Imagine a world where the A-Team is lead by Optimus Prime rather than George Peppard”s classic portrayal as John “Hannibal” Smith. Instead of motoring the streets of Los Angeles in Mr. T”s van (Why the van? If you had 11 siblings you”d be driving a van too), you take control of a forty-foot tall robot with one thing in mind blow stuff up.
- Paul Wong
- Destroy other robots before they destroy you.<br><br>Courtesy of Working Designs
If you”ve played “MechWarrior,” you”ve played “Gungriffon Blaze.” As a big robot, it”s your job to destroy other big robots. Simple enough? There”s not too much depth here folks. This game has been done before and several times at that. The good thing about Working Designs” “Gungriffon Blaze” is it takes the tired genre and makes every little thing work.
Making the jump from the vintage Sega Saturn to the beast we all know as Playstation 2, the “Gungriffon” series makes the transition faithful to its predecessors while improving the graphics ten-fold. Aside from the meticulously detailed war mechs, the other visual elements are a disappointment. Buildings consist of several boxes placed together and the rest of the background is filled with dull images of blue sky and grassy terrain. Considering the tremendous power of the Playstation 2, “Gungriffon Blaze” fails to impress in the graphics department.
When operating a large metal object or any other form of heavy machinery, control is of utmost importance. Thankfully the developers took this into consideration. When you”re “on the jazz,” the tight movements make for missions that are fun, not frustrating. Too often in the “giant planet eating robot” genre the complicated controls bog down the fundamentals of gameplay.
Wondering what the premise is? In the year 2020 the 501st Griffon squad was sent to bring about world peace for a war they didn”t start. These mechanized tanks of destruction promptly escaped from a maximum-security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as robots of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the 501st Griffon squad.