CRUSADER

           NO REGRET

Computer games tend follow movies in the success rate of sequels! they are generally pretty lame, but once in a while you get a real cracker- aliens and terminator 2 instantly spring to mind. now add a new name to the list of sequels that far surpass their predecessors: no remorse; billed by several magazines as the gameof the year; was always going to be a hard task, but the wizards at origin software have turned out an excellent final product.                                                                                             

your character is a silencer, an elite soldier that has turned against it's evil masters, a hugely powerful company. in the fore runner, the same silencer reeked untold damage against the World economic consortium and made off without a second to lose in anescape captule. no regret picks up the story in the full video intro with the escape captule being salvaged by an ore frieghter. the first mission starts with the destruction of the frieghter and ends with a last minute teleport to the dicore mines on the moon.
 

FRIendly help
  played in isometric view, this game is more than a pointless shoot everything waltz through a linear storyline sort of game.
the story kidnaps your consciousness and you begin to care about the rebel's struggle against the big guys. in turn, they offer you support through a dick Tracey tv watch telling you all manner of things, like the best path to take, possible problems you may encounter, helping you get out after you lock yourself in a broom cupboard, and explaining how to use new equipment. This is all achieved through video sequences. you get a warning beep that there is a message waiting and if you leave it too long you will get an ear chewing for taking so long to answer.
the characters in this are so realistic, from the shuttle pilot with his nearly deliberating whooping cough, to Torch the one armed demolition expert in the mines and other incendiary devices at your disposal.
big explosions and plenty of them. no regret shows very impressive pyrotechnics which adds to the excitement of the game....
 strategic action
        every object in the game can take damage and be destroyed, and is    often necessary to take out inanimate objects to turn off power fields and other hazards. as the silencer moves through the game there are many puzzles to solve, such as how to open doors, or how to get to a raised platform to open o footlocker. sometimes you can stuff yourself up by shooting everything in sight, so it helps to save the game often in case you have to retrace your footsteps. the inclusion of a quick save and load function is a great feature in this aspect.
        it is refreshing, although somewhat disturbing, to see a game that does not inflict penalties on you for killing civilians, but instead encourages it. ok, the manual does not say "kill innocent people, it's loads of fun!", but if you let them go about their business they raise the alarm. this is really annoying because when a red alert is in progress guards come running and you can not access security terminals, so simply kill the "innocent" and save yourself the hassles.

The enemyrange from other people with guns, through cleaning robots that electrocute you, to bits of furniture that morph into robots with bad attitudes towards your presence. but it is not only the bad guys that will do damage to your tough as nails silencer, you'll also have to be on the lookout for electroied floor panels, the radioactive crates you blew open, and walking to close to a power plant will sap your valuable energy.
there are many different movements that can be performed, including walking, running, side step, side roll, forward roll, jump, crouch, crouched creep, crouched side step, and on-the-spot rotation, all of which can be performed through various means. this is handy as it takes a long time to get the hang of controlling your human killing machine, and just when you think that you have the knack you stuff up and roll into the path of an oncoming morph borg.....greaT!!!

killer graphics(although the scanner bodged this pic)
    so much effort and care has gone into the creation of "no regret", and the sound has not missed out. The echo's of gun fire, the explsions of destroyed furniture, the tinkle of broken glass, the flush of a toilet, and crackle of electricity all add to the realism of the game. playing underneath the sound effects is highly energetic music that gets your blood racing. The graphics  all stunningly rendered in super vga give the different areas a different mood, the dim foreboding of the frieghter, the cheerful brightness of offices and the dark eeriness of the mines.
    The creators of the game obviously had a great time with the concept and as such have produced a very polished final product. for those people who have played the first game there will be no disappointment in the sequel, and for those who have not previously played, the storyline is easy to pick up with your rebel friends hinting at your silencer's past deeds.
crusader:no regreT is a game that comes close to being perfect, if only the origin folks could have come up with some simpler control methods or if they had figured out a way to grom and extra finger this game could have scored 100%
                                                                       Attlee jones
                                                                            95%

category: action
   players: 1
 publisher: origin
 
comments:
FOR----- just about everything. great story, fantastic graphics and kick ass weapons.
AGAINST------ The controls take a bit to get used to, it is difficult to target things on another level...everyone needs sleep...

requires------ 486/75, 8mb ram, 65 mb hdd, 2zcd.

wants--------p60, 16mb ram, 91mb hdd, 4xcd....