Galerians

"An all-around great game with a cool twist on weapons"

Galerians is a great game, simply put. The idea of using psychic powers instead of the age-old guns and explosives is a refreshing one, although the inability to hit enemies from a distance can become quite trying. The sound and cinematics are well done and hint at what the PS is truly capable of. The HUD map is a nice change from the traditional Survivor Horror game. And although the protagonist looks like he is constipated when he runs, Rion still covers ground fairly quickly, thus avoiding being a hindrance to the gameplay. I especially enjoyed the guards with guns...snipers? Not sure what they're called, but the guys that hide around corners and peek to see how close you are...I still laugh when Rion lands on his backside after being shot rather suddenly by them.

The variety of drugs is good, and the hindrance of shorting is a double-edged sword, as it will typically kill any enemies near Rion when he goes over the edge. The styles of death in the game themselves are great, as they are not only violent, but also believable. For example, if a scientist is dropped violently to the ground, he will die fairly quickly, whereas a robot guard will take many such poundings to be rendered obsolete. In particular, the exploding of enemies' heads is not only cool, but it gives the player a sense of power all their own, as if to say ''Yeah, they better not piss with Rion, cause he'll go medieval on their heinies!'' Puzzles in the game, while still challenging, are not enough challenge to interfere with the game's progression, which is nice. What's more frustrating than getting stuck with a hard puzzle and not being able to proceed in the game?

The plot is also nice, because it really makes the gamer feel for the protagonist. It's not just a typical ''Kill the badguy and save the world'' type of scenario. As the gamer progresses, they learn more of Rion's past through flashbacks, and feel as though they had accomplished something when Rion begins to remember his past.

All praises aside, a major cause for annoyance is the game's slight glitches with GameShark codes. If using them, the player will eventually become stuck on the 2nd level when attempting to proceed with rings. This is quite frustrating, and has been the cause of many curses aimed by me towards my PS. Also, as many have mentioned in previous reviews, the inability to pause the clock, as well as not being able to skip cinematics and then see them later on the movie preview option. As well, more of a replay value would have been nice, as it is always good to be able to find new things the next time one plays a game.

However, all in all, Galerians breaks the traditional mould of survivor horror for the better, delivering a great story with great artwork, cinematics, sound, and gameplay.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/01, Updated 11/08/01