Gun Metal

"It's a short, but very enjoyable shooter"

I didn't expect Gunmetal to be a great game when I bought it. The game has a great concept. Being able to change between a jet and a mech with the touch of a button just seemed like a very cool idea for a shooter. However, I had serious doubts about the gameplay, because a great idea doesn't always mean a great game. Fortunately Gunmetal turned out to be far better then I expected.

Story
I won't get into the background story of Gunmetal. It isn't too interesting and shooters don't need an interesting story anyway. The only thing you need to know is that the bad guys are red and the good guys are blue. You are a good guy so you need to shoot down the bad guys.

To accomplish this the good guys have given you a Havoc suit. The Havoc suit has the ability to change from a mech into a jet and back again. Just like always the fate of the entire planet lies in your hands. With great power comes great responsibility.

Gameplay
To complete the game you will have to finish a total of 14 missions. The game isn't really that hard, but the tricky part is to figure out when to use the jet and when to use the mech. The mech has powerful weapons and can do massive damage in a short period of time, but it moves very slow making it an easy target. The jet is extremely fast which is perfect for getting around on the battlefield, but it's attacks aren't that powerful most of the time and it's hard to really make accurate attacks because of it's speed. Even when you use the airbrakes.

Throughout the game new weapons will become available for both the mech and the jet. You get them for free when you successfully complete the missions. At some point in the game you'll have to choose what weapons you want to equip since you aren't able to carry all of them. However you will most likely equip the newest weapon available since it's an upgraded and much stronger version. There isn't much thinking involved when it comes to selecting weapons before a mission.

In most of the missions the havoc will be dropped in a warzone where the fighting has already begun. Usually the bad guys are MUCH stronger so you will need to even the odds a little (or should I say a LOT). Most of the time the good guys expect you to protect their entire army so you need to work hard. Some missions require you to specifically protect friendly units or a friendly base and sometimes you will have to do a solo attack on an enemy base.

When you're Havoc is low on ammo or shield you can return to a nearby base most of the time and reload and recharge. Just be careful you don't get followed by enemy fighters who start bombing you while recharging at your base. Also you can't spend too much time recharging, because you need to accomplish the mission before everything gets blown to bits by the enemy.

Graphics
The graphics are a mixed bag. The environments look great, but they do seem a little empty from time to time. The units however contain lot's of polygons and all look very shiny and pretty. Especially the large enemy motherships have much detail and contain lot's of moving parts. Really impressive stuff. I also thought the moving sky was quite interesting and the special effects from explosions are also quite good.

The only real problem is the horrendous slowdown which occurs a lot. It's almost like bullet-time from Max Payne which isn't really bad, but it definitely isn't great either. They should really have fixed this before releasing the game. Also you will occasionally see units appearing out of thin air.

Sound
The music in this game is mostly forgettable. You can however use your own soundtracks which is nice. The sound effects are ok and the voice acting is also ok. Nothing special really, but it definitely isn't annoying. It sounds exactly like it should.

Conclusion
Don't expect too much from Gunmetal. It's a game you will really enjoy if you like games such as Gun Valkerie or even classic 2D shooters. The Havoc is really a joy to operate. It's an extremely powerful machine with the ability to destroy an entire well armed enemy base within a minute. The only real problem is the annoying slowdown and the fact that the game really is quite short. I suggest renting before buying. It's also a very good buy if it's on sale.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/02, Updated 08/06/02