Armorines - Project Swarm [U] ISO

Description :

You're an Armorine. You're wearing the latest in futuristic battle-armour. Armed with a devastating arsenal, you've got 120 hours to stop an all-out bug invasion of Earth. Or die trying.

From Acclaim's London Studios comes Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M, a game running on the famed Turok 2 engine and, not coincidentally, also a 3D first-person shooter. No doubt inspired by the movie Starship Troopers, Armorines is set to the backdrop of an ongoing battle between humans and a violent race of overgrown, bloodthirsty bugs. The action is designed to be straightforward: aim, shoot, kill and repeat. Acclaim London has done its best to include a good number of added extras ranging from a two-player cooperative mode to on-rails missions. Unfortunately though, Armorines still fails to one-up its dinosaur hunter predecessor as it falls victim to the same fatal gameplay flaws and design issues that kept Turok from classic status -- plus more.
The Facts

• First-person perspective
• Amazing enemies -- beautiful, realistic animations.
• Main character selection option, two main characters make two games in one.
• Diabolically clever enemy AI -- Big Smart Bugs.
• Wide range of two and four- multi-player options, including co-operative play.
• Five environments from Earth and space.
• 4MB Expansion Pak enabled high-resolution graphics.
• Incredible hi-tech alien weapons
• Point system rewards players with awards and promotions based on meeting mission objectives and performance.
• On-rails missions.
• Guns that expand dynamically.
• Engrossing storyline.
• Running on Turok 2 engine.
• Memory Pak support.

Gameplay :

Think about Turok 2 for a minute. Now add in bugs, a new menu system, a two-player cooperative mode and a handful of on-rails missions. This is Armorines in a nutshell. The first-person shooter plays similarly to the dinosaur hunter. Gamers run around 3D environments triggering door locks and splattering big, squealing bugs. As the game progresses, weapons get bigger and so do enemies. A few bosses pop up for good measure now and then, and objectives vary from level to level. It's fairly standard first-person shooter activity, really. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Acclaim London has done a bit of tweaking in the control department, for better and worse. The main characters, (players can select from a male or female Armorine), are manipulated with an identical control scheme to that found in Turok 2. The C buttons move forward and backward, strafe left and right, and the analog stick is utilized for aiming. The sensation of speed as players walk is faster and more satisfying compared to the slow-moving Turok 2. But aiming, somehow, is even more difficult, even after adjusting the sensitivity of the analog stick in the options menu. It slides more. So, for example, if we press up on the analog stick, our perspective will keep rising up even after we've ceased manipulating it. It's clumsy and particularly annoying when the framerate stutters in high-enemy areas.
The weapon and item selection is a mixed bag. We've got everything from laser rifles to chemical guns, Stargate-esque shafts of destruction, pulse blasters, rocket launchers and variations of each. But nothing we haven't seen and been more impressed by in Turok 2. The various item pick-ups, on the other hand, are largely unoriginal but entertaining all the same. Think "thumpers" ripped straight out of the Dune series, smart bomb beacons, mines, night-vision goggles, camouflage (which really does render characters a Predator-like invisible and, of course, land mines.

Multiplayer modes :

 

Armorines features a handful of differing multiplayer modes, the most significant of which are a two-player cooperative game and, of course, the standard four-player selection. The cooperative mode runs, but it does so exhaustingly at times. This is because the framerate jumps considerably depending on how many enemies are scrambling around on-screen at once. It's playable, but not overwhelmingly addictive. Players may find themselves disoriented by Acclaim's standard vertically-split cooperative action. We suggest changing to horizontal view immediately.

Both cooperative and standard deathmatch modes are lessened greatly by the same flaw, control that is too loose and hard to come to grips with. While the deathmatch mode runs with a strong framerate and smooth sensation of speed in two-player mode (and slightly less in four), it's very hard to hit any moving targets (which means players). Having played so many better deathmatch modes as of late (GoldenEye, Quake 2, Turok 2), it didn't take very long for us to grow tired of this one.

 Design :

When we come right down to it, perhaps the worst part about Armorines is the game's design itself. Trying to recreate Starship Troopers for a home console is good and fine in theory, but it just doesn't work -- not on Nintendo 64 and especially not with the Turok 2 engine. Going from 10,000 frightening bugs on the silver screen to three (with slowdown) on home console, well, isn't exactly cutting the mustard. We're scared by 10,000 bugs. We can handle three. Blame it on technology limitations or over ambitious design; whatever you blame it on, the end result is both not frightening and, even compared to the year-old Turok 2, just not very entertaining.

Graphics :

Armorines has a look about it that is -- surprise, surprise --reminiscent of both Turok 2 and Starship Troopers. The game takes place across a selection of 3D environments that range from snow-covered mountain tops and underground caves (and facilities) to volcanic worlds and alien surfaces. It employs pretty, often colored lighting effects to the point where some environments seem to be created with that single purpose in mind. Some areas are drowned in fog or nightfall, perhaps for mood's sake, but probably to ensure a steady sense of fluidity. The creatures, a selection of small termites and big, bloated bugs that shoot projectiles, are well modeled, but not as animated as those in Turok 2. The bosses, on the other hand, are huge and beautiful. One boss in particular, a big, hulking monster that battles players to a volcanic backdrop, is right on par with Turok 2's Mother in terms of detail, animation and ferocity.

As expected, the game utilizes the 4MB Expansion Pak for an optional high-resolution mode (both full screen and letterbox). The framerate (regardless of resolution) is faster and smoother than Turok 2, which is definitely a huge plus. It does stutter a bit in high-resolution full screen, mainly when a number of enemies are trying to kill our armored hero. We actually suggest running the title in high-resolution letterbox mode for best results; it's smoother than the full screen mode and better looking than standard resolution.
Brilliant texture design can be the difference between mesmerizing 3D environments and bland ones. Unfortunately, Acclaim London seems to fall short in this area of the game as most of the levels are both barren and generic in appearance. Nothing really stands out as beautiful to the point where one might say, "Whoa," in a Keannu Reeves manner. Considering that Acclaim London already had the engine to start with, we were expecting a whole lot more, even if the framerate is a bit smoother.

Sound :

Sound effects and music play a very important part of a game like this and Acclaim London has delivered the goods well enough. The title features the traditional crop of squeals, hisses, growls, gunfire, explosions, thumping, splattering, screaming -- what have you. And it uses the sounds in appropriate areas. Dark spots where players cannot see are often accompanied by bug growling and hissing. When our insect friends jump out of the ground to our surprise, they immediately squeal and hiss, doing their best to scare us before we blow them apart. It all works. The musical offering, meanwhile, is just there; a mixture of tribal drumbeats and entirely bland background noise. You won't be craving the CD, but it's not going to drive you to insanity either. 

The Verdict :

Turok 2 was a good first-person shooter with some serious flaws. Acclaim London has taken the Turok 2 engine and implemented some new ideas, while ignoring nearly all of the problems associated with the dinosaur hunter sequel. So, we have Armorines, a game that tries to be Starship Troopers, pitting players against hordes of giant bugs in varying 3D environments -- in theory. Unfortunately, what we really end up with is a game limited by Turok 2's engine; slowdown occurs with multiple enemies on-screen and the armies of bugs we had hoped for are instead replaced by a scarce group of wandering insects here and there. We have a game that moves at a faster pace than Turok 2, but with a worsened aiming system that is too loose and sloppy to deliver accurate, precision hits, especially in situations when the framerate drops. We have a game that features a two-player cooperative mode that is almost always too slow to be enjoyed. Good ideas executed poorly under an engine that has outstayed its welcome.
I'm reminded of PC add-ons to first-person shooters. They add in a few new enemies, feature new levels and texture sets and a new cast of weapons, but they play identically. Armorines is a Starship Troopers add-on to the Turok 2 engine. Nothing more. If you can live with that, and you're interested in blasting some overgrown insects, you might want to give this game a rent. If you're expecting a Turok 2 killer, though, you're in for a big disappointment.

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