplay must also be taken care of like your craft and gaining lots more money so you can improve your hardware and future prospects!
Now you would assume that is a fine mix of features and components to please any gamers but there are more.
Apparently throughout the game the player can transform into any of 15 character types inheriting unique abilities. Scrap Land also offers a really strong storyline that grabs you by your âgooliesâ and you will just want to play on to find out want mad cap events will happen next.
Scrap Land is set out in structured missions where action is the order of the day and whereas some games leave you clueless at points this is never the case. There are challenges galore and getting the right info to achieve the desired results is not only a challenge by playfully frustrating!
On top of the solid concept there stands some great code. Although the graphical palette my not be to everyoneâs liking â“ resembling shades of some âsharewareâ - the game mechanics are tuned to perfection.
Weâve only touched on what is on offer and we shall be following this up with an interview with American McGee, along with a low-down from the team creating the game.
For the time being we shall watch this space with more than usual interest!
