Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Eidos
Reviewed by qirien
on 9/9/02
Available for PC and Playstation 2
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Discussion Forum
First
Impressions:
Although
on the surface Project Eden appears to be little more than a slightly
modified shoot-em-up, it is actually a challenging action/adventure
game. The game is filled with unique puzzles, flexible multiplayer
game play, and even some role-playing aspects. Project Eden is available
for PC and Playstation 2; this review is based on the PC version.
The player controls a team of four people. They are sent down to
the underworld as law enforcers to rescue a repair team. Each member
of the team has their own skills and strengths, all of which are
needed to make it through the tunnels and underground warrens of
the city. While there are opponents to shoot and weapons to obtain,
the main focus of this game is the puzzles. For these, the player
must switch back and forth between the different squad members to
open doors, circumvent security systems, and obtain key items. In
addition to using different team members, the player also has a
small robot to maneuver inside small openings, and a flying robot
that can reach high-up switches and explore areas.
Graphics:
The
graphics are, for the most part, detailed and crisp. The characters
on the team fidget and shuffle around when they aren't busy. Their
body movements look realistic, for the most part, although sometimes
their mouth movements seem a little unnatural. Vast caverns and
soaring ceilings convey the immensity of the cities of the future.
Water and fire and smoke are realistically rendered, and weapon
fire looks as it should. Some of the enemies morph stealthily
from one form to another; for example, one shifts from a human
to a spider. The morphing is handled very skillfully, so that
the transition is difficult to detect until it has already taken
place.
Sound/Music:
For
the most part, the music was simple ambient noise of creaking
and quiet booms in the distance. The sound effects were appropriate
and blended in with the rest of the game. The voice acting was
adequate, though sometimes in the cut scenes it seemed a little
canned, as if the voice actors had rehearsed a scene a few too
many times.
Gameplay:
The
interface is simple: the player uses both intuitive keys (that
one can change, if so desired) and the mouse to move around and
aim. The team members are numbered 1-4, so it's possible to switch
to another character with just a single keystroke. The player
can also use either a third-person or first-person interface,
whichever he or she prefers. The levels are well-planned, and
most of the time the puzzles are difficult enough to have to think
about for a few minutes, but not so difficult as to be frustrating.
The enemy AIs were fairly effective -- enemies would hide behind
objects to avoid fire, and then dash out for a quick potshot or
two, or wait for their friends to try to come up behind you. The
AIs of the other characters were also adequate. Although they
didn't seem to be very good shots all of the time, they were good
at following, even while climbing over obstacles.
Most of the game was fairly linear: even when it looks like you
are in a vast underground city with endless corridors and tunnels,
they actually all interconnect and there is really only one way
to go. Without this linearity, though, the game would be incredibly
hard; often, half of the puzzle is figuring out exactly what the
puzzle is, and this is made much easier by the fact that there
aren't too many options.
Enjoyment:
The
team-based approach was particularly enjoyable. Not only does
it seem more realistic than games with a single superhero that
saves the world all by him/her self, but it is encouraging to
see such an emphasis on teamwork and cooperation. Too often, action
games will include a multiplayer option, but only for deathmatch.
The characters also seemed likeable and easy to identify with
- they seemed like someone you could meet at work or at the store,
and not exaggerated stereotypes.
Another feature that makes Project Eden more enjoyable is the
fact that you cannot die completely. If the player's health meter
runs out, whether by being shot, or falling too far, he or she
will then be teleported to the nearest "regen station", to be
completely healed. This makes it easier for novice players, and
is also much more convenient than having to reload the game all
the time. This does, however, lead to somewhat comical situations,
where it is actually faster for all of your players to jump of
a cliff and get regenerated at the station than for them to walk
halfway through the level to get back to a certain point. The
plot was fairly standard, with most of the story being revealed
in cut-scenes between levels. More inter-character dialogue in
the middle of the levels, and perhaps being able to talk to more
of the non-player characters would have increased the plot's realism
and the believability of the characters. The ending also seemed
a little unfinished, as several loose ends were not fully explained.
Multiplayer:
The
multiplayer component of Project Eden is well-thought out and
impressive. It is possible to play all of the actual missions
of the game in multiplayer mode, and they also included several
deathmatch maps, capture the flag maps, and even a little robot
racing map. When playing the regular missions multiplayer, they
are exactly the same as when playing them single player, except
that instead of just controlling one character at a time, two
(or more) people at a time are human-controlled. Since most of
the puzzles require coordination of several characters working
together, it is actually easier to play it multiplayer than single
player.
There were a few less-than-impressive things about the multiplayer
gameplay. First, it was impossible to save and load games without
installing the patch. This isn't quite as bad as it sounds, however,
because even if you can't save, you can start a multiplayer game
at any level. Also, although there is a quick-save hotkey in single
player mode, one cannot quick-save in multiplayer mode. Fortunately,
since it is impossible to die, this isn't a horrible problem,
either.
Overall
Impression:
If
you are an action gamer that likes puzzles, or an adventure gamer
that likes a little action, then you will find a perfect combination
in this game, especially if you like multiplayer cooperation.
It is easy to forgive the rusty voice acting or the somewhat clichéd
plot for the rare combination of action, adventure, role-playing,
and puzzle-solving.
Marketing
Efforts Towards Women:
The
box and all marketing materials that I have seen are fairly gender-neutral.
Two of the four characters are female, and are featured as much
as the male characters on the box and in the game. The female
main characters wear the same style of body armor as everyone
else, and their voices seem competent and suitable. I really enjoyed
the fact that the computer expert, Minoko, was a woman (she was
the character I played as most). Coming from Core Design (the
same company that makes the Tomb Raider games), I had expected
skimpily-dressed, sexualized female characters, but I was pleased
to be wrong about the characters in Project Eden.
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