| Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri (Free Fall) | Looking Glass / Virgin Interactive | 1996 | |
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In Terra Nova you are a member of a special unit battling against pirates. Looking Glass, who became famous with Ultima Underworld and System Shock, released this on their own label. Just like their previous efforts, this game is hard. The complicated story which is told through cutscenes has the the necessary surprises in store. You move around great distances on a planet surface. The graphics were not top-notch but the physics used were quite correct. If you see a far away sea or mountain you could actually reach it, walking uphill added to your fatigue and guns are more effective if you shoot downhill. Since you are part of an elite unit, you get some assistance from your squad mates, who have their own characteristics and behave differently to various situations. You can even order them around before you advance on an enemy position. Also usefull is a drone which will inform you of the surroundings. You can only save between missions, which is annoying because of the big and complex levels. Before a mission you choose your squadmates and their gear. Needless to say you use different settings for a scouting mission than for a battle. Another annoying fact is that at the end of a mission you get picked up by a ship - which won't land until every enemy is destroyed, so you can search for that last pesky unit. Terra Nova is more about tactics than run-and-gun shooting. Because of this and its complexity, shooter fans ignored it and tactical fans rather played Command & Conquer. And so Looking Glass had a big flop on their hands with this ambitious and certainly not bad title. | ||
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