Death Crimson OX

"Dream rehash of a bad Saturn game"

Yes, believe it or not, 7/10 is a good score, considering I gave TC and CMF an 8 and 9 respectively. Most of you have already heard of the horror that is Death CRimson OX for Sega Saturn. Though I've never played it, word has it that it sucked, big time. After playing and passing the Dreamcast version, I'm glad to say this game is not perfect, but not bad either. Yes, Ecole toned down the bad elements, and we're left with a standard, average lightgun game. Due to word of mouth (and the less steller sequel), I doubt anyone really had the nerve to play this game. AFter the horrible saturn ordeal, gunners were left with bitter tastes in their mouths. THough this game is not close to HOTD2 or the Godly CMF, it qualifies as a nice HOTD clone. Read on...

Gameplay: 7/10

Death Crimson OX features a less complex style of gun+story interaction then Death CRimson 2. Yes, it's pretty much plug and play- meaning less dialogue intervention, more plugging. OX offers 2 player mode, like most gun games. Most of the enemies are not particularly intelligent- they're slow aimers, and soak 4-5 hits max. Ecole was clearly thinking about going all-out, as the enemies don't eminate from a particular stereotype, as the zombies in HOTD. You fight sword totin mechs, androids, skeletons (yes, bones!), butterflies, orbs, and the occasional knife-throwing arabian (?!). That makes a whole different set of opponents to plug, from futuristic cyborgs to halloween-closet flunkers. Weird. The actions fast and furious, cause most enemies absorb shots like HOTD, an' there are a multitude of 'em. Some eneimes have an on-screen indicator that informs you of their status. For example, when DANGER appears, he's about to shoot, whereas WEAK SPOT tells you where to shoot. Innocent bystanders return a la HOTD, adding to the challenge. Power-ups are more frequent (and easier to obtain) than HOTD, so it's not terribly hard. The best and most frequent power up is the machine gun, allowing you to charge your crimson (gun) by suppressing the trigger, and letting fly for Crisis-Zone style shootouts! What's more, Machine gun powerups can be stored (as long as u DONT die) for a grand, rapid fire-fest. Speaking of bullets, you start off with more than 8 bullets, a nice advantage. Reloading is accomplished off screen, as with most gun games. During specific intervals in the game, your required to shoot gem-studded butterflies, resulting in higher scores or increased health. This is a challenge unique to Death Crimson OX, as opposed to HOTD2 and CMF's practice of saving hostages and multiple paths. The bosses vary in techinque, but are rather easy compared to HOTD2. Overall, the design tastes are odd, but the gameplay is quite standard, not bad at all. This game is a mix between HOTD2 and Point Blank.

Graphics: 8/10

The backgrounds range from nice to lackluster, but the enemies are significantly detailed, their quality dropping a notch below HOTD2's. The Mechs and their android side kicks look like anime inspired characters, while the cheesy arabian knife-throwers and taekwondo-kicking skeletons feel like a haunted house amusement park. It's a conflicting idea, but doesn't take away too much. After all, you're shooting at futuristic mechs here, complete with cannons and swords. THen, poof! Skeletons walk out of closets to bone-whack you. Round a corner, and an arabian knife thrower intervenes. Talk about a caliedoscope of villians!. The mechs are the most detailed, though. The setting changes from aged town, to science lab, to desert, to cave...not bad. Eveything is high-res, hardly anything shows pixels. And moving at a smooth 50-60 fps. The cut scenes sometimes slow to 25 fps, but only the confrontation with Karin, Level 3 boss (and chick on the front cover). Boss design is acceptable, Karin and the highly reflective last boss being the most memorable. The 2 main characters are nicely detailed. I thought the boy was an alien, cos' he had 2 purple dots on his forehead. Upon closer inspection during cut scenes, they were purple shades. For some reason, he never actually wears them.

Audio: 5/10

The cut scenes are silent. Only japanese subtitles appear. But the BGM falls to new grounds of appallingness. Even the title music sounds like off-key 70's blues. It's not THAT bad- just doesn't suit the murky atmosphere. Enemy screams, particularly that of dying mechs, sound like plane motors. SE is rather scratchy-they should bump up the frequency.

Story: ?/10

I cannot say much, 'cause it's all in japanese. Sorry, My friend lost the manual and so far, no-one had the patience to translate it. As far as it goes, it's a cross of resident evil and anime....i think. Apparently, you and your partner are tryin' to save someone. Off you go, armed with 'crimsons', a pair of odd looking guns.

Replayability/Lastability: 5/10

As with most gun games, once you master it, thats all. There aren't any bonus modes or levels, though I really can't say since I've had this game for a month. I imagine there's not much besides the default story and mission modes.

Overall: 7/10

Not the anomaly it used to be, it's been through it's punishment phase, and although it's no CMF or TC game, still manages to hold her ground as a HOTD+Point Blank ripoff. Okay graphics, standard gameplay. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're REALLY into gun games (like me) and want extra action for ya DC. Nevertheless, give it a go.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/11/01, Updated 06/11/01