PlayStation

Return Fire

The bloodbath battle barrage known as Return Fire proves that war can also be heaven. This is one of the best Playstation games of the year.

While Return Fire's relatively simple graphics no longer push the envelope of technology, this title is a sweet game from start to finish.

Return Fire is a brilliant game with some kickin' sounds and tasty graphics. A must for your Playstation library.

When I first heard the Playstation version of Return Fire was going to be enhanced, grand thoughts of new backgrounds and vehicles danced in my head. But with only adding a closer zoom perspective and some nice new 3-D graphical effects, this version was not quite the improvement I was hoping for. It's still a great game with some of the best music and one of the most innovative (and addictive) two player modes around, but there's nothing here that shows off the Playstation's power. I'll stick with my 3DO copy, thanks anyway.

The graphics are similar to the original 3DO version, with only some minor changes, most noticeably in jeep design. The soundtrack, consisting of heavy-duty classical tracks, isn't nearly as powerful in the PSX version, but still works well enough to keep the game going. Return Fire is a great, goofy game, and the two-player mode is even better.

Return Fire seems like the perfect head-to-head game on paper, but none of my friends ever wanted to play it for long. Fortunately there's also a single-player mode that challenges you to complete missions in the shortest possible time. It's nothing to write home about, but it's something. Lacking the playability of an arcade title and the depth of a strategy game, Return Fire falls squarely into "no-man's land" of gaming.