Croc: Legend of the Gobbos

A lenda cumpriu-se. Croc, de que esta mesmo revista deu conta nas edições de Novembro de 97 e Fevereiro deste ano, regressa em versão PC com aceleração.

Finally the platform genre receives the full 3D treatment with an excellent effort from the Argonaut development team. The graphics are so silky smooth and the gameplay sticks with the proven formula which should guarantee that Croc is a smash hit. The game is Analog compatible with the right stick used to adjust the camera angle, but the left stick seems a little over sensitive for controlling the direction of the character and will often result in you falling from the ledges and platforms.

Unfortunately, Croc suffers from familiar problems rampant in the genre: camera and control confusion. Inexplicably, pulling down on this controller makes Croc step forward to swing around in an arc, plunging him off any ledge's if he's too close. Suicidal reversing aside, the highly responsive analog controller's the only way to go and Croc's worth the learning curve. This game ranks as the best, most fluid 32-bit 3-D platformer yet.

Depois de uma estreia em grande na PlayStation, o crocodilo mais charmoso de sempre chegou à consola da Sega. Lá se foi um bom motivo para fazer pirraça aos amigos...

As expectativas geradas em torno de Croc eram grandes. Então não é que era tudo verdade? Temos vedeta, daqueles com direito a clube de fãs e tudo, e jogo para nos alegrar a existência nos próximos meses.

Im Bereich der dreidimensionalen Jump&Runs ist Croc auf dem PC völlig konkurrenzlos. Gegen die sehr gute Grafik und die ausgezeichnete Musik kommen Veteranen wie Sonic 3D nicht an. Der angenehm hohe Schwierigkeitsgrad und die versteckten Räume laden lange Zeit zum wiederholten Spielen ein.

Examining the facts tells us that Croc is the first of the new wave of console style games to hit the PC, and I have to say I'm pleased to see where the genre is headed. This title was very popular on PSX and should have enough charm to win the hearts of PC gamers who have long been waiting for something new to come along and change the long stagnant platform genre. Croc should silence the doubters who said that computers couldn't match up to the latest video game systems. We can only hope this game will prove to be as successful on this platform as I hope it will be, with any luck paving the way for many of our other console favorites to be ported.

After I got the hang of manipulating the camera angles, I started to enjoy this game much more. If you try to play using the default angles, you will end up launching your controller in frustration. The graphics are top notch and this is one of the better platform games on the market, even if it does get a bit repetitive. This is a game the whole family will enjoy, but is also challenging enough to keep the seasoned veteran busy.

Argonauts Krokodil-Spektakel hat mich auf der ganzen Linie überzeugt. Technische Perfektion, enorme Spieltiefe, motivierendes Gameplay, liebenswürdige Charaktere und immer neue Überraschungen im Spielablauf machen Croc zum perfekten Freizeitspaß. Wer Pandemonium! schon mochte, wird höchstwahrscheinlich auch Croc lieben.

Alhoewel de graphics vooral de jongere spelers erg zullen aanspreken, is Croc toch wel een aanrader voor alle platformliefhebbers. Vooral met een 3Dfx kaart ziet het er prachtig uit. Ook zonder 3D kaart is Croc best te pruimen, maar wordt het spel toch wel erg traag, wat de speelbaarheid in het gedrang brengt.

Faszinierend, dieses Knuddelreptil. Streng genommen bietet Croc durch die Bank Spielelemente, die man von anderen Jump-and-runs zur Genüge kennt. Doch durch die "echte" 3D-Spielwelt, in der Sie sich im Gegensatz zu Pandemonium auch frei bewegen dürfen, bekommt die Sache einen neuen Kick.

Croc is definitely a good, slick platform game, but it is highly derivative of other titles. If you're a relative newcomer this sort of game, you'll definitely enjoy it. If you're a seasoned gamer, look elsewhere.

Mario zieht seinen dicken Hintern relativ problemlos aus dem zuschnappenden Maul von Croc – die Klasse des Nintendo-Klempners erreicht das als Konkurrent zu Mario 64 geplante Programm nicht. Haupthindernis sind die stellenweise arg ungünstigen Blickwinkel. Wenn die imaginäre Kamera schräg hinter dem Krokodil liegt, kann ich nicht erkennen, ob der nächste Sprung auf die sichere Plattform oder in den sicheren Tod führt. Croc lebt von den putzigen Animationen. Wenn der Alligator sich mühevoll auf einen Vorsprung zieht oder einen der Zwischengegner attackiert, sieht das durchgehend erstklassig aus. Die Landschaft hätte dagegen etwas mehr Liebe zum Detail vertragen können. Außerdem nerven mich die arg langen Ladezeiten selbst zwischen zwei Mini-Levels. Trotz der paar echten Schwächen hat Croc dank der clever aufgebauten Landschaften genug Spieltiefe, um lange zu motivieren.

Croc held my interest back in the day by being an endearing little guy with a backpack full of dreams and a single husk tooth that rivaled Jewel's. The world was immense by the limited standards of the 32-bit days of yore, and the controls were surprisingly adequate and forgivable. Today, the world is still fairly large, but I cannot recommend this insipid and hardly intuitive control scheme, adorable as the main character may be.

If you want a standard platformer with poor controls, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos is the Saturn game for you. I have not played the PlayStation version, so I can not say if it is any better, but I have to believe that the controls would at least be an improvement. This is just a game that goes to show why the Nintendo 64 was a more successful system than the Saturn.

Some players may be tempted to throw Croc back for coming up short in the gameplay department. Others may enjoy the opportunity to play a simple, fun game that avoids taking itself too seriously. I found myself strattling the fence. While I was captivated by the lush graphics and whimsical creature animations, and enjoyed romping through such an enchanting world, there was little to compel me to finish the game, and next to nothing in the way of replayability (unless you want to search for missed secret areas). Additionally, the finely polished veneer is notably tarnished by an awkward camera and control system, and a frustrating save game scheme. A sequel is currently in the works, and hopefully each of these issues will be addressed to enable the new title to accomplish the full potential of this engaging concept. It would be a shame to waste such a delectable character idea on one slightly above average game.

In the end, Croc: Legend of Gobbos is a charmingly-enough-themed platformer that just didn't live up to its potential. It ended up a Christmas holiday must-rent, when it could have been a Christmas holiday must-have.

At least Croc is long, or so it seems on the surface. With five islands to explore, for a total of more than 40 levels, it seems ample enough. However, the levels are small, and the scenes usually take just a couple of tries to complete. The level design isn't particularly inspired, either. Croc's levels all seem dull and without any cogent sense of theme or mood. Some levels are grassy (read: ground is green), some are deserts (read: ground is beige), and some are icy (read: ground is white and slippery). Regardless of color palette, type of animal opponent, or special effects, each level is ultimately only an uninteresting and simple set of floating platforms and boxes to jump on. Maybe there's a waterfall or something to spruce things up, but for all its cuteness, Croc offers nowhere near the richness and thematic diversity of Mario 64 - which is both the parent it plagiarizes and the standard it can't live up to.