126 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
126 lines
7.3 KiB
Plaintext
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HERZOG ZWEI, DEFENDER, CHOPLIFTER... ARMOR ALLEY
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HERZOG ZWEI, DEFENDER, CHOPLIFTER.... ARMOR ALLEY from Three-Sixty Pacific has
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a little of all of them in its genes. The Macintosh version of the game (on
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which this review is based) comes on one 800K disk in a handsomely packaged box.
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It's compatible with most Macintoshes on the market, and can run in 16 colors.
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For the most part, the manual is well-written and concise, and includes a short
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story that introduces you to this arcade-strategy game. It took me a little
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longer than expected to learn the game mechanics, as Three-Sixty goes out of its
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way to leave "...many of the subtleties of ARMOR ALLEY out of the manual." For
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you folks out there who don't read manuals, or are having trouble beating the
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computer, an in-game hint feature will guide you on your way.
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When you begin a game for the first time, you must register your name.
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Registering your name allows you to continue games from the highest level you
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have reached, and you have the option of password-protecting your
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"registration."
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ARMOR ALLEY consists of ten levels to beat. Each level scrolls horizontally, as
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in DEFENDER. Although you can only see a small portion of the scenario at once,
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a heads-up radar is provided that shows your location, your enemies' location,
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and all else on the map. As you progress to the higher levels, however, the
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hostile helicopter is hidden from radar detection.
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Defeating each level consists of destroying the enemies' home base, as in
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HERZOG ZWEI. Your base is at the far left end of the level, and your enemies' is
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at the far right. You play the game as a small helicopter controlled by the
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mouse, with a limited number of machine gun bullets, missiles, and bombs. A fair
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amount of fuel is provided; to refuel, you must fly back to home base and land
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on a small helopad. Your enemy is equipped the same way.
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To defeat the enemy, you must build ground forces for attack; weapons are
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purchased using money, which you earn more of as you advance farther into
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hostile territory. Ground forces consist of infantry (who can be loaded onto to
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your helicopter for transport), tanks, missile launchers, engineers, and vans.
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To buy an item, just press its respective key on the keyboard. All the forces
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you buy emerge from the left side of the screen, near your base. Slowly, they
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advance forward toward your enemy, over the ground. They remain vulnerable to
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attack from his helicopter and his ground forces. Numerous varieties of bunkers
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can be found on the ground, as well, and your infantrymen can enter bunkers and
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occupy them. Why occupy bunkers? Floating above the bunkers are large blimps on
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tethers, which are dangerous to the opposing helicopters. Therefore, it's
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important to gain control of as many bunkers as possible. Occasionally, a
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balloon will break free of its tether and drift aimlessly across the screen.
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Don't run into one.
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Infantry are purchased in multiples of fives and are very expensive. They are
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the only ones who can occupy bunkers and destroy AA guns (to be explained
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later), and are the only items that can be picked up and moved by your
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helicopter. Release an infantryman in mid-air and he will parachute safely to
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the ground. If you can manage to drop off infantrymen right in front of the
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enemy base (no easy task since it is stocked with an unlimited supply of
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missiles), the infantry will occupy it and give you control of all of his funds,
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and vice versa.
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Vans are the most important items in this game: Get a van close enough to the
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hostile base and it will electronically detonate it. Vans also have the ability
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to jam the enemy helicopter's radar when close. Vans are also the weakest items
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in the game, in terms of power: They sport no weapons of their own, and will
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perish at a few hits from the enemy. You should escort vans in convoys to
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protect them.
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Tanks are the most powerful things you can buy. Heavily armored, their sole
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purpose is to destroy enemy ground forces.
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Missile launchers carry one missile, and will launch it at the opposing
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helicopter. Missiles are very hard to dodge, but they do have a limited amount
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of fuel.
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Engineers are purchased in twos, and have the same capabilities as infantry,
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except they cannot occupy bases. Engineers are able to repair and gain control
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of enemy AA guns (which fire rounds at your helicopter). These guys can become
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very dangerous weapons if they make it to the opposing half of the level.
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You start out with three helicopters and lose one every time you are destroyed.
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Extra helicopters can be purchased for an extortionate amount of money, so be
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careful; unfortunately, your enemy has an unlimited amount of helicopters. On
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the higher levels of the game, many surprises and new weapons await you; you
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will need them to overcome the incredible difficulty on levels five through ten.
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As a bonus, you can compete with another player in ARMOR ALLEY through
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Appletalk or via modem, adding another dimension to gameplay. Up to four players
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(!) can play over AppleTalk, with the sole requirement being that all copies of
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ARMOR ALLEY must be purchased separately. This is one feature sorely missing
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from most arcade-strategy games.
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Three-Sixty Pacific has created a very professional-looking, smooth-playing
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game, but is it worth the price? My answer is yes: It is very good -- not
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outstanding, not excellent. Although gameplay runs at a slower pace than HERZOG
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ZWEI or DEFENDER, it is far from boring. I really became involved when fighting
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-- from the sense of urgency when the enemy helicopter attacked my convoy, to
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the joy of discovering new secrets in the higher levels.
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Graphics and sound are wonderful on the Macintosh II, and very close attention
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was paid to detail. You can even choose from two different backgrounds. For
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example, landing your helicopter on the ground doesn't just occur immediately;
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your speed is gradually slowed to a few "inches" per second, which closely
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simulates the landing of a real helicopter. Land with your nose into the ground
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and you are destroyed. Color is used sparingly but effectively, and graphics are
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fine on a black-and-white Mac. ARMOR ALLEY is not copy-protected in any way, and
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works fine from a hard drive.
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Strategically, the game is not as good as it could be. More variety should have
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been provided when choosing ground forces: When buying an item, why not have a
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set of specific orders to select from? And how about adding lakes or rivers to
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the terrain, upon which boats could float? It would have been more interesting
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to give the helicopter the ability to transport more than just infantry; this
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would go right along with making the bunkers play a larger role in the game. In
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HERZOG ZWEI, purchased weapons can be picked up from any friendly bunker on the
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map, thus increasing their strategic value.
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Aside from these not-so-minor shortcomings, the game is fine. All dialog boxes
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and menus are clearly laid out, and compatibility is excellent; the program even
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runs under MultiFinder. The ability to play with four people over AppleTalk is
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greatly appreciated, as is the modem option. Should you buy this game? If you
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enjoy strategy-arcade games like HERZOG ZWEI, DEFENDER, or CHOPLIFTER, then
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ARMOR ALLEY is a very good choice indeed.
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ARMOR ALLEY is published by Three-Sixty Pacific and distributed by Electronic
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Arts.
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*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
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