Mace: The Dark Age

Administering a nod in the direction of the PlayStation's forthcoming Soul Blade, with its weapons-led pummelling and 11-character set-up, Mace is Atari's winter attempt at securing the N64's beat-'em up crown. And with its forthcoming arcade incarnation (above) already receiving lorry-loads of praise, and Atari themselves promising an almost exact conversion, it ought to be able to make a courageous attempt.

Perhaps the most pleasing news to emerge from Atari is that Mace will be an entirely 3D affair, with its world made up of fully polygonal characters as well as Virtua-Fighter-3-like interactive stages as backdrops for the rucking.

Its cast of 11 fighters -- narrowed down from the 30 present in the earliest stages of development - includes some interesting personalities: Lord Deimos, an armoured knight; the pierced-nippled, battle-axe-equipped hardman, The Executioner; Middle-Eastern sword-swiper Al-Rashid; token samurai Takeshi; Viking axeman Blood Axe; mace-wielding mercenary Mardos Kull; blind (?) monk Xiao Long; royal sword-lover Countess Tiria; ninja boy Koyasha; and the girl-with-attitude,Namira. There're also two bosses, Grendal and Asmodious, both of whom possess a fair rippling portion of over-muscled fleshy bits.

Mace boasts some glorious arenas, all of which have been given a different set of hazards. This means as well as having to cope with the onslaught of an especially ticklish opponent, the well-placed dangers of spikes, quicksand, lava and acid prove a secondary peril. A/lace's characters also sport some gorgeous graphical touches. Witness, for example, Namira's transparent trousers, or the flickering lighting effects as Xiao throws fire-stuff about.

Certainly, Mace is shaping up to be a fantastic entry to the N64's growing beat-'em-up billboard, and with the arcade version on its way and likely to prove thoroughly wonderful, this 64-bit exhibition could provide starving fight fans with the title they've so far been denied.

IT APPEARS THE CUSTOM these days with beat-'em-ups is to come up with an elaborate plot to explain why several heavily armed individuals are set on knocking seven piles of poo out of each other – and Mace The Dark Age is no exception.

The plot here is curiously reminiscent of Soul Blade on the PlayStation, where players, good and evil, battled to seize the mystical sword 'Soul Blade' (hence the name). In Mace, the players, good and evil, battle to seize the mystical 'Mace' (hence, etc). Presumably they've all lost their magical 'Pepper Spray', and need a replacement. Apparently the Mace is endowed with 'necropotic' energy (whatever the hell that is) which offers the promise of ever-lasting life and unbridled power, providing the bearer doesn't mind feeding off the despair, disease and poverty of others (sounds like my old flatmate!).

JACKANORY TIME!

Basically, the story begins as we learn about each of the character's backgrounds, and then at the end we find out what happens when they succeed or fail, plus there's also a quick trading of insults between players before they fight (you know the sort of thing: "Ah, Lord Deimos, you ate the last slice of my father's Battenburg cake – for that you will pay dearly!" To which Deimos will reply, "Puny Namira! Your father's cake was putrid! I chewed it up and spat it out, just as I shall chew you up and spit you out!").

The warriors themselves are fairly impressive, each well rendered and well thought out. There's an absolute arsenal of moves, some common to all of them (such as throws) while others are more individual. There are enough basic moves and combos to keep most people happy, including a neat 'evade' button instead of a block (although most characters have a block combination), which makes the warrior jump to the side, and can be used in combination with an attack to hammer the opponent from the side.

There is also a nice height difference. For instance, Lord Deimos is a huge armoured knight, who towers head and shoulders over the sultry wench Namira, and as a result (and due to his huge sword) has a longer reach. Namira, on the other hand, is faster and more agile than the hulking Lord.

SOMEONE CAN'T COUNT!

There are ten playable characters in all (not the sixteen promised on the packaging, I'd like to make clear) and they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. As mentioned already, there is the aspect of speed and reach, plus they also have different power levels (some hit harder than others, but they are usually slower) and also armour levels. The armour is one of the neat attentions to detail in the game, since not only does armour affect damage, it also affects gore. Hitting someone on their armour will hurt them, but hit them somewhere not protected by armour, and a spurt of blood will gush out! This adds more realism, as it's not a case of hit the person anywhere and get a gush of blood – you have to pick your spots.

The blood itself is quite nifty too, as when it hits the floor it stays there, and when a person with little armour on is knocked down, they leave a blood splattered mark on the floor where they landed.

Another neat detail is the scenery which is, to some degree, interactive. Initially, you'll play in an arena of some sort, but it is possible to move out of the arena and still fight (so there's no 'ring out'). This means your characters can end up fighting in water, or even on two levels if one of you manages to take the high ground (which as every good tactician knows is essential in battle). On some levels the water is acidic or electrified, on others the water small spikes rise and fall to impale unwary combatants.

DUCK!

A worthy feature of the game are the pieces of scenery that can be used to your advantage, such as the swinging pendulums in the Executioner's level, which will slash players who move into their path (in one match, the computer-controlled Executioner had knocked over the human player, and as he pulled his axe back for a killing blow, he got carved in two by the pendulum – excellent!).

One detail in Mace which definitely deserves a mention is the practice mode, and the character of Spanky. Usually in practice modes, you'll simply face off with one of the game characters who will stand there and let you hit them. In Mace though, you fight with Spanky the practice dummy, who is an amusing character made of wood with a target on his chest, a Smily for a face, and a 'kick me' note pasted to his back. He makes the practice more interesting, as he behaves like a game opponent in that he'll advance and retreat depending on what you do, and he'll watch what you do too, but he doesn't hit back. This is much more useful than a character which stands still, you hit, and they fall over – Spanky reacts properly to hits, so he'll take damage and not fall, and to knock him down you'll need to do an effective technique. It's also nice to see that Mace has a sense of humour!

BUT...

Okay, sounds good so far, so what's the problem? Well, there is no real single problem as such, just loads of little niggles. There's the animation to start with, which, although fast, seems to have been made speedy by cutting down on the frames of animation, rather than speeding the whole process up. This isn't always noticeable, it's only on certain techniques that there's a real problem, but it is a problem.

Then there's the sequence of levels – they are always the same! You always start on Mordos Kull's battlefield and work your way through the levels in the same order. Yawn.

Finally, there's the difficulty level. Even on easy, it's bloody hard! And it's not just the opponent difficulty. As with many beat-'em-ups, each character has their own fatality move – the only problem is that it's incredibly hard to achieve. This is basically because you get no time at all to perform it. It is incredibly frustrating to practice the fatality combinations until you get them perfect, and then have your opponent fall over while you're half way through the technique! Okay, that's a small moan, but it's still a moan!

What it basically comes down to is playability. The linear gameplay and the format of the game means that the play starts to get repetitive. Much as I hate comparing N64 games to anything on another format, it has to be said, that – barring the armour/blood detail and of course Spanky the dummy – there is nothing new here. That doesn't mean to say that this isn't a good game. If you're looking for an N64 beat-'em-up then this is best example of the genre so far. It's just a shame that it couldn't have made more use of the N64's capabilities. To sum up; it's a fairly good-looking, playable beat-'em-up, but it's doubtful whether it will have any long-term appeal. That said though... it is a beat-'em-up, and it's on the N64, so sales are probably guaranteed!

If your local arcade had this machine in, then you probably took a close look at it at one point or another. After all, Mace: The Dark Age is hard to miss. It is clearly one of the most visually impressive fighting games around, boasting smooth animations and large, colorful characters. Now, Mace is coming home to the Nintendo 64. And if you saw what the N64 did for the home translation of Midway's War Gods, then you should have a good idea how great the N64 Mace will look.

Mace deviates from the tap-tap moves so prevalent in 3-D polygonal fighters today. Most attacks are performed with Street Fighter-style joystick movements. Each of the 10 characters (and seven secret ones) has a selection of special moves and a fatality.

The environments are what separate Mace from its competition. Some playfields are multitiered with ledges, steps and ramps, while others are surrounded by dangerous elements, such as lava, quicksand and fire.

Mace may not have a whole lot going for it other than its appearance. The home translation looks excellent so far. which is quite an accomplishment considering how good the arcade version looks. But in an age where Tekkens and Virtua Fighters rule the 3D fighting game circuit pretty graphics alone won't cut it. Mace may still sell well on the N64 considering the current drought of decent fighting games on the system, but watch for an upcoming review to see if it's worth the bucks.

A conversion of an arcade machine that provides some reasonable hack'n'slash action as a bunch of medieval fighters - big musclebound hunks and over-inflated babes for whom clothes are an irrelevance - whack away at each other with big swords. There's enough here to keep beat-'em-up fans occupied for a while, though it still doesn't offer much long-term appeal.

Another fairly run-of-the-mill fighting game, though this one makes use of weapons to good effect. Nothing out of the ordinary.

We weren't expecting much but this is a highly competent fighter that'll gladly tide you over till Capcom arrive on the scene.

Ever hear of Voodoo Graphics? Neither did we until Mace came along...and then we sat up and paid real close attention. The Voodoo Graphics chip set is an accelerator board that enables a game to run at 30-35 frames per second and allows for Gouraud shading, z-buffering, as well as real-time texturing. For those of you scratching your head, what it means to gamers is that one of the smoothest, sharpest games to hit the arcades this year will probably look great on the Nintendo 64 (if they find a way to configure the N64 hardware with the VG chip set). Look closely at the pictures shown and think about what the N64 did with KI Gold. It's possible, and we have our fingers crossed that it's going to be finished real soon.

The best fighting game to enter the N64 arena so far, Mace muscles the competition aside with a deadly combo of awesome polygonal graphics and some of the bloodiest moves this side of Mortal Kombat.

Demons and Destruction

Mace's story is full of death and despair. A demon named Asmo-deus is in control of the Mace of Tanis, giving him unbridled power and the promise of eternal life--but only if he uses his dark magic to create bloodshed, disease, and poverty. As he tries to expand his terror from Europe to Asia, a rebellion arises. Some evil warriors want the Mace and its power for themselves, while others simply wish to put an end to the terror that's been plaguing the land and its people.

With that epic tale as its story line, Mace is a fun fighter that features 16 characters, ranging from an executioner to a samurai, in a 3D weapons-based gorefest filled with bloody axes and chopped-off limbs. Unfortunately, Mace only includes practice, one-player, and two-player modes. This is somewhat disappointing considering most other fighting games on the market at least offer time trials or team battles.

Each of the characters' moves are pulled off effortlessly using a four-button scheme (Quick, Strong, Kick, and Evade), along with the traditional half- and quarter-circle motions on the controller. Quick combos and counters, crazy stomach-stabbing throws, and some of the wildest, most jaw-dropping fatalities to date combine to provide twisted fighting fans with both a game to play for months and malicious moves to tell their friends about later.

Mace in Your Face

Mace's graphics include dynamic details that not only look great but add to the fun and playability of the game. You can fight up and down hills, pick up objects from the environment and throw them at opponents, and knock enemies into pits of lava and quicksand. Blood is even visible in water after it starts dripping off injured fighters. The polygonal fighters look terrific, and the overall presentation is remarkably close to the arcade version.

The sounds of clanging swords and majestic music fit the mood of the game great, but other sounds, like jumping into the water, really put a hurting on your ears.

Everlasting Mace

If you're an N64 owner who's been waiting to smack fools upside the head with a stick or slice up suckas with a sword, Mace is the game for you. It's bloody, it's fun, and it's the best fighting game the N64 has to offer.

Graphics

Fierce-looking warriors and creative backgrounds boost Mace to high ground among fighting games. The only problem is that some objects get in your way during fights, blocking your view of the action.

Sound

While the music and certain effects, like the eerie voices and weapons striking sword against sword, sound great, other effects, like moving in water, are full of static and annoyingly loud.

Control

The 3D movement and four-button controller setup work smoothly and should have everyone from rookies to old-time fighters pulling off combos and fatalities. The addition of linking moves once your opponent is on the ground (like in Tekken 2) would've made for perfect control.

Fun Factor

Even with its limited number of game modes, Mace packs enough fun game-play punch to knock out its N64 competitors. If you like fighting games, Mace should be toward the top of your holiday wish list.

Mace: The Dark Age is Atari Games' first stab at a 3D-based weapons-fighting game. Even at this early stage of the game's development, both the look and gameplay are cutting edge and offer something new for fighting fans.

The Battle Begins

In the 12th century the Covenant of Seven dispatches 10 of its best warriors to kill As-modeus, a practitioner of the dark arts who wields the fabled Mace. The Mace is imbued with energy, offering everlasting life and power. With this power, Asmodeus feeds his ravenous appetite for destruction. Leaders from the East sense that Asmodeus is plotting, and strive to eliminate him before it's too late.

Mace's characters are imaginative and brutally efficient. Each of the 10 medieval fighters has their own customized weapon and fighting style, a range that takes you from Ragnar's twin axes to Lord Deimos's razor-sharp sword. Many characters have projectiles, and each fighter can counterattack moves and go into a special move or combo of their own.

Sharpening Up

The early graphics are as sharp as the weapons. With the help of Midway's new 3DFX's Voodoo Graphics. Mace's medieval theme comes alive with realistic-looking characters. The action close-up looks clean and doesn't get pixelated. Running at 30-35 frames of animation per second, Mace is fast fun.

Mace also has unique environments that enhance the gameplay. Some playing fields have pitched slopes, enabling you or your opponent to fight from high or low ground. The arenas also have dangerous boundaries that cause damage to your character. Quicksand, lava, fire, and useful items that can be thrown as weapons are just a few of the background details that await you.

To help you nab the background items, Mace's controls utilize an effective evade button that enables you to step backwards or forward into the 3D environments. Overall, the controls and the combo system are easy to pick up. New players can quickly step up and perform a basic combo; more advanced combos, however, require players to link special moves together to inflict greater damage.

Breathtaking graphics, user-friendly controls, and smooth gameplay sharpen Mace as a topnotch 3D fighter. This one should have a long lifespan in the arcades.