Extermination

"Metal Gear Solid meets Resident Evil"

I'd like to go ahead and clear up that PURCHASING this game would be an all out mistake, as you can easily complete it in a 5-day rental (or two rentals if you're not swamped with free time like most gamers).
But I definitely would recommend at least giving it a go. If you enjoyed other tactical shoot-em-ups and survival horror games, you'll feel right at home in Extermination.

The gameplay is decent, though I miss the control and eerie viewpoint of Resident Evil. Instead of UP always moving the character forward, the character moves in whichever direction the control pad is pressed and the camera is not in a fixed position.

The graphics are also, merely decent and strongly borrowed from its predecessors like Carrier and Parasite Eve. Very bland textures, very little depth, and almost no change in scenery. But just enough change to keep things interesting (including some trips outside into the blizzard). The interactivity with the environments is fun, however: the scene is actually affected by time (when you return to some previously visited chambers after activating certain events, they will be much more heavily infested with goop than before). Demolitions and wrecks and such can also make catastrophic changes on the environment.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is the weapons system. You only have a single weapon, but you can ''customize'' it by changing the scopes, accessories, firing mode, and attachments. When in use, you can either fire from third person or first person views, and a laser sight helps guide your bullets (or napalm or grenades) to their mark.

Extermination has an excellent atmosphere and ambience, sure to send chills down your spine. The music is excellent, and the story-line is moderately captivating for a video game (go rent John Carpenters The Thing if you enjoy this game). The first few moments of the game, when you first enter the base, were definitely the most intense because you don't know what you're up against and you haven't seen any enemies yet (and the ones you do see go scurrying off like little bugs). I only wish they could have dragged the ''fear of the unknown'' feel out a bit longer.

The weakest point of the game are the cut-scenes. The voice actors are horrible, the dialogue isn't even CLOSE to being synchronized with lip movements, and the scripting is absolutely retched.

But all in all, Extermination provided me with 7 good solid hours of spooky entertainment and is definitely worth a rent.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/01, Updated 08/13/01