23-Aug-2003 Fast-forward to the year 2103 and the universe is a hostile place
You have to wonder what we Earthlings have done to offend. Science fiction's myriad alien breeds all seem to want us dead.
You can just imagine them, flying by in their flash, silvery spaceships, mischievous grins spread across rows of gnarly faces: "Hmm, Earth, now there's a funny planet, don't you think? Let's blow it up. After all, what has it contributed to universal society? Cricket... Chris Evans... The Spice Girls' back catalogue?" Okay, point taken.
Wheeler Of Fortune RTX Red Rock is a game that shares this human-hating theme. It's got aliens and they don't like you very much. They have attacked our humble world, and now the extraterrestrial blighters, known as 'Light Emitting Demons', have swarmed into the human colonies on Mars and flexed their muscles there too.
At least we have you to call upon, playing as a suave, ice-cool action-junkie named Wheeler with an insatiable thirst for excitement.
This third-person action-adventure offers puzzles, exploration and combat by the rocket-load. Gameplay has been snazzed up with some clever touches: with an enhanced artificial eye Wheeler can switch between views as he investigates desolate space stations and claustrophobic mines.
Lost In Space Unfortunately the game has its bad points too. The aliens themselves are a bit of a disappointment. They may be labelled 'demons' but they wouldn't be any less devilish if they wore flower power shirts and had pink carnations tucked behind their ears.
A poor combat system means that fighting them is pretty dull too - skirmishes often drift into bouts of random blasting thanks to a target-locking trigger that seems to think static walls pose more threat than missile-spurting spacecraft. Solving puzzles relies too heavily on lady luck and an awkward camera rarely seems capable of swinging in the direction you want it to.
With so much tedium on show, it's not surprising that RTX Red Rock falls way too short of its lofty promise. It's no disaster by any means, but let's just say it doesn't compare favourably when stood alongside giants like Xbox's Brute Force. In space, no one can hear you scream. They might if you play this.
Nice ideas and a lavish comic book feel fail to compensate for the niggling flaws. Compelling enough, but there's just too much aimless wandering to make it truly enjoyable.
Helping you on your mission is a robotic dolly named Iris, who can be accessed via special terminals.
Despite her mechanical background, she's a bit flirty and liable to excite with a sexy frown. She also reminds us of Holly from cult TV sitcom Red Dwarf.
You can also use her chip to drive robots or vehicles like this powerdrill
The sultry Iris is really just a portable computer module with human interface
// Here's Looking At You, Kid
Wheeler's synthetic eye can come in pretty handy and adds to his standard vision with four unique views. These are used for revealing operable machinery or navigating his way through missions. However, while it's a great idea, switching between the different modes may prove a bit of a chore.
Thermoscan enables you to see enemies that are hidden or invisible
Naviscan, meanwhile, reveals where you are and where you need to go
And finally, Electroscan highlights machines or controls you can use
Bioscan cleverly detects any foreign life forms and forensic residues
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