Fury³

The Good
Lots of action, lots of things to shoot, Windows compatible (the Microsoft showpiece!) for both Win31 (with Win32s installed) and Win95 (and first version of DirectX!)

The Bad
Tunnel sequences don't make any sense (why are the tunnels there? who uses them?) too much action at times as it gets boring, too much like Terminal Velocity, radar only visible in cockpit mode

The Bottom Line
First came out in 1995, Fury^3 (Fury cubed, or Fury to the third) is the Windows adaptation of the DOS game Terminal Velocity by Terminal Reality Inc. You get a new backstory, but the basic mechanics did not change... Kill a lot of enemy air and ground units, explore a few tunnels, and kill a few bosses along the way.

The game is a showcase of what Windows is capable of, and it supported all the toys then available from Microsoft... From DirectX and DirectPlay (networking) to support for the Microsoft Sidewinder joystick, with support for more than 4 buttons, they are all supported here.

The setup is your typical stuff... The evil Bions are invading and you're the last hope of humanity. Yawn. Of course, once you step into the cockpit all that changes...

The game was full 3D, ahead of its time by a bit, with no help of 3D accelerator! Graphics wise, the terrain is a bit short on polygons but it does its job well enough with the proper textures.The tunnel running sequences are interesting enough the first few times around. Enemies have their special jinks and manuevers if you are chasing them.

The problem is we have seen them all before. The game is virtually identical to Terminal Velocity, with the mechanics the same, and the same tactics will apply. Fly around really fast, save your shields, and so on.

Even the bosses aren't that difficult, when you figured out that there are shield generators you must first destroy around their "base" before you can take them on.

If you need some mindles blasting action with minimal thinking except for reflexes, you should enjoy Fury^3. Otherwise, you may want to try the sequel, Hellbender.

The Good
For it's time it has some great graphics. Great sense of flight. Missions aren't to bad. The worlds are very unique. Your fighter is cool. Lots 'o' enemies to blast away. Some cool weapons.

The Bad
A total rip off of Terminal Velocity. Sound effects are pretty bad. Pixels! I hate them! Most enemies up until the last level are just fodder for you weapons. Levels get old after a while from doing the same thing, level after level (destroy this destroy that - blow stuff up). Yawn!

The Bottom Line
Even with it's many flaws it still manages to be a very enjoyable game if your up for it. Give it a try if you have some free time.

Overall Rating: 80%