March! Off-World Recon - PC Reviews


	Platform PC Genre Shooter Publisher Oxygen Interactive Developer Tokya ESRB N/A Released Q1 2004 (Europe)

- Hmmmm...

- Poor graphics - Storyline vanishes - Been there, done that

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March! Offworld Recon

Score: 3.8 / 10

March! Offworld Recon is the latest generous offering from the infamous publisher, Oxygen Interactive. My first encounter with this game was on a sunny August afternoon in 2003 at ECTS – although an encounter with Jack the Ripper is now preferable by far.

The storyline is solid and perhaps even inviting, and follows the adventures of a gang of men on Mars, where humanity had faced numerous difficulties. One by one, all of the colonists decide that it would be wise to abandon the planet and move on to other worlds. The only industries that remain on mars are the automatic and top-secret military research centers.

The story continues: it would therefore seem impossible that the abandoned Red Planet could ever attract the attention of mankind ever again, sadly enough for me it did! So the Martian satellite control system starts to report strange data to earth, and soon after that all communication with the satellites circling mars is lost. The government then wisely decides to send an investigation team to the red planet, which is where you battle countless ghosts and machines. The investigation then turns out to be a battle to stay alive (on both sides of the control pad).

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The problem is that after such a creative storyline, the game itself just can’t cut the mustard. This bizarre piece of virtual Martian warfare clearly tried to ride on the crest of success wave of titles such as Goldeneye, Doom, Quake and Unreal. This game is one of many to fail miserably, its almost as depressing as watching a baby bird fall to its death in an attempt to fly, but this baby bird deserved it!

The graphics are poor, even sketchy at best, and I have found that even

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on the best of PC’s this game fails to deliver. Just as the game begins to heat up, the refresh rate worsens, and the levels literally pop up before you. To be honest, it's appalling. The enemies, although creative, lack life due to the slowness of the game and vary as much as Californian weather. Similarly, the weapons were plain, unimaginative or completely non-existent on several levels where your only option is to collect more bullets for your frustratingly annoying gun. Furthermore the soundtrack... Well what soundtrack there is is monotonous, boring and sounds as intriguing as a whirling fan. If the game developers have refused point blank to make the game visually inviting, then the least they could do is play a funky little Madonna tune to keep us awake.

Just to add a little salt to those wounds, there is no real substance to the game at all. There are no major objectives and nothing really to do other then finish the game, and even when you do finally complete a level, there’s no continuing storyline to keep you intrigued. The special ingredient this game misses in its game play is motivation; there is not an ounce of that “can’t put it down” factor. After a few levels all you find yourself doing is shooting the aliens, running to the exit, BAZAM! Next level… you get the picture!

March! Offworld Recon sets out with the best interests at heart; the storyline seems solid and maybe even curiously inviting, but in the fickle world of FPS, nothing can be certain (other than the bargain basement) – a fate to which March! Off-World Recon is destined. My final thought? If there was a Nobel peace prize for gaming… I really don’t think this one would get it.

- Chase Scott

(May 17, 2004)