Sometimes you just want a game to blow stuff up. I know that after a hard day of Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and Gran Tursimo, I don't really want to play another thinking game: I just want to cause destruction and save the world through force and detonation. I mean, who doesn't, right? Enter GunMetal. Rage/Majesco has created a superbly fun Mech/Jet game that can satisfy strategists, arcadists, and mechanized sci-fi fanatics.
In The Not Too Distant Future...
Space travel was slow. It has taken decades to encounter Earth-like planets. But now, a milestone in space travel was to take place: scientists have found a way to stabilize wormholes which would create the ability for Faster-Than-Light travel. Now, those habitable planets could be linked to Earth and colonized in only a matter of years. Helios was the chosen plant to first be colonized and would host the first jump-gate.
Cold War erupted once again because those that were to remain on Earth were a little irritated. It was brutal and those that were on the losing end decided to begin their exodus to Helios sooner than expected. As those first colonists made the jump, the Earth gate was destroyed. (Or so they thought...) The new planet flourished. A global senate, The Internal Security Corp kept law and order and settled dispute quickly. Then without warning, the Helios jump-gate burst into activity and sent forth multitudes of ships. Luckily, there wasn't an overwhelming assault on Helios and the enemy was kept neutralized, but the battles continue with no victor yet declared. Though it is soon thought that Helios will soon fall.
But there is project in the mist, codenamed Gun Metal. This unit is two-fold: 1) it is a 30 foot tall suit equipped with an array of devastating weaponry and 2) it is capable of transforming into a highly maneuverable jet. So there is "more than meets the eye" to this machine and has the hopes of the senate to turn the tide and halt the invading foe.
War Is Heck
Progressing through the game will seem familiar to anyone who has played WarGames (PS), Incoming (DC), or Command and Conquer (multiple platforms). You are given missions and explained what you are to do and how you are to proceed. You are shown a map of the area, targets that need destroyed, groups that need protected, buildings that you have to save, etc. Other than that, you are then shown on your way. The announcer that is your commanding officer sounds oddly like the Principal from Only The Strong starring Mark Dacascos, but I couldn't find his name in the credits. I found his voice very fitting the atmosphere of the game because as you are completing your missions, he also interjects other commands or comments or helpful hints. He seems very excited most of the time and shows emotion when things are going bad and when things are succeeding..
30 Odd Feet Of Steel
From the moment I removed the game from the case and inserted into the tray and waited for the title screen, I was afraid that trying to control a 30 foot steel Godzilla would be heavy and clunky. Surprisingly, I wasn't overpushing either thumbstick to get Mr. Metal to do what I want. Response was decent and it was as I expect it to be once I understood the physics. For instance, when strafing, the lower portion of the body turns in the direction of the strafe (naturally). But when you want to change strafing directions, there is a slight moment where the mech has to turn that lower part in that direction before he starts moving that way. Momentum, pal, so get use to it. Controlling the mech wasn't light nor heavy: it was a happy medium.
One thing I did like was the weapon configuration. The right trigger fired your primary selected weapon and the left trigger fired your lock-on missiles. I liked the fact that you didn't have to have different selections for the left trigger because it was always your lock-on missiles. The right trigger was where your power weapons were and you gain one or two of these weapons as you successfully completed each mission. Changing weapons was as easy as pressing A for the next weapon, or using the digital pad for quick selection, though remembering which direction had what weapon took some time and accuracy in pressing the weapon. It was much easier and quicker remembering the order than manipulating the digital pad.
I Am My Own Grandpa
I am going to have to be a bit negative on the graphics, but yet I will praise them. On one hand, I feel the graphics are a bit sub-par to what is out on the Xbox and what has already been released. Morrowind proves that you can have smooth graphics and in-depth gameplay without pushing the limits of Big Green; Test Drive says that you can combine fast racing and excellent looks with no slowdown or "jaggedness". So what happened to Gun Metal? Ships are drawn to square, like the developer was hurried; buildings are just too bland--didn't they have windows in the future?--and gray; and my mech, though I love him when I barreling down on infantrymen and bringing down three fighters at once, just isn't menacing enough. Sure he's 30 feet tall, but he just doesn't have that look. Maybe if he had a decorated hockey mask...
On the other hand, I will say kudos on the landscaping. Since the missions take place outdoors, you will see lots of trees, sand, snow, and animals. Yes, animals. In one mission, you start out in front of a heard of Rhino-like creatures. They are migrating or something and it's very cool to walk among them or fly over them. And if you were wondering, yes, I fired on them, but they were immune to my firepower. It's too bad I didn't have shields like that. There is always something strategic that you can use: hills can provide cover or a better vantage point, valleys can offer you a treacherous getaway in the jet, and ships that you have destroyed can be used as cover. But I offer this hint: don't worry about using the trees as anything because they explode and burn as easy as they do in real life (but there's something about watching one fall in front of you in a video game that is exciting).
So if this game had one nasty thing about it, it would be the inconsistent graphic use. While you'll be amazed at your surroundings, you will not be amazed at the other mundane graphics that you will encounter.
Mon Signor, Choose Your Weapon
What to do, what to do. As you progress through the game and complete missions, you will gain access to new and more powerful weapons. How you use them is up to you. Before each mission, you have a choice (once you reach the 4 level) to select which weapons you want to have with you--Mechwarrior style. You can choose from Assault Cannons, Torpedos, Maverick missiles, carpet bombs, disc launchers, etc. There are even some top secret weapons that you will have access to...but that's down the road, young pilot, some the likes you may never see.
Using these weapons is simple enough. When your target display is red...FIRE! Each potential enemy is measured in distance for you and shows you their life bar, which was great so I wouldn't waste ammo on something that was about to perish. Some weapons have a homing device which will chase down enemy tanks, planes, turrets, or infantrymen without you worrying. Other weapons you have to manually aim and shoot, but these usually have a higher rate of fire.
You will choose and use these weapons in a variety of missions. Sometimes you will have your basic "clear the area of enemies", and other times you will have an escort mission--which, in my opinion, are the most annoying. One thing that was very clear in playing this game was that you can't just be only the mech or only jet and successfully complete each mission. You have to eventually pilot both because some things were meant to die on the ground and some things were meant to die in the air. Good thing this is a Mech/Jet game and not just a Mech game.
But with all this firepower, you would think you could get the upper hand right? Well, let me tell you why you will probably be Restarting missions over. The first is because sometimes you will be overwhelmed by enemy A.I. When they swarm you, they really swarm you. Sometimes you don't even get a chance to move. Missiles are coming from all over the place, every ship known to man is firing lasers at you and no matter where you jump or where to strafe to or how fast you fly around, everything seems to be aimed at you. And that's no fun. I guess that's about the only strategy in this game: When being overwhelmed, you have to figure out who's going down first, second or third or which enemy is the closest to remove from this planet or who can be eliminated the quickest. But that's after about your 3rd or 4th time through it.
The second reason you won't have the upper hand is your allied A.I. stinks. Imagine waking up with Dragon Breath, Dragon Armpit, and Dragon Butt crack all at the same time. That's how bad your friends stink. I can sum it up with one example. I had shot down a few planes and a large Personnel Carrier was dropping more infantrymen on the base I was protecting. Someone manning the large laser was firing on the APC which was great. Sure it wasn't stupendous, but it was helping. I, on the ground with my mech, was taking out the little guys with ferocity. When they were all done, I turned to the APC which hardly had any life taken out. That's fine because he was about to meet some of my friends, The Rockets. As soon as I started firing, the guy manning the laser stopped firing and aimed somewhere else. Excellent, I thought, I take this guy down while you get something else. After about a minute, I finally blew up the APC. The commander informed me that the base had been saved, but yet the laser was still firing on something. A little worried I backed it up, ready for more action, but all that the laser was firing on was a dead enemy infantryman...one that I had killed a while ago! This didn't happen just once, sometimes they would fire on planes that already when down, or trees for no reason. Maybe it was just a glitch in the game, but deep down, I think the colonists don't know what they're doing. No wonder we were losing the war.
Gun Metal, Soundtrack by You!
There's not much to say about the sound effects. They are everything that you'd expect them to be. Missiles sound like missiles, explosions like explosions and a 30 foot strafing mech sounds like a 30 foot strafing mech. One thing I would like to mention is that Gun Metal does have the ability for you do have your own soundtrack. Now, Gun Metal should naturally have an Heavy Metal or alternative theme to it, which is fine, but try playing the game to Kylie Minogue's new CD and see how much you can take as she's belting out "Love At First Sight". Not exactly a romantic type game, now is it...unless your in love with pyrotechnics.
This game brings me back to the great mech shooting days of Battletech (Commodore 64) and the first Mechwarrior (on PC). Maybe that's too Old School for some, but if you want great arcade action with minimal thinking, then pick this game up. Because once you go Mech/Jet you never go back.
