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Croc:
Legend of the Gobbos ©
Fox Interactive
In
the vein of modern console games, Croc has running, jumping,
spinning, stomping, powerups, gems, bonus stages and everything else
you can think of that makes these titles popular. I don't know why,
but it surprised me to find out that Croc was a clone of both Mario
64 and Sonic, borrowing heavily from these games in terms of concept
and play. Definitely not the most original game I've seen in a while,
Croc nonetheless manages to merge some of the best elements of other
console titles into a lighthearted and enjoyable example of platform
gaming at its best. Even though a handful of pure 3D platformers such
as Pandemonium have been out for the PC already, I believe that Croc
will be the first to catch the attention of mainstream gamers and is
a good indicator of where the genre is headed.
The
gameplay might be fairly new, but the concept of this title sounds no
different than in any classic game. The main objective of Croc's
adventure is to save the poor little Gobbos from the evil Baron
Dante. In the process you will travel across 40 levels, meet 9
bosses, and eventually face off with Dante himself. To pass all 40
levels, you'll need to pick up some lives and powerups along the way,
and this is best achieved by accessing the bonus levels at the end of
the stages. In order to access these hidden areas though, you need to
gather all five colored crystals on the stage, which can be quite a feat.
Croc
plays much like Mario 64, letting you roam about a 3D environment
hopping around on the heads of your enemies or just smacking them
with a tail attack. Platforms, ledges, item boxes, and other things
are lying around to be played with at your leisure too. The way in
which Croc resembles the Sonic series is that instead of having a
life meter, our reptilian rascal has a coin counter. Similar to the
way in which the hedgehog gets along, Croc collects gems which can
grant him an extra life, but if you get hit the ones you collected
gush out of you to bounce around the immediate area. Getting hit
while you have no coins is bad for your health, as is falling into
pits or lava and being hit by enemies and bosses, so one must be
careful to keep Croc out of harm's way. The game is perfectly
playable by gamers of all ages and lacks a great deal of violence,
making it suitable for those audiences too.
Without
retaining the level of control found in the Playstation version,
Croc would have been doomed to failure, but this turns out not to be
the case. Fox Interactive did a great job of designing and mapping
out keyboard control, which is often times more precise than using
one of the many joystick options offered. If you do actually have a
gamepad and are unfamiliar with console type games, it might take a
bit of time to become used to Croc, though you won't have much
trouble learning how to get about after a little while.
The
graphics in Croc are pretty good in standard mode and truly
outstanding in 3D accelerated mode, standing head and shoulders over
the visuals found in the game's PSX counterpart. Using some
impressive polygonal animation, enemies spring to life and landscapes
unfold before you as you guide Croc through his adventure. For people
who don't have powerful systems, options have been included allowing
you to adjust the resolution, texturing, and lighting effects to make
the game perform better. No matter what video mode you've got the
game in, you should be pleased with the level of detail put into the
colorful and cartoonish levels that Croc crosses during his journey.
Examining
the facts tells us that Croc is the first of the new wave of console
style games to hit the PC, and I have to say I'm pleased to see where
the genre is headed. This title was very popular on PSX and should
have enough charm to win the hearts of PC gamers who have long been
waiting for something new to come along and change the long stagnant
platform genre. Croc should silence the doubters who said that
computers couldn't match up to the latest video game systems. We can
only hope this game will prove to be as successful on this platform
as I hope it will be, with any luck paving the way for many of our
other console favorites to be ported. |
GAME
TYPE
3D
Platform
REQUIREMENTS
P133,
80M HD, 16M RAM
PRICE
39.99
REVIEWER
E.L.
INFORMATION
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Published |
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Demo? |
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Release
date |
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85% |
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Quick
Summary:
Croc
will satisfy your hunger. |
SCREENSHOTS
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