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By Al Giovetti, 03/12/97
Price:$50
Genre:action (Doom clone)
Release:
Developer: Zombie
Lead Artist:
Programmer:
Producer:
Publisher: GT Interactive
Phone: 800-610-4847
Website: www.gtinteractive.com
Requirements:486 DX2, 66 MHz, Windows 95, 2X CD ROM, 8 MB RAM,

ZPC

History

Mostly there are very little in the way of cool games for the Macintosh, save from Interplay who have a history of successfully supporting unpopular platforms like the Amiga. So that Macintosh users are very easy sells for games that gives them the chance to play even ghosts of mainstream PC titles. Marathon and Marathon 2: Durandle are just such titles and with their continued success of both the original Macintosh Doom like clones and PC ports it is not surprising that the games will continue being made on this solid sales platform.

Company Line

Following a 400-year cryogenic exile, the last of the Warrior Messiahs has returned to reclaim his throne and usher in a new age. An age free of despair, death camps, torture, brainwashing, environmental corruption and genocide...

Play the game Axcess Magazine called the "coolest, most surreal, most unabashedly violent game to surface in the first-person shooter field to date"! Vengeance is yours in an alternate reality riddled with death, torture and corruption. Prepare the way...the Messiah is coming -- No Flesh Shall Be Spared!

Game Play

You bash, blast, and brutalize your way through 24 levels. This is a first person, three dimensional (Doom clone) shooter. Swimming is another ZPC option that you do not often see in other Doom clones. You can look up and look down but the area is not wide enough. Powerups, ammunition, and weapons are found scattered through the level, you only need to walk over them to pick them up. You will find grenades, machine guns, lightning bolts, psychic blast, and other power ups.

Plot

Far in the future, the world is populated by Warrior Messiahs, and the last one wants to take over. You get to prepare the way for the chosen one by separating the wheat from the chaff with your machine gun.

Graphics

The graphics look like comic book art with the distinctive lines and washed out colors in the center. The game runs better in high resolution mode.

Animation

Animation is exceptionally smooth even on low end pentiums. We were not able to try the game out on 486 machines since we no longer have any at our editorial offices.

Voice Actors

Music Score

The music by Ministry and the Revolting Clocks was unusually nice for this type of game. Violent and kaliedioscopic tunes blast from your speakers as you reel headlong into the next multiple murder - very appropriate.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are better than average with nice variety of noises not normally found in this type of games, including wet sticky splattering sounds and reverberating deap explosions.

Utilities

Saving requires a powerup. A PC game should not require anything to save at any point in time. Since ZPC uses the Marathon 2 engine from the Macintosh, this omission cannot be blamed on porting the game from consoles. You get one measley save game per powerup. Saving will not help you, so get used to "game over" messages or get good enough to win.

Multi-player Features

ZPC supports eight player network and two player modem multi-player modes. You can play the normal deathmatch and other game options like tag, capture the flag, and kill the guy with the ball.

Cheats, Hints, Walkthrough

Journalists

Jason says, "If the next stage in the evolution of the first person shooter is to be more of a change of style than of substance, then GT Interactive's ZPC is at the forefront." Jason says that the "psychedelic, violent, cool, comic-book look" and feel of the game is what sets it apart from the normal Doom clone. Jason likes this one, so why did it get a 70%?

References

Jason D'Aprile, Computer & Net Player, volume 3, number 10, March, 1997, pg. 59, 70%.

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