Wetlands

WETLANDS ALL WET

A Review of Wetlands

by Mark W. Frantz

Some games are very solid, innovative ideas that lend themselves to much

replay and many new experiences each time they are played. Others, when you boil

away all the glitz and multimedia effects, are truly simplistic games

trying to hide behind a barrage of glitter and gold. Wetlands is

such a game.

The graphics are wonderful. The cut scenes are well rendered in an

animated, Full Throttle type method; they flow smoothly, and help

to keep the storyline moving. The sound effects are solid as well, with

good voice acting and appropriate sounds during the action sequences.

Control can be handled by the mouse or the joystick, although I recommend

using both for different action sequences.

The storyline, although only just something to tie the sequences together,

is well thought out. To summarize it: you are a bounty hunter out to hunt

down an escaped fugitive that has the technology to turn any world into a

water world, as he had demonstrated on Earth. Earth is now under water, and

is a haven for intergalactic fugitives and other trash.

But the truth of any game is its game play, and this is where Wetlands

falters. If you take away the storyline and the cut scenes, you’re left

with a pure shooter, Cyberia style. The action sequences are pretty much

all alike. You’re in some kind of vessel hurtling forward, and you must

kill all the enemies coming at you before they kill you.

It also appears, at times, that Wetlands tries to make up for its

simplistic game play by making some the sequences ridiculously hard. For

example, in one of the missions you ride on a subway train, and you must

shoot your way out of the tunnels. But there are so many confusing turns

and twists that it becomes an endeavor of luck to get through it, even at

the easiest levels. And there are literally no hints, nothing at all, that will put

you on the right track.

It is good at what it does, though. You get the impression of moving

forward, taking out enemies as you go. And there are a variety of locales

in which you do shoot it out. For instance, you are attacked on an Earth

underwater station and must shoot your way back to your sub. Or you are

trapped in a power station that is going to self destruct and you must shoot

a certain number of generators to escape. This variety offers some

interest, but hardly masks the truth of the game play. There are

difficulty settings involved, allowing you to make your quest harder or

easier. In my experience, changing this setting just increases or decreases

the number of enemies you must destroy.

If you liked Cyberia’s action sequences, then by all means, go get

Wetlands. It offers good graphics during the action sequences, fast and

furious play, and excellent cut scenes. But if you are looking for

something more, something with depth and a variety of game play, look elsewhere.

Gamer’s Zone Scorecard

Product:	Wetlands
Company:	New World Computing P.O. Box 4302 Hollywood, CA 90078 (818)889-5600 http://www.nwcomputing.com

Cost:

$49.95

IBM or Compatible; 486/66 DX or higher, DOS 5.0 or higher;
8 MB RAM, 2x CDROM or higher, Sound Card, mouse.