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Platform: PS2, XB, PC Genre: Action Developer: LucasArts Publisher: LucasArts ETA: Winter 2003
Related Links: Review: Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (XB)
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Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels
It’s always with a bit of trepidation that I approach a game series that shift genres. Think back to Kings Quest VIII. What once was a proud adventure game series went to 3rd Person action and the established fan base mostly evaporated. And that was it for King’s Quest as a series. (Okay, there was more than that involved in its demise.) Although Full Throttle doesn’t have the dynasty of King’s Quest, it still started as an adventure game and, like KQVIII, is shifting to the action genre. On with the details: One of LucasArts' most loved original titles roars back with a vengeance this fall in the fuel-injected Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels. Featuring the sarcastic, bad-ass outlaw biker named Ben, this all-new adventure-action careens through a unique 3D landscape of seedy bars, greasy truck stops and desert highways on a quest for cold beer, cheap motorcycle parts and the honest truth. Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels will release this fall for Sony PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. In Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels, players climb on a Corley motorcycle to become the biker they've always dreamed of in this humorous adventure that blends bare-knuckle brawling and hard-driving action. As Ben, leader of a renegade motorcycle gang called the Polecats, players engage rough and tumble rivals in brutal high speed motorcycle combat as well as tough bar room brawls. Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels takes place in a surreal and desolate future where justice is relative and traditional law and order has been replaced by the "code of the road." The game's highly stylized environments are innovative and high-tech yet embody a primitive and run-down quality that brings meaning to the story and life to the characters. Ben discovers his way of life threatened when the highways and byways of his stomping ground, El Nada, are mysteriously torn up and destroyed – and he's not gonna take it! On his tricked-out Corley, Ben sets out with his gang on an action-packed adventure to set things straight. Using their own brand of double-fisted diplomacy, they pursue a rival gang, the Hound Dogs, believing they are to blame for the wrecked roads. However, a murderous plot motivated by money and greed is soon revealed. Ben joins forces with old friends Father Torque, his mentor, and Maureen Corley, heiress to the Corley Motorcycle Company, to bring down a nefarious villain and his evil henchman and ultimately, to preserve the freedom of the open road. In Full Throttle: Hell On Wheels, players use fists, wits, weapons and wheelie-popping motorcycle action to guide Ben through a series of adventures, puzzles and melee style combat. In addition to steel-toed biker boots, Ben fights his foes with more than 40 different strategically placed weapons including: chairs, bottles, pool cues, chains, crowbars and even a guitar. To regain his health after an exceptionally harsh scrap, Ben throws back a beer or two and has a good laugh with his gang. The game offers more than 35 different levels in 20 unique environments such as: a truck stop, an oil refinery, a junkyard, an airplane graveyard and the Polecat's regular hangout, the Kickstand biker bar. In addition to Ben's super-fast, custom Corley, players can ride and control Mo's motorcycle, an old cargo blimp and more. A sophisticated camera tracking system makes certain that the player always has an optimal view of the third person action.
Features: Play as Ben - a tough biker with a sarcastic wit and the fists to back it up. Throw punches, kick down doors and use objects like chairs and bottles as you fight in a rich interactive world. Ride Ben's modified Corley motorcycle and engage in fierce combat at high speeds. Solve unique puzzles and help Ben work his way through a series of adventures to uncover a mysterious plot to destroy the town. Interact with over 50 characters in an engaging story with humorous dialogue and plenty of action.
The shift from adventure to action has the potential to be an easy one since miscreants and biker gangs populate Hell on Wheels, and you’re in control of a burly biker. It just makes logical sense that you’ll have to put the boots (or pool cue) to opponents. But I’m still curious as to how well the shift is executed. Will it just be straight-up action with a few biking excursions between levels and some intermittent key hunting? With the roster of Full Throttle characters returning (and new ones) there had better be some good character interaction. I mean, what’s going to happen between Mo and Ben? Did Ripburger really die? Whatever happens, Full Throttle: Hell on Wheels will be on display at this year’s E3 – hopefully we’ll have more to report before it planned ship date: Winter of 2003. - Omni (May 3, 2003) |
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