Pandemonium Review

8.0

Format PC

Developer Crystal Dynamics

Publisher BMG

Genre Unknown

To get 'into character', Paul Presley attached a pair of giant springs to his shoes ready to indulge in some spritely jumpin' around.

Oh god, a platform game. Have you any idea how hard the 'In Perspective' box is going to be to write? Among the many crimes against society that games consoles continue to inflict, the continuation of the platform game genre surely has to be one of the biggest culprits. Every time I see a jolly-looking sprite leaping about amid garishly coloured 'worlds', my mind harks back to the mid-'80s and the manifold horrors that were Ocean film licences. They were everywhere. No matter what the film was in question, Ocean's developers always seemed to think that the best depiction of the various intricate plotlines and subtle characterisations was to feature the lead character jumping around on ledges. They were dark times indeed.

Frankly, I thought we'd seen the last of them with the advent of sophisticated PC gaming pleasures, but thanks to Messrs Sony, Nintendo and Sega, they continue to haunt us. Now it might sound like I'm not particularly keen on the platform game, but that's not entirely true. I'm opposed to run-of-the-mill platform games, just as I'm opposed to run-of-the-mill adventure games, strategy games, flight sims and any other game that is content to sit in the armchair of averageness. I wouldn't say that Pandemonium falls entirely into this category, but rather that it's perching on the armrest, with a foot on the pouffe of credibility.

'Pouffe' of credibility?

You see, for all the (admittedly impressive) 3D on show, it's a remarkably two-dimensional game. Graphically, Pandemonium is a feast. Smooth scrolling 3D that swoops from one perspective to another with all the ease of an episode of Homicide: Life On The Streets. If you have a 3Dfx card nestled in your PC, then things look even better than they do in the PlayStation version.

But beyond the visuals, the game is very straightforward. Unlike Mario on the N64 or Tomb Raider, you are stuck to a rigid path of movement. You have plenty of freedom in the Y-axis to jump from one platform to the next, stomp on creatures and so on, but despite the camera giving the illusion of 360 degree movement, you are always moving in a straight line from left to right (or vice versa). No Z-axis to speak of. Very two-dimensional.

And it's because of this that I just can't help but feel a little cheated. The rest of the game's elements are great. Very jolly little numbers like metamorphosing characters, bonuses that keep the game interesting and fresh, different lead roles with different abilities, well-structured levels that are genuinely challenging. Everything, in fact, that a good game should have, and yet I still feel that it should be so much more simply because of the other titles out there.

The moon on a stick

Now I have to balance this biting, savage criticism (Steady on now - Ed.) with a true story. My brother really likes Pandemonium. A lot. He's been playing it on a regular basis when I'm not using the PC to rattle out 3000 words of eloquent prose about radishes for my other job as Political Commentator for Root Vegetable Grower's Digest. Which means that if you're more disposed to this sort of thing, you might well be perfectly satisfied with your Ł30 purchase.

The lack of freedom is a personal gripe. You might not have such reservations, in which case, like my brother, you'll probably find Pandemonium an enjoyable experience. But then he also likes Don Johnson, so read into that what you will.