Rise of the Triad: Dark War

"A fun game that faded too quick to obscurity"

This game, unfortunately, never seem to have stood out among the other FPS (First Person Shooter). Perhaps its because some of the design was too ''ancient'' with the 45 degree walls or because people regarded it as merely a ''clone'' of the greatly popular, if not most popular FPS of all time, DOOM.

ROTT (Rise of the Triad), though, had its own feel built in. This game was fun to play and I would bring it back a few months later just to play it again.

Since they have been supplied with infinite bullets, there are no worries of running out. Using the machine gun has its own fun as it stops the enemy from moving to the point of defeat.

Then, there are the missile weapons. There has not been a game yet where I have seen more missile weapons then ROTT. The Heat Seekers can track enemies (but sometimes hit other sources of heat) while the Drunk Missile are great for their unpredictability (a death match potential!). The Split Missile is awkward, but is always great for pincer attacks (as in, the missiles come in from both sides of the enemy before hitting him). The Firebomb makes everything in a cross-shape go boom. My favorite, though, is the Flamewall. When this missile hits the ground, it burns the enemies, leaving nothing but bones behind.

The magical weapons are also interesting. The Dark Staff can cast a bolt that goes through enemies (much like the more modern rail guns that show up in recent games). The Excalibat has a great attack - when charged, it throws out a slew of explosive baseballs. Painful to a group of enemies.

There is some armor in this game. Instead of having armor percentages, the game has two armor types: bullet and asbestos (fire). The asbestos armor is good, because then the firebomb can be used to make a ''missile jump''.

The modes are very interesting. Instead of just making you invincible, the God Mode makes you able to destroy enemies with a bolt of energy (leaving nothing behind), or, alternatively, the Dog Mode can be used to crawl under walls or devastate an area of enemies with a loud howl (who knows how). Mercury Mode allows you to fly, which is good, except when you accidentally fall to your death. There are also modes that power you down. Shrooms mode has to be the most fun as it makes you loopy and see colors. Bounce mode is just a nuisance as you bounce around.

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Category Summary

The Scoring categories are...

Story - The mission or reason the game exists. Does the story give me the feel for the game? Or does it just seem to be ''there'' for no reason? If there is no story, the review will ignore this category.

Graphics - The presentation of the game. Does it work for the style of the game? Or does it seem ''out of place''?

Music - The songs of the game. Does it warrant a listen to? Or would I rather listen to something else?

Sounds - The sounds of the game. Does it bring out the game? Or does it just annoy me?

Gameplay - The handle of the game. Does it feel that you are in control? Or does it feel that ''leaps of faith'' would define the controls?

Fun Factor - The game's enjoyment. Would you enjoy the game? Or would it just bore you quickly?

Replayability - The possibility of bringing you back to the game. Are you going to play a game a month later to remember how good it was? Or just to see why you hated it so much?

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Story

''You are part of the group HUNT (High-risk United Nations Taskforce). There is a maniacal cult trying to kill millions of civilian. While scouting an island, some of the members found you and destroyed your boat. Without the quick way out, you must infiltrate the monastery to stop the cult leader from succeeding.''

As far as storylines go, this game has a simple, but it is also straight to the point. The story, though, is still nothing to worry about, as this game stays true to a common element in FPS - remove anyone in your way and get to the exit.

Score: 6/10

Graphics

This game used real people in costumes to make their human enemy graphics. In turn, the game looks realistic... for it's time anyway. Taking a note from DOOM, the game had gore... lots and lots of gore. Splattering the enemies in the game can range from simple deaths to complete vaporization, to even nothing but bones.

Score 9/10

Music

Nothing to get your toes tapping, but the music gives you a good feel to the level, so it serves its purpose. Some of the music is fun to listen to, so it's warrants a good listen to.

Score - 8/10

Sounds

There are plenty of sounds to listen to. Ranging from explosions to spots from enemies, the game has a wide variety of sounds for people to listen to.

Score - 9/10

Gameplay

This is certainly one of the oddballs of the game, because this could go either way. On the one hand, the game is easy to control (forward, backward, sideways), but some of the other aspects of the game (riding platforms, trampolines, falling down) can be quite tedious. The best advice I can give is, ''Watch your step''. You can also only carry one missile/magical weapon, which can be bad at times (since those are the only things that could hurt bosses).

Score - 7/10

Fun Factor

One of the greatest features of this game is how much fun it is. You have many ways of taking down people. The wide variety of weapons can give you plenty of ways to take down enemies. When you need to mow down enemies, there is always the Drunk Missiles or the powerful Flamewall on your side. Just stay away from the troops, as some will take your weapon away.

Score - 10/10

Replayability

This is a game that you would come back to, not because of the story (yeah, right), but because you want to slaughter the cultists again. Some might cheat just to get their fun out of taking down the people and be done with it, while others play through the game once more.

Score - 9/10

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Score Summary

Story - 6
Graphics - 9
Music - 8
Sounds - 9
Gameplay - 7
Fun Factor - 10
Replayability - 9

Total - 58/70

Overall Score - 8/10

Recommendation - Its a great game to own, but there are always the demo you can try for free. You may find a copy on eBay or a used electronics store somewhere.

* Remember this review is my opinion only. You should make the final call about the game. *

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/19/03, Updated 05/19/03