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B|oweFish 29th October 2003 22:48

Review: Chrome
 
Introduction:

Chrome is the first ‘first person shooter’ made by Techland Software. Techland Software hmm? I never heard of them. They were at E3 in L.A. but that was the only thing I knew about Techland Software. Anyway, enough chitchat about the developers.


The game:

'Chrome is a tactical first person shooter whose main action takes place in the future during the colonization of the newly discovered solar system of Valkyria. An unusual and dramatic story takes place among the huge and wild terrains of the five planets, within the residential complexes of the first settlers, deep within mines rich with precious minerals and inside the headquarters of the powerful corporations fighting among themselves over the unique riches of Valkyria. From tropical forests, rocky deserts, canyons, a crater, snowy glaciers to lakes and mountains Chrome has it all.' Or not?

The game play:

The game has stunning graphics, that’s for sure. But the game play and the A.I. of your enemies aren’t that good. The engine has troubles sometimes: it lags and stutters. I even have to play the game in safe mode because my pc can’t handle resolution 1024*768 with every detail option set to full.
Lots of enemies equals lots of lagging, and that’s not really funny while you play. I think the developers at Techland therefore made the enemies dumb so you would stand a chance against 8 guys while lagging like hell. If they notice you, they will attack immediately and run straight at you. You even know that there are enemies at the other side of the door - because you have the dumbest radar which ruins every element of surprise in this game – and you throw a hand grenade to the other side of the wall you can here a little cry ‘Grenade’. Ok, nicely done and stuff, but why do they run to the grenade when they know that that would kill them? It doesn’t make any sense.

And there is another thing, when you want to aim precisely you shall have to hit your mouse2 button because that’s when your crosshair will change to another mode which allows you to aim precisely. When you release you mouse2 button the crosshair will change and then you can’t hit ****. Now here comes the beautiful part, when you hit mouse2 and you focus to shoot someone in his head you will walk slow, very slow.
Therefore rushing is out of the question. When you rush you would have to aim precisely to hit something or someone BUT you’ve got to run. And because of the walk-slow-when-you-aim-your-gun thingy you can’t walk fast. Isn’t that wonderful! OK, it’s a tactical shooter, but rushing once in a while doesn’t hurt anyone – anyone cause you can’t hit any-thing!


Unzoomed


Zoomed

In the game you will have to possibility to around with some vehicles. It’s fun because they are really nice and fast and some of them have lots of firepower. But controlling them isn’t that easy. Ok, you’re thinking, isn’t it fun to drive around in some sort of moon cars? Actually it is fun! After some practice it would be very fun to drive around these beautiful worlds. It WOULD be fun, because you aren’t getting the chance to practice your drive skills. Since there aren’t many parts in the game where you actually need or can drive for a long time, it’s mostly just for a few seconds. AND THAT’S A SHAME!

The graphics:

As said before, the graphics are really good. The different places you’ll have to go are really nice! From palm trees to desert, everything looks really good. All different worlds have real growth in 3D, even when you put all your video options to normal. All in 3D, not just painted on the floor like in the most games
But as you all know, pictures can say a lot more then words, so here are a few in-game screenshots:





Conclusion:

This game hasn’t got it all. At first sight everything looks cool and smooth. The graphics and intro of the game will maybe blow you away, but after a while the gameplay will begin to bore you and you will find the uninstall button very quickly. At least, that’s what happened over here. I didn’t even have the chance to get hooked on this game, too bad, because it had the potential to be a #1 game :x. It’s a pity that the gameplay isn’t all that. And that’s what counts!

Pro's:
+ Nice graphics
+ The way to your uninstall button isn't that hard to find

Con's:
- Sucky game play
- vehicles (isn't easy to control them)
- can't rush (thats a BIG con for moi)
- it's pretty hard (due sucky game play)
- boring from time to time
- you've got a radar so there isn't an element of surprise to be found in this game.

Graphs: 24/25
Gameplay: 13/25
Sound: 19/25
Fun Factor: 15/25

Total: 71/100

DUR0N 30th October 2003 01:21

nice review.

I like to rush a lot too :)

SpoBo 2nd November 2003 22:15

A bit hard on the contras for a result of 71% .. didn't play it so I can't judge it. :p

the maniak 3rd November 2003 11:21

If I look @ the screenshots, they sure look like a halo rip off...

Quote:

and you throw a hand grenade to the other side of the wall you can here a little cry ‘Grenade’
this is also ripped from halo....

I think this says enough ;)

Toolie 3rd November 2003 11:30

That has to be the absolute worst review I've ever read, hands down. I can't beleive this site sent it out to the major news sites as a legit review.

You complain about performance with a game like Chrome (it "lags and stutters"), maxed out, on a Ti4200??!! here's a news bulletin: This game uses Direct X 9 libraries, high poly counts on vast levels with large texture resolutions, you need to either a.) reduce your detail settings or b.) get a higher end card if you want to run it with full detail otherwise it runs fine with details lowered. I won't even get into the ridiculous statement of the radar ruining the "surprise" of enemies attacking. You made zero mention of how implants affect your success in a mission and how they become almost a necessity in later missions (but I'm sure you never got far enough to find out).

If I had to guess I'd say you went into the game thinking it was a run-n-gun spectacular but it turns out its a slower paced tactical shooter where you have to think about what you do before you act. The gameplay proved too challenging so you chalk it up to "sucky gameplay" and hit the uninstall button.

Great work. Don't quit your day job.

jmke 3rd November 2003 11:44

Hands down the worst comment ever Toolie, instead of posting a mature and friendly post you chose to ignore this and went all out. Congrats!

the review Clearly states what the background of the reviewer is (fast FPS) so don't be surprised if this game gets a negative review from him..

secondly: the game engine is nauseating, even on a DX9 capable video card, running around in the game for more then 15min gave me an instant headache. Don't have these problems in Q3A/UT2003/Max Payne2/Halo.. etc

+the AI of the enemies is very low, nothing tactical about that. It ruins the whole game and makes this game score very low on playability and average fun had from this type of "game-play"

my 2 cents

jmke 3rd November 2003 11:58

Quote:

The AI in the game, like many others, has its good and bad points. It runs away from grenades, but it’s usually too late and they still get blown up. They will also try to surround you, but if you chase after some, they just end up going in circles. If you kill someone that is part of a group, you can notice the other guys get their guns out and start looking around. If they are close enough to you they will attack.
GamerShell.com

jmke 3rd November 2003 11:59

Quote:

AI
Chromes AI is nothing exciting, in fact at times its quite worrying. About the most intelligent move that you will see the enemy do is duck and this for no means cover. They will duck if they are standing in an open field, which may at first prove worthwhile, its not really when your firing a heavy assault rifle. The AI from my experience playing, nearly 20 hours, have little sight of where they can find places for cover, but this doesn’t mean they are a push over. The AI is very accurate, at distance and up-close your as good as dead in a few seconds. As a result Chrome is a very hard game, particularly if you don’t play it how its supposed to be played. Whilst snipers don’t always sink their shots, you have to run between areas of cover to survive from the field of view of a Sniper Tower. The AI will at times retreat and appear to work in groups, but it doesn’t do it convincingly that I feel I am fighting a group of soldiers. Though the AI shouts out orders, its clear that if you hide behind a rock or crate, the AI is quite passive to your presence, not hunting you down aggressively, yet whilst they can see you they will not stop shooting until your dead. When you jump up from cover the AI has a pin point aim on you, like it knows where your going to attack from. However Chrome my look and feel at first and also sell itself as another Sci Fi shooter, it plays very much like Project IGI. In this I mean its vast, the AI is accurate and deadly and its also very hard. Thankfully if you drop one of the enemy by sniper rifle they will notice! But then we expect that nowadays no? The AI is ultra sensitive to sound and movement and so you really have to play the game quite stealthy. If you charge in guns blazing your dead, if you think you can take on a couple of enemy soldiers up close, your dead. Outside the AI plays better than it does inside as inside the rooms are claustrophobic and the enemy don’t really move that much, not running from grenades. Inside they are nearly always up-close, ensuring a lot of damage and regrettably Quick Save and Quick Load frsutration.
Prey-World.com

jmke 3rd November 2003 12:01

Quote:

Pluses:
+Gorgeous Graphics
+Some good firefights
+Bundled Level Designer

Minuses:
-AI needs some work
-We’ve seen this stuff before
GamersDepot.com


...

jmke 3rd November 2003 12:03

Quote:

Game play

Oh dear. With all the graphics-related hyperbolae over, things come crashing down into a heap when we discuss gameplay. In a word, Chrome is dull. The biggest thing that lets it down is the abysmal AI that should be the cornerstone of any self respecting FPS. Enemies generally rush you without a care for their own safety. In these post Halo days such low levels of AI are not welcome.

There is also the issue with the ‘free form’ game structure issue. The developers claim it is free form but I would have to question that. Time and time again I came across the dreaded ‘invisible wall’. Here’s an example: on one of the missions you are required to rescue a scientist from a base. To do this you must drive through the enemies compound in a lightly armoured jeep. It’s not easy to do so I decided to go into the base prior to busting out the scientist to pacify it making my escape much easier. Sadly I was actually stopped by an invisible wall! The bridge I drive over with the scientist cannot be crossed unless you have him with you. Freeform? I don’t think so. This game has more rails than AMTRAK!
WickedToast.com



the Gamers out there really seem to love Chrome, Blowefish must have made a mistake with this review & his conclusion? :rolleyes:

Toolie 3rd November 2003 13:25

I'm not arguing the fact that the game doesn't have shortcomings so theres no need to post every review of the game but Blowefish derides parts of the game that are there for a specific reason ie; the radar ruing the "surprise" of enemies attacking, slowing down while using the precision aiming mode, etc. He claims he realizes the game is a tactical shooter (re; slow, methodical as opposed to Quake-style gameplay) yet lists the aforementioned aspects as negatives. I can't prove it but I'm willing to wager Blowefish didn't get 1/3 of the way through the game before he uninstalled it. If you plan to review a game and submit it to the major news sites (as Madshrimps did) you need to complete the game fully. As far as performance goes I don't give a flying frig what excuse you have, if you try to run Chrome with a GeForce Ti4200 maxed out the game WILL lag. If you were to play any current game with Chromes level of detail it WILL lag if you use a Ti4200. Will Blowefish complain about performance when Doom 3 comes out and tries to max out the settings with the same card? I use a Radeon 9800 non-pro and the game runs like butter. If I maxed out Doom 3 on the same card I wouldnt ***** because I know full well that the card isnt capable of that level of performance. The Ti4200 is a great card, I owned one but I also knew its limitations.

Overall I take issue with the way in which Blowefish reviewed the game. He certainly has the right to say he doesn't like it but its written in a childish & non-objective manner that really shouldn't be passed off as being done by a professional .

I'm done, flame away

jmke 3rd November 2003 13:35

Quote:

Originally posted by Toolie
I'm done, flame away
There is only 1 person doing the flaming here. Your points are valid, no arguing that, but you could have brought them over in a more friendly way, in my humble opinion.

when I talked about the game causing me to throw up, it has more the do with the way Chrome displays the 3D world , then anything else. It doesn't have a solid 3D "feel" to it. But that is just my opinion on this game ;)
Although your intentions to provide comments on this review were pretty good I regret that you chose to express yourself so blatently.

still this review will give a good view of how this game can be seen for 50+% of the people out there who dont have a DX9 videocard.

You'd be surprised how many people out there still use a GF3 / GF4 / R8500 in their gaming systems. Since this game is unable to provide fluent graphics on any of these videocards it might be a good tip for those people to: a) upgrade or b) ignore this game

there is a demo released, so everyone can check it out for themselves http://downloads.ign.com/objects/573/573942d.html

jmke 3rd November 2003 17:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Toolie
be passed off as being done by a professional .


overlooked this one, where does it says this review was done by "a professional" ... :rolleyes:

B|oweFish 3rd November 2003 18:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Toolie


You complain about performance with a game like Chrome (it "lags and stutters"), maxed out, on a Ti4200??!! here's a news bulletin: This game uses Direct X 9 libraries, high poly counts on vast levels with large texture resolutions, you need to either a.) reduce your detail settings or b.) get a higher end card if you want to run it with full detail otherwise it runs fine with details lowered. I won't even get into the ridiculous statement of the radar ruining the "surprise" of enemies attacking. You made zero mention of how implants affect your success in a mission and how they become almost a necessity in later missions (but I'm sure you never got far enough to find out).


a.) I said that I had to play the game in safemode.. with all detail settings @ normal. When a game lags in the safemode, with everything on normal I think, hmm? sucky engine.. Maybe you would think something else idnno. But hey, I'm no pro! I do this cause I like doing it.. It's not my intention to write the best reviews @ the web (red: sucky english,..) but I try to do the best I can. If you don't appreciate that then that's your problem.

b.) Not everyone is able to buy theirselfs the best graca on the market. I have this ti4200 for over a year now, and I know there are lots of gamers out there who havn't got a high end card. But again, when the game lags on normal settings..

c.) Why would I say that the game doesn't lag when it does?

d.) The radar is needless imo. Oki, it's tacticale shooter. But everytime you stand in front of a door you can see exactly were your enemy's are standing. in my humble opinion that's not fun at all, it gets bored after a while.

e.) Oki, I only played a few levels. So? I had enough information to write this 'sucky' review and I didn't had the time nor I enjoyed playing this game after a while.. If you did, great job, you're an ubergamOr.. :rolleyes:

FreeStyler 3rd November 2003 19:17

Safe mode uses no or very limited 3d accell, safe mode is a problem shooting mode, not a it-should-run-on-every-crappy-pc-with-good-framerate mode.

My personal opinion is that you don't do a review of a game you haven't finished. Preview or something similar, fine by me, but not a review. Most PC games magazines do this, no matter how hard the game sucks.

I'm not saying anything about the contents cause I haven't played the game yet.

DASQ 2nd January 2005 11:55

Quote:

Originally posted by B|oweFish


a.) I said that I had to play the game in safemode.. with all detail settings @ normal. When a game lags in the safemode, with everything on normal I think, hmm? sucky engine.. Maybe you would think something else idnno. But hey, I'm no pro! I do this cause I like doing it.. It's not my intention to write the best reviews @ the web (red: sucky english,..) but I try to do the best I can. If you don't appreciate that then that's your problem.

b.) Not everyone is able to buy theirselfs the best graca on the market. I have this ti4200 for over a year now, and I know there are lots of gamers out there who havn't got a high end card. But again, when the game lags on normal settings..

c.) Why would I say that the game doesn't lag when it does?

d.) The radar is needless imo. Oki, it's tacticale shooter. But everytime you stand in front of a door you can see exactly were your enemy's are standing. in my humble opinion that's not fun at all, it gets bored after a while.

e.) Oki, I only played a few levels. So? I had enough information to write this 'sucky' review and I didn't had the time nor I enjoyed playing this game after a while.. If you did, great job, you're an ubergamOr.. :rolleyes:

Let me first start off by saying that I may be resurrecting a slightly dead thread, but I can't pass it up, and a game review is a GAME REVIEW. Not a "First-Ten-Minutes Review". If you don't plan on finishing a game, don't review it. Anyways...

1) I can tell you don't know your hardware very well. Playing on Safe Mode? Are you stupid? Seriously. That is THE dumbest thing I've read today. if everything runs choppy on normal, maybe you should turn down the graphical settings! It doesn't mean it's a bad engine, it means you have a bad computer. You seriously cannot say that having a good graphics engine that makes low-end cards hurt a bad thing.

2) Again, if you're card can't handle a game it doesn't mean it's using a hackjob half finished crap engine. Don't bother ever putting "It doesn't run well" in your reviews. Ever.

3) If the game lags, turn down the settings. Why would you punish yourself with low FPS?

4) I agree with you on the radar. There is little use for tactics when you can see the enemies every move. Who needs wallhacks?? You've got a radar!

5) Again, please don't review a game you haven't even finished. It's like playing a demo and then saying the full version automatiicaly sucks because the demo did. True in some cases, but you can't get a full, even half decent review without actually playing the entire game.

jmke 2nd January 2005 11:59

Quote:

Originally posted by DASQ

slightly dead thread

it's over 1 year old man; let it be

DASQ 3rd January 2005 10:46

I honestly couldn't resist.
It just makes me sick, knowing the injustice of this review :puke:

jmke 3rd January 2005 11:47

all your points have been addressed already, your just repeating what has been said :/

BlackRabbit 3rd January 2005 11:52

Quote:

Originally posted by the maniak
this is also ripped from halo....

I'm not much of a gamer, but 'grenade!' was already present in SOF2...


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