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In the year 2083 the world has suffered from a radical change
in climate. Humanity is forced to huddle in large protected
mega-cities, leaving the rest to turn into a lawless and polluted
wasteland (Judge Dredd anyone). Though the cities are
ruled by a world government, the wasteland is under the control
of several mega -corporations (with a touch of Bladerunner),
who use mercenaries to do their dirty work... mercenaries
like you...
Restricted
Area is, in short, a very entertaining game. You get to
play one of four characters, who for differing reasons have
become mercenaries. Johnson is an ex-special unit commander
who has become disillusioned with the government, after they
disbanded the World Defending Guard. Victoria Williams is
a mutant who has escaped from one of the large corporations.
Kenji Takahasi is on the run from the Yakuza after killing
his father for as yet unknown reasons and lastly there is
Jessica Parker, a rich girl gone bad, a specialist in cyberspace,
she uses her expertise to fight against the corporations.
Each
of the Characters has their own special abilities: Kenji is
the only one who can carry two weapons at a time as he carries
a sword; Johnson is a weapons specialist; Jessica is the only
person who can enter cyberspace; and Victoria has psionic
powers.
As with any role playing game there is the ability to increase
your characters skills as the narrative progresses. Each character
has fifteen specific skills that they can acquire, as well
as fifteen that are open to all. You may also equip your character
with a variety of weapons and cybernetic implants.
The interface and character control is very intuitive and
it wont take a novice long to get up and going. The more experienced
player will want to read the manual to get the best out of
the various options available. Depending on which character
you choose, the narrative is slightly different, but you do
get the chance to interact, with some of the other three later
on in the game.
The
first mission is a kind of training exercise. You meet the
people who you will need throughout the game to get weapons
and missions. Should you fail a mission, or die, you are returned
to this point - a much better idea than some games where,
if you fail, the game terminates.
So,
with four characters and lots of options, there is a lot of
game play time here. At the present time there appears to
be no option to play it online or over a LAN, which is a shame.
Perhaps if the game is successful it will be included in any
future release.
Overall
this is a good RPG which should give you hours of fun and
frustration and whilst the graphics can look a little dated,
in places, this in no way detracts from the game. There are
a number of nice anime style cut scenes, including the introduction
of each character. So, if you're an RGP fan, you could do
a lot worse than giving Restricted Area a spin on your
computer.
Charles
Packer
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£19.99
(Amazon.co.uk)
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£19.99
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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