Now just a gosh darned minute!" I pretend to hear you cry... "This is the bloody Saturn Junkyard, for crying out loud! What's with all these tenuous reviews of games on other systems!? First the Wii and the PS2, now the PC! This isn't a fucking Saturn game, in fact its got no links to the Saturn at all!!!"
To you I say "Aha! That's where you're wrong! So bog off!" For it was through this hallowed Saturn shrine, via the awesome Racketboy, that my inane musings allowed me to fortuitously win and receive the very excellent 'Mr. Robot' produced by the lovely folks at Moonpod. For the background on that particular story, look here...
Not only did I receive the game itself, but also this rather lovely mouse mat, and I have to say, I was rather thrilled with the package! This game was the first original PC game I had ever owned. Budget priced ports of Saturn and Dreamcast games like House Of The Dead 2 and Sonic R, (both bought for a mere £ each) don't really count.
You see I'm not a 'PC gamer' save the odd internet based pearl tossed to me by my good friend Gnome, or the sort of 'at-work-time-filler' that you'll find on Miniclip. Up until now, I've been a console gamer. My PC has simply been a place where I can blog, read emails and scour the internet for pr0n... But I digress...
Now I've been struggling to find interest in any games recently. In fact I've had something of a bout of blogging/gaming impotence of late. In fact, I've even had a sudden attack of healthy living; watching what I eat, giving up the demon weed, not drinking and even - wait for it- going to the gym!!!! Totally un-gamer like pursuits, I'm sure you'll agree... And it was in a haze of unfamiliar sobriety, that I decided to pick up Mr. Robot and try to progress from where I'd left off, (in the early stages of the game, some months before...)
The blurb on the back of the box is a good starting point, if you know nothing about the game... Read on!
"Asimov's 3 Laws"
1.) Always look busy
2.) Put off 'til tomorrow, what can be done today
3.) If HEL asks, blame Samson"
Asimov is a lowly service mechanoid aboard the the interstellar colony ship 'Eidolon'; carrying hundreds of frozen humans to a new world. When Eidolon's computer brain (HEL) malfunctions, it falls to Asimov to undertake a perilous journey through the bowels of the massive ship to save his precious human friends and the precious human cargo.
* Solve puzzles.
* Overcome obstacles.
* Hack hostile networks.
* Evade crazed robots.
*Save the mission"
And that's it all in a nutshell! The game is charming! Easily played at your own pace, with a generous save system, that means you can either play through in a continuous session, or dip in for short bursts. There is a nice Retro feel to it, the graphics are slick yet simple, basic yet beguiling. It's also instantly familiar, with plenty of humorous 'tongue in cheek' Sci Fi and computer dialogue and references.
The puzzles are straight forward, but by no means always easy! The game's hero Asimov, is a loveable little 'droid and it's easy to identify with his day to day drudgery, bossed around by his superiors, and given a variety of menial (and sometimes dangerous) jobs. Plus there are the jock-like mechanoids who bully and berate him as he goes about his business...
There are many hidden power-ups scattered throughout the seeming multitude of levels and a constant theme is the hacking battles, where Asimov has to enter the main frame of his opponents and infect their programs with crippling viruses.There are handy maps, inventories, arsenals and item lists that can be accessed at any time, including 'healing' power-ups that can be used to repair Asimov when the heat of battle has become too much!
One aspect of the game that I found a little alien at first was using the keyboard to control Asimov. By no means complicated, (you have to use the arrow keys, ctrl and shift) it's just that I'm used to a joypad, and using a keyboard seemed, at first, a litle bit strange... However I soon got used to it and after a while it felt natural...
I'd highly reccomend this game to anyone who plays games on their PC... Why not give it a try?
For a much better review look here... Oh! and do click on the other links, they're well worth it!
This is FK, returning to business as usual, saying "goodnight dear children, wherever you are..."
