Knife Edge: Nose Gunner

"Overlooked and Underplayed"

There comes a certain point in playing video games since you were two years old that
lets you distinguish a solid game engine from a cinematic experience driven by story enhanced by computer animated sequences. Kemco has developed a game that at the very core is what was originally envisioned with eternal classics like Pac-Man and Mario Bros, a great gameplay experience with very little intervention from un-needed elements. I think it can be safely said that if you are looking for the next great Interactive Movie then you would be better off looking elsewhere. Knife Edge follows the 1-4 nosegunners of the new experimental military tool ''Knife Edge'' as they try to stop a bizarre enemy from hostile attacks.

GRAPHICS: 7 out of 10

A solid rating for solid graphics. The environments' polygon counts were low compared to other games seen on the market at the time of Knife Edge's release but this was to save the framerate and allow for more enemies on screen. The bosses are large and fast and their sheer size and firepower will make you cower if nothing else.

CONTROL: 10 out of 10

The controls in this game are simple from the start. You only need to be able to manipulate the control stick (which is of course fitting in with the feeling of flight, inverted), hold down the Z trigger for firing ease, and charge special weapons with A. At some points you get to use a neat dodging system with the C-buttons in the appropiate directions. A simple control scheme is one of the high points in this title, anyone can pick it up and start shooting down The Enemy.

SOUND/MUSIC: 6 out of 10

Knife Edge had to coincide with the N64's relatively low power compared to that of an arcade shooting game so the sound and music were sacrificed to levels that might annoy some people. Explosion sounds are repeated and you're going to have to get used to the repetive *THOK* of ammunition. The music is often times boring, leaving you listening to the same theme you shot to levels ago but you'll be so busy shooting things you won't care. The odd robot voice samples like ''WARNING'' are also recycled but they aren't of such a poor quality that you don't want to hear them.

SURPRISES/ORIGINALITY: 9 out of 10

Picking up a ''gun game'' at the local arcade is always made twice as much fun when you get your buddy or buddies to load up for a round too. Kemco took this into consideration for Knife Edge and delivers multiplayer modes that will keep your friends coming to try and beat that level or that boss. Several paths are also presented for each level giving you a new unique experience each time rather than the rehash of memorizing the locations of all your dreaded adversaries.

REPLAY VALUE: 7 out of 10

After you finish every path and ice the bad guys with every combination of friends you can, Knife Edge becomes a stiff lonely game with little more to offer than the tons of stages and multiplayer options (which are more than enough). If you were looking for new gun cheats and spectaculur crazy weapon upgrades or secret levels you won't find them in Knife Edge but you will get a good helping of pure fun.

OVERALL: 8 out of 10

You won't laugh, you definitely won't cry, but you are going to pick this game up more than once. Whether you own just one controller or not you will play this several times without the feeling of anxious awaiting for another console to come out.

As for buying or renting- it depends on the amount of time you're willing to spend on a game. If you want to milk a title for all its worth then buy Knife Edge. If you're just looking for a quick thrill to keep you happy for a few minutes then go ahead and rent Knife Edge.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/04/01, Updated 07/04/01