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Gamecube's own exclusive first-person shooter action.
Capcom’s stellar Resident Evil series aside, people don’t tend to associate the words Nintendo and horror together. That’s all about to change now that developer n-Space has scored an exclusive publishing deal for the company’s futuristic, horror-driven first-person shooter, Geist, coming to the Gamecube later this year. Why should you care? Because, Geist isn’t just any run-of-the-mill first-person/action game, and it brings some pretty nifty new ideas and a variety of adventure elements.
In Geist, you’ll play as special forces soldier John Raimi, who’s on assignment to investigate the shadowy Volks Corporation. The Volks Corporation apparently deals in paranormal research and at some point early on in the game, Raimi’s body and spirit are separated, though we’re not really sure how. You’ll spend the majority of the game playing as Raimi’s spectral-self as he searches the Volks Corporation for his material form (and we’re pretty sure that you’ll uncover some "big plot" and save the world along the way). If you haven’t figured out that Geist isn’t your typical first-person shooter yet, then I hope these words jump out of your monitor and slap you. Yes, it’s true that there’s quite a bit of shooting involved, but there’s also plenty of puzzle-solving and exploring to do along the way.
The key element of Geist’s gamplay rests in Raimi’s ability to possess just about anything. From an armed-to-the-teeth Volks Corporation soldier to a bowl of dog-food (honest!), the world is your playground. Of course, you can’t just go up and possess any living being right away... what would the fun be in that? In order to possess the currently animated, you’ll have to get them frightened. There are a number of ways to go about this. You can turn off lights, throw random objects, manipulate the surroundings (like diving into electrical equipment and putting it on the fritz), among other things. Once the character is sufficiently ready to piss themselves, you can assume control over their body.
Geist’s unique visual flair is pretty original. When in spectral form, the game uses a number of graphical filtering techniques to give everything a sort of dazed, washed-out appearance. Also, taking over another person or animal’s bodies will look the part. You’ll see through your enemies’ visors and even the down to the tip of a dog’s nose. Also, the quirky environments seem to fit really well. n-Space also released screens showing four-player split-screen play. There’s currently no word on what all that will entail, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for anything more than your standard deathmatch and (maybe) a cooperative mode. JS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: n-Space
UK Release: Q4 2004 |
| 7/10 |
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anticipation |
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