E3 2002 – First Look
At this year’s E3, Midway announced their fun new
action/adventure game that lets gamers play the role of mad scientist, Dr. Muto,
and it looks very promising. The story begins as the out of control doctor
"accidentally" destroys his own planet, except of course for his own laboratory.
Now it’s up to gamers of all ages to rebuild the destroyed world by exploiting
resources from four nearby planets. Dr. Muto isn’t your average doctor
though; he has a few tricks up his sleeves.
Through 22 levels, gamers will have to face a
variety of enemies, who aren’t fond of him using their resources. These
levels are very distinct from one another, which gives the game a very
large-scale feel. The planets include: a water world called Aquem, a
smog-filled world called Flotos, a junkyard world called Toltec, and the final
world with the forbidden mines of Mazon. The enemies are very unique from
planet to planet and include, for example: cybernetically modified robo-dogs and
rent-a-cops, who after some genetic modifications look pretty hilarious.
At the end of each world there’s also a boss figure who must be defeated before
moving on. At the very end of the game Muto’s arch nemesis Professor
Burnitall (I guess he likes fire) must be faced.
Since both the worlds and the enemies are so
diverse, Dr. Muto must adapt accordingly. Appropriately, his primary
battle tactic is the ability to morph into six different creatures, including an
alien-spider, miniature mouse, and a huge gorilla. When he morphs, Dr.
Muto gains both the creatures’ abilities as well as their physical attributes,
allowing him to get through just about every situation. So he’s able to
fly, swim, climb, and just about everything else. The morphing is done
through combining DNA with his Splizz-gun and this variety of available
character states allows the gameplay to be quite interesting. Since each
morph state has different qualities and should be used in certain situations,
the game is actually very strategic in this way.
Dr. Muto can also build different gadgets
throughout the game, which help in making his mission successful.
Additionally, each world contains a genetically engineered slave that he can use
to trigger switches, activate puzzles, or just about anything else. So the
gameplay will be pretty diverse. There will be enemies to beat, DNA
formulas to find, resources to gather, puzzles to complete, and more.
Graphically, Dr. Muto looks pretty good so far. The 3D worlds have a
cartoon look to them and the doctor himself, with his spiky hair, mustache, and
big glasses, looks hilarious. Each of his devices also emit some cool
looking effects.
With it’s unique look and style of gameplay that
combines strategic elements into this action/adventure title, Dr. Muto should be
a blast to play. It seems like a game that everyone can enjoy and
accordingly it will be available on all next-gen consoles. The release
date for Xbox and PS2 is the fall and the GameCube version should be available
in the winter.
