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Website
design &
programming
(c) 2000 James Burrows
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The realism
of the original program really impressed me, although
I felt that it was a little easy to escape.
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The new version,
however, is much more difficult and very, very
devious indeed. Many a time I was led into a false
sense of security and I innocently trudged through
a harmless looking door, only to find that I had
to start the game from scratch!
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This is a
brilliant program, miles better than the first.
I'm still playing it now, so I've got to work
my legs off because I'm hours behind my work schedule!
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First there was the
classic Mercenary,
followed by the neat Targ
Survival Kit.
Now we have the Second
City -- and what
a city! It's mean, its evil -- Paul Woakes is
a genius, and a sadist (but I must be a masochist
for playing it, so that's OK). There's the prison
(no, not the prison!) and then there's THAT room
(gibber, gibber) . . . basically, Mr Woakes has
fiddled around with the original city and added
several new twists to make the Second
City different
enough to be classed as an essential purchase.
If you own a copy of Mercenary
and love the game, don't miss this!
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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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Mercenary
- The Second City
1986 Novagen
Software
Programmed
by Paul Woakes
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| Most
text of the present article comes from the review published
in the seventeenth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(street date: July 21st, 1986). |
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THE SECOND CITY
Novagen,
£5.95 cass, £9.95
disk,
joystick with keys
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Being a 21st century mercenary is a tough job, especially
when things go wrong. Take yourself, for example --
returning from a bloody conflict in the M2 star system,
your onboard computer, Benson, suddenly tells you that
things are wrong with the navigation system and you're
heading straight towards the planet of Targ. Unable
to correct your course you're forced to crash land .
. .
The
planet is one unfamiliar to you, but you know that it
has been a scene of a long conflict between the planet's
inhabitants, the Palyars, and their robotic neighbours,
the Mechanoids. Your interstellar ship was destroyed
in the crash, so to escape the planet you have to earn
enough money -- this shouldn't prove too difficult for
a soldier of fortune, such as yourself.
While
you are on the planet you decide to seek a change, so
you visit Targ's Second City on the other side of the
planet. The climatic difference between the two conurbations
is quite apparent when you arrive there -- the eerie
red dusk of the Southern hemisphere and the darkened
sky are a far cry from the green grass and bright skies
of the Central City.
The
landscape is very similar, though, and the city's buildings
have also been designed by Targ's great vector architect,
Walton. The other thing, or rather person, who is familiar,
is the Palyar Commander's brother-in-law. After you
stole his plane, wrecked his buildings, brought down
his new spaceship and rearranged his furniture, he thought
he'd try and escape your antagonism. Using his brother-in-law's
influence, he gained the position of Prison Governor
in Targ's second city. Imagine his surprise -- and annoyance
-- when the bane of his life suddenly arrives in HIS
City! He's determined to avenge the troubles you caused
him, and the he knows the opportunity for revenge will
arise many times -- after all, he does run the city!
The
object of the game is still the same -- escape the planet.
But this time it is so much harder -- you have no records
and no equipment . . . and no clues, either!
WARNING:
YOU MUST HAVE THE ORIGINAL MERCENARY TO BE ABLE
TO RUN THIS PROGRAM!
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Magnificent!
Using all the original aspects of Mercenary,
Paul Woakes has come up with one of the most devious
and addictive programs I've played in a long time.
In the original game, escaping was relatively
simple. This one is completely different -- just
about every trick in the book has been used to
hinder your escape, and that includes some of
the most evil and underhand tactics I've encountered
in a computer program. The vector graphics are
still outstanding, although there could have been
a little more sound. As for buying it -- well,
if you have the original program then purchasing
the Second
City
is as essential as living and breathing.
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Graphics
92%
Very well thought out and presented. There are
no instructions as such, but then that's how it
should be.
Graphics
97%
Fast and effective 3D vector graphics.
Sound
50%
Good sound effects, but most of
the game is played in silence.
Hookability
97%
As soon as you start playing all
the original thrills and exhilaration return.
Lastability
96%
The Palyar Commander's brother-in-law
is determined to make your life hell -- and he
does!
Value
For Money 95%
Six quid for the latest installment
in the Mercenary saga is a steal.
Overall
95%
A classic . . . and a half.
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (25 Sep 2007)
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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