

Space Hulk, by Electronic Arts
3DO version. 1 Player.
Ever since Shock Wave, I can't help but get a tingle down my spine every time the EA 3DO logo pops up on my screen. It's automatic and, with very little exception, always with good reason. EA's latest, Space Hulk, continues in the proud tradition set forth by such games as Shock Wave, Road Rash, FIFA, Need for Speed, Immercenary and John Madden and proves itself to be a 3DO experience all its own.
	Although it's still a first person shooter in a long line of them, I hesitate to call Space Hulk a "Doomer." What it actually struck me as is, quite frankly, Tetsujin (Iron Angel in America) on hyperactive steroids. The corridors are dark, claustrophobic and foreboding. The atmosphere is thick, rich and downright disturbing at times. The game, like its characters, lumbers along in its nightmarish science fiction setting with a tightwire intensity as you battle hideously vicious, lightning fast aliens aboard derelict spacecrafts from millennia past.
	If you've been waiting for an interactive Aliens experience, then wait no longer. It's here.
	Taking place in the 41st millennium, mankind has spanned the stars thanks to the Warp Drive--only to find war with a race of creatures so fearsome, deadly and bent on survival that only the finest warriors can combat them, only fearsome Terminator squads in full battle armor. These aliens, called Genestealers, are reptilian, six limbed, armor skinned horrors that inhabit derelict spacecrafts (the space hulk of the title) and must use prey races for procreation.
	And frankly, the similarity between the Alien from the self-named movies and Space Hulk's Genestealers are pretty obvious. Not that I'm complaining. The Genestealers literally come out of the rig work of the space hulks, moving through air shafts and leaping at you with frightening speed and frequency. Kill one and there's almost always more to take its place. The monsters look spectacular on the 3DO and the graphic techniques used to bring them to life has to be seen to believed.
	Indeed, the whole game looks fantastic. The corridors are detailed, the lighting is erie and realistic and your fellow Terminators are quite detailed, even at close range. But the biggest innovation is the Genestealers themselves. They look great as they are plowing menacingly toward you, but at close range they look almost real. The reason is simply because the in-your-face Genestealers are actual 3 dimensional, computer rendered creations, using the 24 bit, 16 million color graphic power of the 3DO. Even at close range, the Genestealers are totally animated creatures as you try to fend them off and the effect, even if it is just a programmer's trick, is virtually flawless and incredible to see. Of course, after it happens five or so times in a row, the novelty wears off and you wish that you didn't have to get such a close range view of them after all. Another realistic innovation is the fact that when you blow away an enemy, its blood literally paints the walls red. On the downside, it is unfortunate that the Terminator marines and some of the other enemies in the game weren't given as high a level of graphic attention as the main Genestealer alien, though, as mentioned, all game graphics look great.
	The sound quality of Space Hulk is equally as impressive. The cut-scene music is striking, with disturbingly dark choral arrangements and instrument orchestrations very reminiscent of the scores of Alien, Aliens and other similar sci-fi films. The voices in the game, both of your fellow marines and superior officers, are excellent. During the game, the marines talk among themselves and to you, giving information that is important to your mission and life.
	Space Hulk offers plenty of missions to take part in, but is divided into two main parts: the Vigil training room and the Vengeance of the Blood Angels campaign. Within the Vigil, you can choose from a wide range of singular missions. The options offer not just training missions, but also the chance to venture through missions from the previous PC version of Space Hulk and others taken straight from the board game from which this game is based. Training offers simpler tasks to get you acquainted to the controls and play of the game and introduces you to the idea of having to work as a member (and leader) of a whole squad--ranging from two to seven and sometimes multiple squads which can bring the total up to fourteen.
	In these Vigil missions, you are usually given command of several Terminator marines simultaneously. You must order them around and can take direct control of any of them at anytime. And frankly, having to control several different characters at once in what is, essentially, real-time, while battling off Genestealers takes some getting used to and a lot of practice--it may not appeal to those used to the mindless action of Doom. It requires strategy and a good grasp of how to play the game.
	The Vengeance of the Blood Angels campaign is actually a whole series of missions connected by a storyline and is different than the missions in the Vigil. And even with the many mission types available in the Vigil, the campaign is still my favorite scenario to play. In the campaign, you take the role of only one Terminator in a squad. Unlike the missions in the Vigil, you can't switch between marines and you don't have to control them to as great an extent. You will still have to send orders to your squad members, but for the most part your squad will act more autonomously. The story behind the campaign is that a huge, infested Space Hulk, made of many smaller spacecraft, has drifted out of warp and is on a collision course for Delvar-3--thus allowing the Genestealers to run rampant on the planet and further their brood. So, your squad must go through this Space Hulk, fulfilling certain mission objectives and ultimately trying to force the ship back into the depths of space from whence it came. Succeed and your name will be immortalized for eternity. Fail and not only do you perish, but millions on Delvar-3 will die as well.
	The main part of the game is played from a full screen, first person perspective. And Space Hulk controls like most other 1st person shooters. A fires your main weapon, B fires weapon two (if applicable) and can parry close range Genestealer attacks. C opens doors and uses items (as in picking them up and placing them). You can glance up and down and the game allows you to semi-sidestep in a curving fashion which is unusual but (as the manual puts it) allows for more concise aim. Overall, I would have much preferred straight side-stepping. 
	Pressing the play button brings up the map screen and here you send commands to fellow Terminators, view known surroundings and have access to other functions. Control for both the map screen and the main game are responsive, easy to use and incredibly intuitive. However, when you bring the map screen up a countdown bar at the bottom of the screen starts ticking down. This is called Freeze Time and when it runs out the game goes back to realtime again. Fortunately, the Freeze Time increases when not in use. 
	In Space Hulk, you'll find out pretty quickly that your Space Marine is no speed sprinter. There is no run button here and you really just lumber along down the corridors. And after seeing the body armor these guys wear, it's easy to see why. The Genestealers move fast, though, which may or may not be of much conciliation to you.
	There aren't many things to complain about in Space Hulk, but there are a few. My main complaint is that, when at close range, Genestealers can (and will) kill you with a single swipe of their fearsome claws. One hit kills, even though your character is supposedly wearing superstrong, near impenetrable Tactical Dreadnought armor. On a similar note, close range combat takes some getting used to as well and requires you to parry and attack with your close range weapon using both the A and B buttons. For some reason, you can't blow the alien away with you gun at close range, instead you have to sort of swat at it with your power fists until it dies an impressive death. Parrying and close range attacking is slow in the armor and you have to be both lucky and skillful to do it with repeated success and accuracy. One very annoying feature is the tendency of the Storm Bolter gun to frequently jam, which was extremely frustrating during intense firefights. I would have liked to have seen a higher level of intelligence in the non-player space marines (not that they react stupidly--they don't), though, interestingly enough, the Genestealers do, on occasion, display a fairly high level of cunning and intelligence.
	Once again, EA has scored. Space Hulk is a long, involving and utterly challenging piece of software. It looks incredible, sounds great and plays smoothly. The atmosphere of the game is thick and the many missions are varied and entertaining. There's no doubt about this one, Space Hulk is a winner and highly recommended.

	
