Forsaken
Reviewed by Ryan Miller
I was very excited about Forsaken. It's the type of game the Nintendo 64 lacks...different.
All of the current N64 games are good...don't get me wrong, but they lack originality
(with the exception of GoldenEye which always seems to be an exception). I admit I
did not "count" the days until it was release like I am for Banjo-Kazooie but I was
excited to learn it was out. At the time I had no money so I decided to rent it. Next
Generation gave the only review I saw but they are bias. I guess you could say I was
glad I rented it. Let me warn you though that I buy up to 10 games a year at the most
so a game has to be almost perfect. Currently I have only bought 1080, Bond, Rush
and Waverace...thus my screen name.
Graphics 9 out of 10
Forsaken has great graphics. Like those for the PC version I imagine. The 3D rooms
have to have more than a background since you often face downwards or upwards and
not the standard forward like most games. The graphics are a reason why I bought
Nintendo 64. One really awesome graphical feature was the weapons. Whenever you
shoot your laser the light from it could be seen traveling down the corridor or
wherever you happen to be. The reason I gave Forsaken a 9 out of 10 rather than a
perfect score was because I don't believe it took much "effort" to get those graphics.
Some of the rooms are almost too "similar" looking. However it is not too bad just
something that gets annoying.
Music and Sound 7 out of 10
I did not like the music all that much. As a matter of fact it was almost as if there
was none. It got monotonus after a while. I did not pay much attention to it though.
The sound effects were excellent. The sound of your laser can be heard echoing
through-out the level. The enemies can be heard in another room and this allows
you to be "ready".
Game Challenge 7 out of 10
I must admit I am not the hardest person to challenge. I do believe I have never
conquered a video game in my entire life and I have had all the systems. I guess
I don't have the drive. Even with Goldeneye I did not feel like beating it. However
Forsaken made me want to figure out the different puzzles it had. There are often
doors that are easy to find. Where the switch is that opens them is another matter.
Luckily this does not get too hard. It's "just right" in my opinion. There are a fair
amount of evil robots to eliminate but not so many that they over come you. One
gripe is the level bosses. I personally despise level bosses in games. Forsaken has
them but they are easy. I beat the bosses quicker than I beat two tanks at once.
Kind of dumb.
Game Play-Fun 8 out of 10
This is a fun game. For the four days I rented the game I played it a lot. Between the
robots and the puzzles this game delivers sure fire fun. Getting to pick between
different riders was kind of neat. I also liked the first person view. I think it adds
to the game. Also the fact this is original to N64 games (I know I know your thinking
Descent, that's why I said N64) makes it even more enjoyable.
Rumble Pak 5 out of 10
I don't like the rumble pack that much so I all I can say is that yeah you feel your
controller move for lack of better words and more enthusiasm. If you love or like
a lot the Rumble Pak add 5 points to the score. That's 10 out of 10 for those slow folks.
Frustration
Here's where the game really bombed. It's enemies are mainly brownish or black.
Hey that's fine you say. Not when the back ground is that same color. Often I would
be in front of an enemy before I could see it. If you play this game or download a
video you can see what I am talking about. It's a major flaw in my opinion. Too bad.
Replayability 10 out of 10
I am not that good at video games but even if you are this game will make you think.
The puzzles really do add to the replayability. Also, the four player mode is to
Forsaken what it is to Goldeneye. Great. Your can blow your friends to kingdom come
(which is in Kentucky) and with very cool weapons.
Game Value 6 out of 10
I did not end up buying the game. The visibility problem with the enemy robots really
hurts this game in my opinion. My advice is to download a video of it...not a rendered
version, and see if that bugs you. If it doesn't then I recommend buying the game.
You will not regret it. Or if your like me look for it used or at a lowered price.
Overall 7 out of 10