Every so often, a
game will come out of nowhere and astonish us all with deep gameplay, solid
presentation and a unique premise. But just like every once in a while a
first-rate blockbuster rolls along out of the blue, two shockingly bad ones spew
forth.. These games carry no depth, no real plot, and are
usually a decade behind their time in the visuals and audio department. Terrawars: NY Invasion not only
holds to the line of superficial elements, but it
packs itself chock-full of gaming anguish with poor AI, no music (that’s right,
no music), and absolutely laughable voice-acting.
You play as
National Guard medical scholar John Armstrong. When peculiar aliens start
mysteriously popping up and about New York City, it’s your civic duty as a med
student to take initiative and try to destroy them. Loaded with an arsenal of
generic weaponry, you will have to shoot, shoot, and – you guessed it – shoot
these baddies down before they obliterate the great city of New York.
The above
paragraph outlining the storyline may have been a stretch as there really is no
anecdote present. You are simply placed in an awful-looking replicate of New
York and forced to kill everything that moves. The shooting mechanics are
lackluster and there’s also a meter that, when fully depreciated, will make it
so you can hardly move forward. This will force your character to stand still
and wait until it fills back up, undeniably and painstakingly stripping you from
any action the game may have previously possessed.
Enemy design is,
well, abysmal. Environments are pretty much of the same caliber, with mundane
crates galore and poorly textured structures. Terrawars: NY Invasion boasts
being able to run on nearly any PC. This is, in fact, true but it certainly comes
at a cost. Instead of the game offering obstacles blocking your approach into a
restricted area, it contains a plethora of invisible walls. This was one of the
key things that took me out of the experience. Terrawars: NY Invasion is a title
that could have easily been done in the mid-‘90s.
Positives are
scarce. The controls are mostly solid, but only because it’s your basic FPS
setup and they didn’t throw any curveballs into the mix. The psychics are
unresponsive and at times a little “funky,” especially during the platforming
levels, causing for some unwanted headaches. Weapon sound effects are your
common cookie-cutter fare. And as I’ve mentioned, there is no musical score to
speak of.
Additionally, to
add to the laundry list of negatives found in Terrawars: NY Invasion, the
multiplayer will be rendered nonexistent because this game will not be on many
shelves. If you happen
to have a friend who purchased a copy as well, you will be able to partake in
some cooperative play.
|
Reviewer’s Scoring Details for Terrawars: NY Invasion |
Gameplay: 1.5
Terrawars: NY
Invasion’s gameplay engine is broken, outdated and plain rubbish. Redeeming
factors are few, and any fun to be had here is not worth even its budget
admission price of twenty bones.
Graphics: 2.5
In 1995 these
visuals would have been acceptable. In ’06 they’re an eyesore. Everything
from invisible walls, clipping issues, and grainy textures make an unsolicited
appearance. On a more positive note, if you have a PC from 1995, it will
probably be able to run this one without a problem.
Sound: 1.0
Couple no music
with some horrendous sound effects and you’ve got yourself one of the worst
sounding games in a long time. The voice-acting sounds like something straight
out of a bad anime.
Difficulty: Medium
There are four
difficulty settings: easy, normal, veteran, and elite. The game’s defectively
executed missions aren’t exactly tough ordeals, but due to the reappearing
enemies that pop out of nowhere, players may find the SP a slight challenge even
on the lowest setting.
Concept: 1.5
Terrawars: NY
Invasion’s premise can be summed up in one breath: run around mindlessly in
hideously animated environments killing all that comes into your gun’s sights.
Nothing new, fresh, or even slightly innovative is offered.
Overall: 2.0
All in all,
Terrawars: NY Invasion is one of the worst games I have ever played. The gameplay is a total nightmare, there’s no music,
and the objectives are redundant. My advice is to totally avoid Terrawars: NY Invasion.
