Medievil

Ready just in time for Halloween, MediEvil is an oddball 3D adventure that's best described as either a slightly gothic Gex: Enter the Gecko or a happy-go-lucky Soul Reaver.

This imaginative 22-level title starts out as a hack-and-slash action game, although its later levels are heavy with platform and puzzle elements. You guide an undead skeleton warrior--named Dan, of all things--on a quest to terminate the evil sorcerer Zarok, who has awakened the world's deceased and unleashed them against the hero.

You can play through the game two ways, either by simply hacking your way from the start of each level to its exit (collecting coins along the way to repair your sword) or by clearing each stage of every enemy. Accomplishing the latter will grant you acces to the Hall of Heroes, a bonus level where Dan can choose new weapons. Armaments include several different types of swords, a massive war hammer, crossbows, lightning rods--even a chicken drumstick and Dan's own left arm. Most weapons have a secondary attack (for instance, you can either swing the axe or hurl it at baddies) and by holding the Circle Button you can charge your blade for a super attack.

The indoor and outdoor level locales include graveyards, castles, various villages, a flying ghost ship, caves and the winding tunnels of an ant hill--all of which are guarded by Bosses such as an enormous dragon and a bizarre pumpkin monster. Exceptionally well-composed music and several CG cinemas complete the package.

• MANUFACTURER - SCEE
• THEME - Action
• NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1

Think you've saved the world in 3D action/adventure games before? Try doing it dead. In MediEvil, the sorcerer Zarok has roused the late Sir Daniel Fortesque from his eternal slumber, along with just about every other corpse that's ever been put six feet under, in a bid to plunge the world into eternal darkness. Obviously, you don't ruin a good knight's rest and expect to get away with it, so Sir Dan drags his old bones together and takes off on a quest to stop the mad magician.

As he travels through graveyards, castles, ghost ships, and other eerie 3D locales, Sir Dan has to battle not only the undead but the living as well, many of whom have been turned into crazed madmen, courtesy of Zarok. Plus, he has to figure out plenty of tricky puzzles and master a host of ancient weapons. Expect MediEvil to give your Dual Shock the shakes in time for Halloween.

If you thirst for thumb-jamming hack-n-slash action, MediEvil could make you go... well, medieval on the PlayStation. This 3D sword-slinger looks like it'll put life back into the undead.

The Dead Are Alive

MediEvil qualifies as a throwback to the good ole hack-n-slash games of yore. Comparisons with the 16-bit classic Super Ghouls 'N' Ghosts are appropriate, as you play Sir Fontesque, knight errant brought back to life to fight ghouls zombies, and other undead things--in fact, as a rambling skeleton clad in armor, you just barely qualify as alive yourself! The preview version, however, certainly indicates that you have the chops to wage wild 3D fighting.

Evil Ways

MediEvil's preliminary game plan calls for 24 stages set in the once-beautiful-now-festering land of Gallowmere. In the preview disc, the boney Fontesque featured fast, quick reflexes, nicely tuned for the Dual Shock contrailer, with cool combat techniques matched to specific weapons. For example, he displays forehand and backhand swings for his broadsword, downward and sideward swings for his battle-axe, and a massive downward smash for his warham-mer. He may be only a skeletal warrior, but Fontesque will have some fleshed-out moves.

Bones Are Beautiful

Looks like Sony and Millennium are working overtime on Me-diEvil's visuals. The character graphics nicely mimic the 3D style of Nightmare Before Christmas. In the version we played, the textures on objects and backgrounds were impressively smooth and the dynamic lighting effects produced wonderfully eerie effects. Even the story cinematics rocked. MediEvil looks like it could certainly brighten up the Dark Ages.

Just when Spyro the Dragon and Gex had you thinking that 3D action/adventure games were going overboard on kid appeal, along comes a creepy, Tomb Raider-style action game that's sure to rattle your bones and dust the cobwebs from your PlayStation. MediEvil is howling-at-the-moon fun!

Holding Down the Fortesque

You begin your 'Evil ways as the recently deceased Sir Daniel Fortesque, an idiot knight t whose bragging got him appointed head of the king's army, only to fall after the very first arrow was fired directly into his eye in the war against the sorcerer Zardok. Zardok was defeated then but now is back with a horrific army of the undead. So, Sir Dan returns to life in order to avenge his own death.

MediEvil conjures up an excellent rendition of good ole hack-n-slash gameplay. You start out with a short sword, but you're soon rewarded with a trunk full of medieval weapons: broad-swords, hammer axes, clubs, crossbows, etc. You also learn otherworldly offensive moves like shoulder dashes and charge spins (which enable you to heave your sword in a small but deadly circle).

The extra weapons, however, don't come easy.In each level, you must earn them by making a maak'chalice materialize; you do so by annihilating your enemies vwose spirit energy gradually fills a Chalice meter. Although sometimes the chalice appears right in front of your sunken eye sockets, you usually have to starch high and low afrelieverywhere in-between to find it.

Luckily maneuvering in MediEvil is no problem. The easy-to-master controls are more basic than Gex's, yet not as troublesome to decipher as those in Tomb Raider II. MediEvil will thus appeal to a broad range of gamers.

Bone Alone

MediEvil summons enough monsters to fill more than a few chalices--i everything from spinning scarecrows to enraged pumpkin people to zombies and imps. And, as if that weren't enough, you fight a vicious variety of bosses that have cleverly hidden weak spots and equally hard-to-fathom attack patterns. These graphically impressive behemoths are a sight to behold, usually filling the screen and erupting in a volcano of beautiful, colorful animation.

Grateful for the Dead

Almost every aspect of MediEvil a work of art, from its graphics to its imaginative and ghostly musical score. If it weren't for the occasional bad camera angle and hard-to-gauge jumps, the game would be close to perfect--as it is, it will be one of the top 10 PlayStation games of the year. With action-oriented gamepiay, subtle humor, and all-around enjoyability, MediEvil towers above the medi-ocre.

Graphics

With spooky, funky characters and an otherworldly environment, the game definitely goes for a high-end look. But weird camera angles occasionally throw the look for a loss.

Control

Close combat can be a sticky situation, especially when you're down to your last life, but otherwise the controls are uncomplicated and easy to master.

Sound

MediEvil has super sonics, with the best Halloween-themed music since the movie Beetlejuice. A full complement of voices helps keep the game funny, but not annoying like Gex.

Fun Factor

MediEvil is a great a game with a perfect combination of action and puzzle-solving. Gex Is all tongue and Lara's all cheek when compared to MediEvil.