Wild 9

Wild 9is Interplay‘s answer to the Pandemonium seriesof games which effectively has you running from left to right, or vice versa,but turns the screen round as you proceed thus adding a third dimension to thegameplay.

The name of the game is the name of a group of interstellar heroes led byWex Major who spend their time dealing with the bad guys of outer space. Itis Wex who you control, a 21st Century Earthling teenage marooned in theAndromeda Cluster – a far-flung foreign galaxy embroiled in epic turmoil. Fatebrings this cocky teenager together with the rag-tag group of eight individualalien teenagers. They must join forces as the “Wild 9”, to defeat the evil Karnand his hordes of genetically-engineered freaks and foot soldiers, going fromone level to the next, each of which is designated by a planet, collectingitems, starting fans, unlocking doors, dispensing of the enemies and sometimesprogressing by using them to plug a gap or circumvent a security system.

There are two other types of levels: Jetbike, which resembles theZX Spectrum classic, Deathchase, and has you chasing the enemy throughthe forest firing at him until he’s dead; and Freefall, another way tokill the enemy which is just like parachuting, except without the parachute!

Playing the Game

Controls :

The controls are very simple and for some of the buttons you need to pressthere are three alternatives but my choices are listed below :

LEFT: Run left
RIGHT: Run right
TRIANGLE: Jump
L1: Fire the rig
R1: Fire secondary weapon

So, what is the rig? It is a device similar to the ray guns in theGhostbusters film. When you fire at an enemy, hold down the buttonand roll your thumb left and right so it throws them around smashing them intothe ground. About 4 bangs and crashes should see them off. Alternatively, youcan bypass certain objects by throwing them at it, thus giving them a rathergrisly end. Also, when your rig turns red it will shoot further, last for alonger period of time, and it can be used to break open certain places.

The rig can also be used as a rope swing allowing Wex to swing to someotherwise inaccessible areas, which is reminiscent of Spiderman and the80’s arcade game Bionic Commando.

Other weapons and items :

Missiles: Fire these, watch them home in on their target and blow itback to their maker.
Grenades: Better than missiles and about three times as powerful.
‘9’ Symbols: Collect 99 of these and gain an extra life.
Energy: Enemies release some energy when they die, so pick it up and collecting enough will turn your rig red.
Check Point: Allows you to carry on your next life not far from where you left off.
Missile/grenades drops: There are a select few places available where you can wait to get extra missiles and grenades when you’ve run out. Wait on one of these and a helicopter will be along soon.
Help symbols: These pop up when you encounter something new.

Load/Save game

This requires one block on the memory card.

Graphics, Sound and Playability

The gameplay moves along at a good pace with no slowing down when the screengets busy, and the graphics are a cacophony of different colours, making thegame very pleasing to the eye. The point-of-view of the camera moves around asnecessary to show you what’s coming up, or present the game from a number ofbizarre angles, making it a visual feast. The physics of the game are also quiteimpressive as you use the rig to throw an enemy about, move something heavyfrom one side, or swing about like a rope swing.

The sound in the game is excellent. The sound effects are loud, brash andmake good use of surround sound, as does the thumping rock soundtrack whichtrades heavy guitar riffs between the front and rear speakers.

After getting used to the different aspects of the rig, this makes for avery playable game, although it’s a bit difficult to control another character,Nitro, known as the Living Bomb. Move him anywhere, in similar fashion to anyitem, and he immediately starts ticking after you let him go. He can be droppedin front of a group of baddies and left to clear a path, but if you’re movingthrough small areas and having to jump across a series of holes in the floor,as in one of the early levels, it’s easy to drop him by accident.

Overall

Overall, if you’re a fan of Pandemonium and are looking for somethingmore violent with lots of explosions and a cool soundtrack, this is the gamefor you.

GRAPHICS : ****SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC: *****PLAYABILITY: ****ORIGINALITY : ***½ENJOYMENT : ***½——————————-OVERALL : ****