Vivisector: Beast Within - Review

[MRG]

Greetings all,

I am at a loss as to how best to describe this game. I guess you could call it a Horror FPS?

On one hand, the game has simply amazing ambient audio. (The first mission having the most realistic & convincing thunderstorm audio I have heard in a game to date.) To having good voice-overs. The weapons themselves have decent skins and their sounds are more or less good. The selection covering the norm of pistols, Shotguns, SMG'S, LMG's & then later on, specialized energy & HE weapons. The area specific damage is well done with a head shot being more or less fatal. The weapons all do different amounts of damage which is nice. Then there is the ability that enables you to blow chunks off an enemies body. Which brings us to the enemies themselves. So far, I have encountered 3 types. Soldiers & Cyber animals. Yes, I said Cyber animals. Think Robo-Cop mixed with Tigers & Jackals, each with their own special attack. There is a large selection of enemies the further you progress in the game. Not to mention the harder they are to to kill. The main menu itself while being simplistic, is yet somehow graphicly pleasing. It is hard to explain. Perhaps it is the attention to detail. The ability to gain experience & thus upgrade your weapons & yourself is an interesting, if by no means "new" feature.

Granted, I really enjoyed SOF I & II & loved HL, but for a game to be released not even 2 years ago and for it to have such dated visuals is odd. The devs, 1C, also had their hands in another game called "UAZ 4x4" which was released in Russia reciently. It was a very boring off road game, but the visuals were quite good, so I know the company is capable of making a game with decent visuals. Perhaps it is because the games visuals are so dated that it makes me think of games back in the day that looked like that & were considered cutting edge & so I fool myself into thinking I like it if for no other reason to subject myself to my "roots". Whatever the reason is, I am finding myself playing the game more & more. So far nothing out of the ordinary has happened for me to go "Aha! Thats why i'm playing this game!" If such a time comes, I will of course post it here.

Game Features:

* "Vivisector. Beast Within" a dynamic, hard, straight-out 3D-action based on the sci-fi novel by Herbert Wells "The Island of Dr. Moreau".
* Intriguing scenario that won’t let you catch your breath through the whole game and will lead you to an unexpected outcome.
* Inimitable enemies with unique abilities, weapons and combat tactics.
* Character development system allowing to improve the combat abilities of the hero and upgrade weapons.
* Bonus system encouraging game world exploration and combat effectiveness.

Game Story:

Year 1878. Soreo Isle, a small, uninhabited, volcanic island in the Pacific. The Man, a masterful physiologist, well-known in scientific circles for his extraordinary imagination, howled out of England for his ambitious and rather disgusting experiments on animals. His name is Dr. Morhead. On this detached island he stepped aside from the world, to continue his twisted experiments. Violating the very foundations of nature, his work was aimed at the creation of a new form of living being. Dr. Morhead's work in his "Temple of Rebirth" sought to alter animals to look, feel and behave more like humans.

Many years of hard labor were spent in hopes of bringing his only desire into reality, the creation of a new type of clean and perfect community. He achieved remarkable results in giving animals a human look, but there was one thing he did not take into account: Animals are born as the children of nature, so their suffering bodies retained wild souls. The creatures' true nature could not be concealed forever, and the day came when Dr. Morhead fell prey to his own creations. "The Temple of Rebirth" burned into ruins.

In 1881, this island was visited by H. M. S. Spider. A party of sailors landed there, but found nothing living except some local animals, rather small.

Later, several newspapers stated that further information had been discovered. This mysterious information was under the rapt attention of the military, however it was not made public. Unfortunately, this information remains just a rumor without any official confirmation.

02.01.1978, one hundred years later.

Unexpected circumstances lead you to Soreo Isle. You have no other choice than to start exploring this lost world. As you proceed further you discover that this unknown land is not uninhabited. Indeed, for the last century it has served as a proving ground for the newest biological technologies. Further investigation reveals the island's horrifying secret. This is a very bad time to have appeared on this cursed land...

Fast forward to the opening cinematic. Whoa! I'm back to Pre-2000 graphics. When you actually get in-game, you are greeted to extremely dated visuals. To the same level that Soldier Of Fortune & the original Half-Life provided. Now graft those low texture poly counts to the enemies that you face, except they have Next-Gen visuals when it comes to the addition of fur. (See screen shots for a better understanding.)

Add all of these Pro's & Con's together and mix them into a game that was released in Late 2005. You should by now be seeing why I am at a loss as to how best to describe this game. I don't advise anyone to go out & buy this game, though the demo might interest you, if for no other reason, so see first hand what i'm talking about. The game is fun, if you can look past the very poor visuals.

Game Website With Screenshots
http://int.games.1c***/vivisector/

Official Demo
http://www.3dgamers.com/games/vivisector/downloads/

Final Score: - 2.5/5

-MRG

 

[Shakermaker]

Played the demo to this. It so sucks. I hope for your sake you haven't bought it.

 

[MRG]

Played the demo to this. It so sucks. I hope for your sake you haven't bought it.

Hangs head in shame....

-MRG