"A great game for your collection."

Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a great and fun game that did not garner the attention it deserves. It might not be so good for young players, but great for those teens and older. If for some reason you don't have a Mac, mosey on down to the PC and PS2 versions of the game.

Gameplay: First off, let's try to define Giants. The best description would be a third-person shooter with strategy elements, but that's a great understatement. You have the ability to control three races: the Meccs, people from space and utilize technology, the Sea Reapers, masters of magic, and the gargantuan Kabuto, from which this game is named for. Meccs and Sea Reapers build their own bases in most games, requiring upkeep until a certain point, and from those you can get weapons, ammunition, defensive walls (though any race can still easily get in), turrets, shortcuts, and vehicles. Each race has its advantages and weaknesses, and with different weapons and tools, you'll knock yourself out with the small stockpile you can get on your hands. The classic crosshairs direct where your attacks are going, and everything happens when it's supposed to.

Single player storyline is enjoyable, and while most objectives include either destroying this or getting to that, Giants is not a game where you can go in with guns blazing and expect to live. The AI is not too sharp, as you are able to hide in their midst most of the time, but their firepower more than makes up for it and they provide a challenge. Though you have only the storyline for single player, this game really shines when you're playing multiplayer; Reaper, Meccs and Kabuto make your map really small really fast.

Story: You start off playing as the Meccs. You crash land on a lush asteroid, and playing as Baz, you must help save your mates and the Smarties that populate the world from the Sea Reapers that wish to regain a dominance that existed long ago. Next, as the renegade Sea Reaper Delphi, you endeavor to kill the mastermind behind the inhumanity, Queen Sappho. Third part, you are Kabuto, and the storyline seems to drop dead around here as you pound everything you see into dust. While nowhere close to the complexity of good RPGs, the storyline's cutscenes during a mission are generally filled with slapstick humor and a rationale for why you're accomplishing the objectives. These keep the story flowing remarkably well and combined are a major crux for the brilliance of the game.

Graphics/Sound: No complaints here. The landscapes, characters and weapon animations work fine, though some are a bit lackluster, and your classic bams, beeps, cries, and blasts are all here in force. On my 877MHz G4, there was an occasional slowdown, but otherwise this game runs without a hitch.

Replayability: Very little for storyline, and as you can't go against AI except in storyline, you've got little to do unless you can garner opponents online or through a network. Then it gets extremely fun...

Final Verdict: Buy for yourself and your friends, then play against each other! Even with my high compliments, Giants will surely break your expectations.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/04