Dark Forces
Sold Out		(DOS) (Retail) (LUCASAR3PR)

LucasArts

Game - 3D shooter

Ratings:

Awesome from New Media

5 stars from CD-ROM Today

May the Force Be With You

Behind a veil of secrecy the evil Empire is creating a doomsday army - one that, if finished, will become the final cog in the Empire's arsenal of terror and domination.

Your Mission? Join the Rebel Alliance's covert operations division, infiltrate the Empire, then battle every man and machine the Imperial Forces can muster. Search a vast galaxy for clues, attack enemy bases - all in a desperate attempt to stop the activation of this fearsome new weapon.

Fully interactive environments - morphing walls and floors, moving platforms and conveyors; realistic lighting and atmospheric effects.

Explore the virtual Star Wars universe up close and personal.

First-person, ground combat. Call on 10 weapons to fight twenty types of enemies.

Climb catwalks, look and shoot up and down, jump off ledges, wad through garbage.

Requirements:

IBM and 100% compatibles, MS-DOS 5.0 or higher, 486DX/33 or higher highly recommended, 386/DX33 required minimum, CD-ROM drive, 8 MB RAM, keyboard (joystick and mouse optional), 256 color VGA/MCGA, 3.5 MB hard drive available space for minimum install, Sound Blaster, Pro, 16, AWE32; Pro Audio Spectrum; Roland MT 32/LAPC-1; Ensoniq Soundscape, Gravis UltraSound, General MIDI and compatibles.

Reviews:

Videogame Advisor, May 1995

"The graphics in Dark Forces are much more detailed than those found in Doom. The Super VGA resolution shines even when characters are viewed up close and the enemies are very well animated. They have a fluid look to them that easily tops its shareware predecessor.

"Dark Forces uses the great music from the Star Wars trilogy and a large amount of sampled speech. The enemy's comments in the heat of battle add a lot to the fun of the game. The play mechanics are smooth and detailed. You have a choice of ten weapons including mines and grenades that launch enemies into the air."

Computer Shopper, August 1995

"Imagine this, if you will: It's 3 in the morning, and your mission goals have been accomplished. You've uncovered the main hydroelectric power generator and switched it back on-line, and you've discovered evidence about the threat of Dark Troopers.

"Now you're groggy from lack of sleep, looking for the landing base so you can go to bed. Why not just save, you ask, and continue in the morning? Sure, great idea - except LucasArts decided it would not let you save, except between levels. After two hours of play, who wants to quit and start over again later? Time, my friend, is not on your side.

"Dark Forces combines first-person perspective, solid action, and gorgeously detailed graphics with a convincing, multiple-mission storyline that gives purpose, not just mindless mayhem, to your play. What separates Dark Forces from Doom and its clones are the intricacies of gameplay. As Kyle Katarn, a mercenary hired by the Alliance to defeat the Empire, you have the ability to look up and down, duck, jump across chasms, and swim across moats and through sewage. You can also crawl through claustrophobic airducts. Nine different weapons with various levels of destructive power are at your disposal. Lobbing thermal detonators at your opponents is one of the best new ways to blow 'em away, but you also can use mines, the traditional blaster, and an assault cannon, among others.

"The action takes place on well-designed, multilevel, futuristic 3-D environments that just beg to be explored. Scenarios range from the interior of an Imperial battle cruiser to remote outposts. While Dark Forces has only 14 levels, each is sufficiently large with enough puzzles and hidden areas to keep you well-occupied. Some locked passageways refuse to open until you get all three digits of their computerized access codes. Enemies range from the omnipresent stormtroopers to bounty hunters, but it's the Terminator-like Dark Troopers that will really get your blood pumping.

"Also impressive is the soundtrack, which begins with the familiar Star Wars fanfare, followed by an appropriately pulse-stirring score. The sound effects, too, mimic the film, from Darth Vader's asthmatic breathing to the hiss of the lasers.

"With just a little more forethought - by adding network play and a save feature - Dark Forces could have come close to perfection. If you're not already tired of first- person shoot-'em-ups, dark Forces is a challenging adventure that will require the Force and a fast computer to be with you."

New Media, July 1995

"Lucas Arts' long-awaited entry into the 3-D game market - Dark Forces - has finally arrived, and it's trouncing Heretic, the latest game from id (creators of Doom) with new game play elements like jumping, crouching and sophisticated multilevel mapping, not to mention a nifty selection of new guns (10 in all). Dark Forces plays like a cross between The 7th Guest and Doom: Each level contains a 'mission,' which usually involves retrieving and bringing a secret set of plans back to your ship. Puzzle-solving is key to finishing the game. I spent days just trying to open a series of doors in the correct order. Some levels force you to ride up and down on elevators, crawl through tight spaces, wade through rivers and (not to forget) kill lots of storm troopers. Lucas Arts has set a new standard in 3-D games."

CD-ROM Today, June 1995

"You might even consider this to be a family game. Call it Doom-Lite: all the shooting, but only half the guts. Blast away at the storm troopers and they'll fall down and die, but they won't bleed. After all, this is a Star Wars adventure.

"LucasArts deserves little credit for originality, but gets major kudos for making a good thing better. Dark Forces features all the the tense pacing and dangerous elements that make the Doom games so addictive. Plus, it also brings wonderfully rendered 3D surroundings to the party.

"Dark Forces also offers several challenging puzzles, too. The game is not as brainy as Myst, but it's no mental meltdown, either. Until you learn how to solve a few puzzles and find a few keys, you will find the Empire full of dead-ends.

"Strip away the mind-bending puzzles, the mobile jumping, and even the new-and-improved storyline and Dark Forces is still one of the best games around. It's a masterpiece with just a few holes; a magnificent game for Doomers and Star Warriors alike."

Copyright © 1993-2000 CDAccess.com, Inc.
Questions: info@cdaccess.com