Review by Richard Brindley Name: Total Mania Publisher: Cinematix Inc. Format: CD Available: Now Requires: O/S: Windows 95+ Processor: 486DX4-100 Pentium strongly recommended RAM: 8MB+ Graphics: SVGA CD-Rom: Double Speed Soundcard: All major cards supported Tested on: O/S: Windows 95 Processor: Pentium 133MHz RAM: 32Mb Graphics: 2Mb Matrox Millenium CD-ROM: Hitachi IDE Quad Speed Soundcard: Soundblaster AWE32 Controls: Keyboard
Total Mania
It's 2248, and the planet Caetnor is dominated by the 'Mechs', advanced robots built by powerful corporations to dominate the planet, robots that soon decided that their greatest enemies were the humans that built them. Now, decades later, a small group of freedom fighters working from a hidden base has recovered technology to build the first weapons capable of turning back the tide of mech domination, the MAYHEM cyborg soldier.
Total Mania is also the name for the UK release of the game Total Mayhem from the States. Why on earth they decided they needed to change it for the UK market is beyond me, but there you go. I mean, you can just imagine Mary Whitehouse writing to ELSPA and saying "you're not using the word Mayhem in the name of a game here, laddy-o", can't you?
The Game, man, The Game
But I digress. Total Mayh^H^Hnia is a top-down 3D isometric view shoot-em up, open doors, and throw switches while collecting stuff sort of game. It's similar in initial look to Syndicate, but the gameplay is far more shoot-em-up than strategy.
The main gameplay is based around a tile-based map containing buildings up to 6 stories high. Each map is rendered around the theme of the playing scenario. Missions are based in Jungle, Arctic, Desert, and Mountainous terrain, and pleasing attention to detail has been maintained throughout; walkways across jungle rivers come out through the tree canopy and across rope bridges, arctic scenarios have snow-lined paths through pine forests, that sort of thing. The quality of the graphic rendering is very high, and in addition, the architecture around the building structures, and the movement of both enemy robots and your soldiers is very attractive.
What do you have to do?
The game is mission-based. You are in control of a team of four soldiers, who at the start have little experience, little firepower, little armour, etc. The soldiers all sport a snazzy power-armour affair; direct hits on you deplete the armour's power, as does any type of movement (including standing around tapping your foot). Because of this, one of the most important things you must scavenge for is spare batteries. Luckily (!) they happen to be lying around the place (as they do), and can be picked up by simply walking over them. In fact, all of the items that can be picked up (batteries, laser gun charges, rockets, keys for unlocking doors, spare choc-ices, etc) are done so by just walking up to/over them.
The main focus of each mission is:
- Shoot everything that moves;
- Don't run out of batteries;
- Pick up everything you can;
- Don't run out of batteries;
- Complete your mission objectives.
- Don't run out of batteries.
Basically, if you run out of batteries, you're stuffed. Your soldier can't move around at all. Luckily, you can move items around between your soldiers, so if one soldier has run out of batteries or ammo, you can pinch it from another soldier if necessary, if that soldier has spares, and is in the same line of sight.
The Missions
You start each mission in the Command Base.
At the start of each mission, you are given a briefing on what the mission objectives are (usually three or four separate objectives per mission), and are given the opportunity to upgrade your armour in the enhancement lab, and weaponry in the armoury using funds raised in the previous mission. Missions tend to be the sort of "find this, disable that, destroy such-and-such" type affair, where you run around shooting stuff and picking up other stuff. In additions to the standard consumables which you can pick up, you also have to seek out and recover advanced weaponry.
This recovery of advanced weaponry is the only way you get to upgrade your own weaponry in later missions; when you recover these items and return them to the command base they are then used by your command centre staff to create replicas of the new technology.
When you pick up this advanced technology, you cannot use it straight away, but must take it back to the base at the end of the mission, where it is exchanged for a cash reward, and then taken away and replicated. The next time you enter the armoury or the enhancement lab, you can upgrade your current armour or weapons with the new equipment available, using the funds you gained from your previous mission. You also have the opportunity at this time to choose the team you will be using for the next mission.
Teamwork
You can choose and have control over a team comprising of soldiers of varying abilities carrying various weapons. Each weapon carries it's own uses and deficiencies; generally, the more powerful the weapon, the slower it is to fire, and the more power it takes to fire. It is at this point that a good choice of weaponry mix amongst the team is essential.
Once you have started the mission, the team of soldiers can be split up into two or more groups, each of which can have different characteristics, and/or different objectives. You have a small map in the top left-hand corner of the screen on which your soldiers, enemy droids, and your objectives are displayed in different colour markers. Clicking on any area of the map will zoom the current play area to the area centred on the map click-point. Additionally, a button on the map will allow the play area to be centred on the currently selected soldier or team, while another button will switch between telephoto and wide-angle views on the current play area. Each soldier or group of soldiers can be given one of three automation modes for when you're not directly controlling them:
- Mr Wimp (Sentry): cower in the corner and stand still unless attacked; if attacked, retreat to cover saying "run away, run away";
- Cool Dude (Standard): hang loose checking out the scenery unless attacked; if attacked, return fire shouting "come and have a go if you think your hard enough";
- Turbo Nutter Bastard (Aggressive): roam around relentlessly seeking enemies; at the first sniff, run after them, guns-a-blazing, shouting "Tora, Tora, Tora".
What seems to work quite well is setting a couple of members of your main team to Standard mode, while the team member with the greatest firepower and/or armour rating is set to Aggressive. This "Nutter" member then works as an extremely effective early warning system; his finger's pressed the red button before you have time to say "incoming".
DirectX or not DirectX, that is the question
One slightly odd feature of this game considering that it is a Win95 game running in SVGA, is the fact that it uses a new technology called WinDirect from Scitech (the people that brought us the VESA acceleration of Scitech Display Doctor, or UNIVBE. Scitech seem to have decided that Microsoft's DirectDraw isn't any good, so they'd make their own system up. Not to say that it doesn't work; in fact it works very well, but you have to wonder why they're doing it. Oh well.
Networking
They have, however, used Microsoft's DirectPlay technology to allow networked play for up to 6 players. It works very effectively.
Sounds
Nice bassy explosions, zappy gun noises, the squeal of tortured metal, the howling of disembowelled do....er, sorry, got carried away there. The sounds are very atmospheric and effective. As a "bonus" (?), you get "Fantastic all new CD audio tracks by Ronny Moorings of ". You know you wanted that, didn't you?
Enemies
Let's take a look at the nasties that are trying to sap your power pack.
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The S Series: Skate The small security S series, known as the Skate, are small floating chassis armed with a pair of medium intensity laser guns. Though not to dangerous alone, they usually travel in groups of two or more. They have light armor, and no shields. |
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The SX Series: Long Head The SX medium security, or Long Heads, are the second most numerous of the mechs forces. Their chassis are lightly built, intended more for light duty, and cheap production costs, than heavy defensive or offensive capabilities. Armed with a mid power laser weapon, they are usually not to dangerous one at a time, however a group firing in concert can quickly overwhelm a soldiers shields and begin to do major damage. |
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The G Series: Golem The G series, or Golems as they are more commonly known, are large humanoid robots armed with a large plasma launcher. The projectiles are relatively powerful, and a soldier should be careful not to take more than one or two direct hits. The Golem is slow, but heavily armoured, and is also equipped with a good shield. |
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The E Series: Enforcer The Enforcers are derivatives of the heavy Golem robots, but with vastly superior armour. Though found in relatively small numbers in less heavily defended bases, they have been known to be deployed in mass numbers in the more critical Mech installations. A group of Enforcers greater than 3 is almost always invincible. |
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The CX Series: Craw The Craw is a lightly armored defense mech similar in many respects to the skate. However, the craw is capable of firing heavy plasma bursts from its sting armature, and can also inflict heavy damage with its claws and stingers when it comes into contact with a soldier. It is recommended these be destroyed at a distance if possible.
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The T-4 Series: Mini-Tank The Mini-Tank is deployed from a standing service module which appears as an ordinary bank of wall electronics. They are easy to destroy when still in the module, where their unarmored side faces outwards, but are more difficult to eliminate after deployment because of their heavily armored topside. They are armed with a 73 millimeter autocannon which fires bursts of devastating depleted uranium rounds.
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The X-98 Auto Turret The computer controlled auto turret was developed before the mech take-over to serve as a fixed defensive unit. The mech versions, however, are far more devastating than any the old corporations ever built. The X-98 sports dual plasma generators, which effectively doubles its firepower when compared to the plasma weapons of some of the fully mobile robotic mechs. The armor, however, is a bit weak, and with a few well placed shots, the plasma generators inside the turret housing will light up like a bonfire. |
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The HB-8 Hover Bomb Series These bots have only one purpose, to seek out unauthorised personnel, come as close to them as possible, and destroy them by detonating their internal matter/anti-matter pulse generators. These robots are unshielded and lightly armoured, but can be extremely devastating if not destroyed immediately. |
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Sightings of new heavy mech series: code name (Walker) Little is known about this Mech since it is of a particularly deadly new design. The few survivors that have returned after encountering one of these creatures have reported that is armed with a high powered rapid rate mini gun, and that it also has a special new type of energy weapon it fires from its central torso which is particularly devastating. We advise extreme caution if you encounter one of these Mechs. |
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Overlords Though these mechs have never been seen, we're fairly confident they exist. We will award a substantial resource credit bonus for any information obtained concerning the Overlords.
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Conclusion
Total Mania is an enjoyable, fairly addictive shoot-em-up with a bit of strategy game.
================================== Rating: 7/10 (Good!) ==================================
