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Platform: PC Genre:
Strategy Publisher:
Vivendi Universal Developer:
Elixir Studios ETA: Q3 2004
Related Links: Review: WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC) Review: Disciples II: Dark Prophecy (PC) Review: Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom (PC)
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Evil Genius Hands-On
Getting hold of pre-release software is full of danger. Not only do you have to deal with bugs, but also there’s the good chance that you will develop a strong opinion instead of a more simple impression of the game in question. That’s why I generally like to limit my exposure to pre-release software to 2 to 3 hours. My impressions of Evil Genius (EG) are mixed, but some of this I can clearly trace to a lack of manual or tech tree diagram to provide an indication of what while become available. The general objective of EG is world domination. As a megalomaniac evil genius, you begin with a handful of minions and a henchman on a secret island hideaway. Your chosen evil genius (there are three to choose from) appears on the screen and, along with your henchman, are under your direct control. Your minions – those jump-suit wearing drones that are always the first to die in the old Bond films – are not under your direct control.
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As you build your underground base your minions are automatically assigned duties. For example, when you lay the blueprints for a specific kind of room a minion leaps into action. First he grabs a suitcase full of gold or money from your stronghold then sprints to the supply area for some explosives to blow out the rock where you want the room (or corridor) built. This done, the area is covered in a tarp, construction noises are played, and voilà – the room is built! Of course, the rooms have to be equipped with your typical underground lair furnishings such as consoles with blinking lights, security cameras, |
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traps, gun racks, power generators, interrogation chairs, and bunk beds (for all those minions you’re hiring). Each room has specific items that can be built in them (i.e. only bunk beds can be built in barracks). The same process of minions running around applies to placing equipment and furnishings. This can be a very slow process if you don’t hire more minions. Besides building your base, minions can also be shipped around the globe to “create capital” for your criminal enterprise. The world map, where you allocate your minions to each territory, is a simple click away from the base building screen. Just having a presence in a territory is enough to put money in you coffers, but you can also expand your tech tree by completing various challenges (like stealing information) at a cost of time and minions. EG doesn’t seem to be broken up into distinct missions. Goals are listed on a separate screen and new ones are added as you complete them. This makes it feel open-ended, like The Sims, but you still have specific objectives to tackle, unlike The Sims. The goals range from the simple “Hire X number of minions” to more complicated ones.
There is a definite balance between how many minions you keep at your base and how many are at large acquiring funds. Not enough minions at your base can mean an easy time for enemy spies to gain entry to your base and cause problems. However, if you have the right kind of booby traps (activated with carefully placed pressure plates) and door placement, you can funnel enemy agents to a quick demise. Once an enemy agent is dead, there’s no chance of being able to have a minion upgrade himself after capturing and interrogating the agent. The strategy elements are clear but one area that might need to be rethought is the way minions run around while building and equipping rooms. It just feels too slow! Most everything else seems to be on the right track as long as EG ships with a solid manual (even though there is a “help” function). On the presentation side, EG does some little things that I really like, such as the pointer that’s the now-classic pinky finger. The interrogation animations are amusing – the Michael Jackson mimic is very funny – and everything is bright and clean. There are some comparisons to be made with No One Lives Forever in style and The Sims in content to some extent since each minion has four status bars that can be tracked. The interface is organized in a way that makes sense and is easy to learn. Evil Genius is scheduled to ship late September. Until then, “Muahahahhaha!” - Omni (August 19, 2004)
It’s
become a norm nowadays to play as the protagonist in a game. It’s not
very often that we see a title, which allows you to play as the
antagonist. Evil Genius (EG) takes you to the dark side in a strategy
style game set during the 60’s, as you attempt you to assemble a
Doomsday device with the ultimate goal of world domination.
EG,
for the most part takes place on a secret island where you control the
day-to-day activities of building your Doomsday weapon and features the
following: Five dastardly gameplay elements to experience and master: secret base building, wildly clever trap setting, blindly loyal minion training, super-duper weapon research, and fiendish mission planning. Manage
your minions as you train them in treacherous trades, like super weapons
development, ninja fighting techniques, hidden lair building. Enhance
your base capabilities by adding specialized rooms including
counterfeiting centers, weapons factories, and Kung Fu academies. Defend
your base against attacks by obnoxious action heroes and over-dressed
government agents. Set
complex and ingenious traps to capture and dispatch your enemies. Undertake
outrageous missions to increase your power and notoriety, including
stealing the Eiffel Tower, ransoming temperamental pop stars, and
procuring priceless treasures and art.
Given the game’s 1960 timeframe and comical approach, can we assume that it could mimic Austin Powers? We’ll have to wait and see. Look for Evil Genius to hit stores this summer. - Siddharth Masand
(February 19, 2004) |
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