Shattered Steel

The only thing that prevented Shattered Steel from becoming a 5 star game was the problems with gameplay and sound mentioned above. Besides that, this game is a must buy or try (demos are free). Interplay and Bioware have created much more than a computer game. They have created a true science fiction universe that is as compelling and real as anything you’ll see in the movies or on television. Through superior cinematics and writing, Shattered Steel makes itself unique among ‘mech style games.

Menuer m.v. er flotte og ligetil, og med dets hurtige og underholdende gameplay, bør Shattered Steel ikke stå og samle støv på forhandlernes hylder. Det skal hjem i samlingen.

With its impressive terrain graphics and in-the-thick-of-it feel, Shattered Steel is an excellent game. While it doesn't quite have the realism of the MechWarrior series, it is fun and challenging to play. Interplay and BioWare have put the emphasis on gameplay rather than simulation, and succeeded nicely.

Shattered Steel wendet sich nicht so sehr an die Freunde gestandener Mech-Simulationen, sondern mehr an diejenigen, die geballte Action in technischer Perfektion zu schätzen wissen. Daß ein derartiges Programm viel von der Hardware fordert, versteht sich inzwischen fast von selbst - erst ab einem Pentium 90 mit 16 MB Ram stapfen die Planet Runners in hoher Auflösung flüssig über die Planeten.

Lyden er ikke noget at være begejstret over - det betyder ikke, at den er dårlig, men den er heller ikke noget ud over det sævandelige. Grafikken er derimod meget flot, især i SVGA, som dog kræver en Pentium. Alt i alt er Shattered Steel et meget sjovt spil, og det kan klart anbefales til folk, som kan lide store maskiner, men ikke gider tænke alt for meget!

As another MechWarrior II-like game, Shattered Steel was pretty good. Because it offers nice scenery and graphics, beautifully rendered movies, and a pretty good plot, I believe the game is slightly better then MechWarrior II. With excellent sound and pounding effects, the game puts you in your robot's shoes. Those with faster PowerPC Macs (PPC 604 and up) will find the game more enjoyable than slower Mac owners. And those owning a 3Dfx card will enjoy the scenery even more.

Shattered Steel konnte mir vom Fleck weg gefallen. Die Landschaftsoptik im Voxel-Design ist zwar recht unspektakulär, dafür entschädigen aber die gerenderten Gegnergrafiken um so mehr. Spinnenartige Kampfmaschinen und Blechsaurier bewegen sich elegant über das Spielfeld und sind schon von weiten an irhen spezifischen Geräuschen zu erkennen. Die stimmigen Lichteffekte, wie rotierende Suchscheinwerfer, gleißende Blitze oder feurige Explosionen, machen die Schlachtfeldillusion perfekt.

Admittedly, Shattered Steel has all the features (multi-player options, the usual crop of external views, not to mention a virtual cockpit and some slick presentation) that are traditionally part and parcel of the big robots genre. But despite the pretty graphics and the fairly exciting gameplay, this Interplay effort doesn't quite match up to the delights of MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries. It's not a bad game. Far from it. It's just that Shattered Steel lacks the imagination and the originality that would make it a real contender for the MechWarrior crown.

Shattered Steel performs like an upgraded version of Reality Byte's HAVOC, fun as a first-person shooter with lots of geometric ugly things to rip through, all bundled in a complex campaign storyline. Yet it's nothing we haven't seen before. Like other reviewers have stated, Shattered Steel takes a lot of different game and plot componenets "and combines them into one neat package." Overstated? Maybe. But revolutionary? Hardly.

When you dissect Shattered Steel and lay its parts on the table, the big pieces aren't original or all that special. As you spend time with the game, however, you start to notice cool details (the force of an exploding enemy will destroy another nearby unit; your Runner won't offer a stable gun platform when perched on a knoll, as it struggles to maintain its balance � that sort of thing). Bioware and Interplay also got the mix just right. The story works, the cut scenes set the mood but don't intrude once you're in the game, and the actual gameplay is a great blend of action and tactics. Simply put, Shattered Steel is a helluva lot of fun to play; easy to get into, but with enough depth and challenge to keep you coming back for more.

Though it's true that most of the beginning levels are relentless shoot-'em-ups between you and what ever juggernautical bionoid happens to cross your path, the missions become a little more interesting and absorbing as you advance through the levels. But even so, the game still has graphical shortcomings. Without question, the graphics are stunning in hi-res mode, but running it that way ultimately means sacrificing performance. Entering lo-res makes Shattered Steel more playable and also more graphically comparable to Mech 2. This game will definitely reach mech-game fans, but there's still question of whether or not it will be exalted to MechWarrior status.

As mentioned before, Shattered Steel is more of an action-oriented sim than Mercenaries and is more comparable to Psygnosis' upcoming Krazy Ivan. But this isn't necessarily an asset, unless you're thoroughly satisfied by the simple task of reducing an unrelenting stream of airborne attackers, mechanized arachnids, and bipedal reptilians to scrap metal. Though it's true that most of the beginning levels are relentless shoot-'em-ups between you and what ever juggernautical bionoid happens to cross your path, the missions become a little more interesting and absorbing as you advance through the levels. But even so, the game still has graphical shortcomings. Without question, the graphics are stunning in hi-res mode, but running it that way ultimately means sacrificing performance.