CyberGames Review

 PRODUCT NAME

 Cybergames
 
 
 AVAILABLE FROM
 
 cybergames1.lha and cybergames2.lha from the game/misc directory of
 Aminet, as well as on many BBSs.
 
 
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION

     Cybergames is a new shareware fighting game for the Amiga, in the
 tradition of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.  
 
 
 RELEASED BY     
 
 Bjorn Fogelberg of Cyberpunk Developments
 
 
 COPY PROTECTION
 
 None
 
  Hard Drive Installable
 
 
 MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
 
 NTSC Amiga 2000 w/WB 3.1
 
 1 MB chip / 2 MB fast
 
 
 REVIEW
 
          I must admit, I'm not a huge fighting/beat-em-up fan.  Sure, I
 got a kick out of Mortal Kombat, and Dark Stalkers was a lot of fun to
 play, but on the whole I find that most fighting games are too similar to
 others to waste my valuable quarters on them in the arcades.  However,
 when I saw Cybergames on Aminet, I had to get it.  The game promised 
 gorey fighting like Mortal Kombat, and it was free to download, so what
 did I have to lose? 


     The game comes in three archives, one for each disk, but thankfully it
 does come with an install script.  Unfortuanately, this script does not
 use the official Commodore Installer program, and it will only install to
 the SYS: directory.  This isn't a major problem, but it is slightly
 annoying, since your SYS: directory might be full, or you might want to
 install to a different directory where you keep your games.  The install
 script does redeem itself a bit, though, simply by its ease of use, as all
 you have to do is put in the disks as it prompts for them.
 
     You can also play this game off disk, but well...shouldn't we all have
 hard drives by now?  
 
 
                  Plots?  We don't need no stinking plots! shine} text}
                  
     People who register this game are lucky enough not only to get more
 fighters, but also a plot to explain why your fighting.  The plot is ok,
 although it seems to be written who's English needs work on.  It's also a
 bit corny, but hey, I can deal with that, nobody reads the plots on
 fighting games anyway, right?
 
                      Demo Coders turned Programmers
                      
     The openning to the game is an impressive little intro with some funky
 background music which really draws you into the game.  The whole thing
 looks like it's done by some demo coders.  Then you go into the sparse
 main menu, and with just a few button clickes your into the pre-fight
 picture of the person you're fighting.  The pic is cool, and it really
 got me worked up to see the fighting.  If the intro and pictures were any
 representation of the gameplay, this was going to be one hell of a game.
 I eagerly jammed by joystick button, anticipating the great pleasures that
 this game would bring to may life.
 
     I was dissapointed.
     
     The characters are small, much smaller than any self-respecting Mortal
 Kombat or Street Fighter character would be.  The graphics also pale in
 comparison to the graphics that are in the intro and pictures of the
 characters, so much so that I wonder if the same artists even did them.  
 Really, I think that the in-game graphics are much more important than the
 more bonus type graphics, the kinds that are nice, but are hardly noticed
 if they're missing.  I was really disapointed in this seeming lack of
 logic by the programmers.  But, ok, I think, I can deal with this as long
 as the gameplay is good.  After all, everyone knows that Pong beats any
 CD-ROM fancy-arse graphics game hands down...
 
 
 
     Well, the gameplay isn't stupendous either.  For one thing, you can
 only use one character.  This means that you always use the same moves,
 and that your character always looks the same.  Also, despite the fact
 that your enemies have more distinct looks, they too all do the same
 moves, with varying strengths as their only true differences.  This flaw
 in the game wouldn't be so glaring if there were a wide spectrum of moves,
 but there aren't.  The moves are very basic, essentially being kick and
 sword attack.  There is a spitting attack, but, well, it doesn't do much
 except disgust your opponent.  However, there is one special move, the
 swedish shave, which allows you to swing your sword around your head and
 finish off your enemy by slicing off your head.  This is a very effective
 attack, and works much of the time.  The only problem to using it is that
 you don't get much money for it, and money allows you to upgrade at the
 shop.  But there is one problem beyond that for the swedish shave, and in
 the end it is that which truly kills the game.  Imagine this situation:
 You have been beating away at your opponent for a minute now.  Slowly but
 surely you have worked down your opponent to almost no strength, and
 worked up a handy pile of cash in the process.  Then, suddenly, your
 opponent begins to spin around with his sword.  You struggle with your
 joystick, but your character just won't react in time.  You watch in
 agany as your character's head roles onto the floor.
 
     I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me.  It is
 incredibly aggrevating to play through this game only to have a stray
 sword cut off your head.  It ruins the point of playing the game, in a
 way.
 
                      Well, I WAS in a bad mood
                      
     Perhaps I've been a bit too harsh on Cybergames.  While it does have
 its flaws, it can still be fun to play and beat up on some poor enemy.
 The game could be a good one, in the future, if the authors would only do
 some more work on it.  For one, get rid of that swedish shave!  Getting
 rid of that would make the game much more fun to play.  After that, put in
 some more moves, so that there is some variation in the game, and make the
 characters move and react more quickly; I really want to see my character
 move at the slightest move of the joystick, not 5 seconds after I push it.
 
     If the authors get these things done, I thing the game could be very
 good.  At the moment, it simply shows promise, in the future, however,
 Cybergames could be the next great fighting game on the Amiga.
 
 
 OVERALL:
 
 Sound:       Good- Nice intro music, and cool in game
              sounds.

 
 Graphics:    Good-  Nice pictures and intro but needs
              work on the in game graphics.
 
 Gameplay:    Average
 
 Lastability: Poor - that swedish shave is just too annoying.  The game is
              fun at first, but its quirks make it aggrevating to play
              after a while.
 
 Value:       Good - You might as well download it and try it out yourself;
              it's free!  And $15 for the full game is not too much to ask.
              
 Overall:     Average- Try it out, if you like it, buy it, but you probably
              won't.  Wait for the next version...