Knife Edge: Nose Gunner

"Knife Edge: "Because We're Average!""

I didn't have as bad an experience with Knife Edge as I did Dark Rift - that is to say, it was a lot cheaper, so the value for money I got from it was greater. But don't draw any false conclusions from this; Knife Edge is not good. The plot is both incomprehensible and cliched at the same time - you are the gunner in the newest military "tool" that is Knife Edge, and all you do is fire at the various enemies that flit around the screen in order to vanquish the alien menace. At times, you do get to use a dodging system that seems both tacked-on and pointless, mainly because no matter how much you dodge, 90% of the projectiles aimed at you will hit the mark.

Graphics - There's not a whole lot to write home about here. For the most part, the stages are bland, and nothing stands out in particular. Considering this is was going up against a two-year-old Mario 64 and a one-year-old Goldeneye, it is even less impressive, and even the magnitude of the various boss characters can't do much for this. 4/10.

Sound - Like the graphics, the sound is unremarkable. The music gets old fast, and those of you with a weaker constitution may find yourself being slowly driven insane by the sound of your gun firing over and over. Still, that is what the mute option's there for, isn't it? Or, if you feel like it, just turn the sound on down and crank up some good music. 2/10

Gameplay - You don't actually do a whole lot in the game; all it consists of is firing at the myriad enemies that swarm the screen and in boss battles, pressing the C-buttons to push yourself one way or another. That said, it is fun to load up a level and just blast away every so often, and the Practice mode lets you do just that. Also, some of the bosses are quite difficult to face, and you will enjoy the feeling when you finally blow one of them into oblivion. The problem, however, is that as I said above, the dodging system is poor at best - it seems too much like a gimmicky addition that the producers slapped on at the last moment. This actually makes me knock off a point. 7/10

Replay Value - With many paths to take through the levels, Knife Edge does have plenty of replayability, particularly if you are a perfectionist, or the sort of person who tried to get all 120 stars in Mario 64 because you just had to. Even though you'll still face all of the same bosses, it'll deliver nonetheless. 7/10

Overall - The N64 may only be played by a handful of gamers now, so Knife Edge is unlikely to ever get any play time again. While the gameplay and the replay value are good, they can't save it from poor graphics and even worse sound and music. 5/10 is the best I can give it in good conscience.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/06, Updated 07/17/06