Dragon Rage

"Spotted HYENA! HYENA HYENA HYENA HYENA HYENA..."

It's nice to see a game featuring a ferocious predator, like a hyena. Well, unfortunately, there aren't any hyenas in this game, but there is one awesome dragon! Dragon Rage is an action-shooter focused on one's dragon's quest to destroy the oppressive orcs and freeing his race. While some things might be frustrating (such as the lack of airspeed control), this is really a top-notch game.

Graphics (ten out of ten)

I've seen many depictions of dragons, some really shoddy, and some really good. Dragon Rage has a really good one, with excellent smooth animation (i.e. wing-flapping and biting) and quite a bit of expression (in a cut-scene). Besides the cool dragon, the backgrounds are quite well done, and the special effects, such as various explosions, translucent shield ''wards'', and various powerful dragon attacks are great. From lightning strokes to fireballs, everything looks great.

Sound (seven out of ten)

Dragon Rage has decent sound, and I really don't have anything bad to say about it. It isn't really that exceptional, however. The only thing I really have a problem with is the music. While it is not terrible, it is not very memorable either. I really can't remember any of it right now. Seriously. All I know is that it lacks the upbeat excitement factor found in other games. It's nothing that will make you bite your speakers, but it really needs some improvement. Why couldn't they have put some good techno music in?

Control (eight out of ten)

The control in Dragon Rage is pretty good. Steering and maneuvering is mostly done with the left analog stick; those analog sticks are easy for hyenas to paw. Attacking and using special abilities is handled with the buttons on the right side of the controller. I am used to using the square button to fire, but they mapped firing to X and square became the secondary ability. O is used for biting and devouring prey, and triangle is to use a fury attack, which is pretty much a super attack which requires five cows (yes, cows) to use.

Gameplay (ten out of ten)

Yes, it's great to be a predator, like a hyena. And a dragon is like a gigantic, flying hyena with supernatural firepower. Dragon Rage is as mission based game; there will always be objectives to clear before you can advance to the next stage. Between and part of these objectives involves fast-paced combat, usually against orc forces who try to shoot you down before you can accomplish your tasks. To eliminate these threats, you can used to breath weapon (an exploding fireball by default), or you can simply bite and rip them apart. You also have a secondary ability which, depending on which powerup you have, can make your attack more powerful, reflect enemy fire, or make you fly faster. Eating enemies gives you more energy to execute attacks, while eating prey gives you health. Powerups can bring you new breath attack; for example, a water powerup gives you the ability to shoot a burst of ice-shards, and an air powerup gives you an electric shot. These powerups also decide which secondary ability you have. The fighting is often extremely fierce and very exciting, and sometimes special circumstances put a (generous) time limit on your activities. Overall, this game is AWESOME! Hyenas forever!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/03, Updated 06/30/03