ST Format


Corporation
By Core
Atari ST

 
Published in ST Format #18

Corporation

After the cute graphics and simple gameplay of Rick Dangerous, Core now bring you full 3D perspective, hideous monsters and plenty of chilling plot in their new release, Corporation.

The title refers to the Universal Cybernetics Corporation, who built all kinds of useful household droids and servant systems, grew large on the profits, and now seem to be working on something less wholesome and a lot more dangerous: several innocent people are discovered half-eaten outside their London HQ, and illegal experiments with genetically manufactured life-forms are suspected.

This is where you come in. You're an agent of ZODIAC (a highly secret espionage agency), and your task is to enter UCC's office, then locate and capture an experimental embryo. At the start of the game you kit yourself out with a range of medical supplies, electronics and armaments. Then it's inside UCC's HQ, where you begin your search.

Corporation

Inside, you find a labyrinthine 3D world, similar to that of Infestation. You travel around each floor using an ingenious mouse-control system that takes a bit of getting used to. With practice it's possible to turn on the spot, walk diagonally across rooms or back-track while facing forwards.

In due course you meet all kinds of hazards, the most regular being the intruder-detection system - a network of cameras. If you happen to be in the line-of-sight of a camera when it turns towards you, alarm bells sound and you are thrown in the UCC strongroom.

Escaping from there is easy, providing you have the right equipment - a handy, pocket-sized timebomb. Us this to take out a wall or two and make good your exit. All you have to contend with then are the remaining nasties - robot spiders, crab-guards and ED209-style robots, to name but a few.

Effects

Corporation

Corporation has some incredibly classy graphics which really enhance the atmosphere. At times the 3D world can get a little flat and boring, but often you find something odd and exciting just around the next corner.

Movement can be a little slow and occasionally this can be annoying, especially when compounded by the unusual control mechanism. The last thing you need when under fire is a fiddly means of escape!

The sound effects are clear and crisp, but a little sparse. Often things happen out of sight, so you hear an effect but don't know what caused it. However authentic and atmospheric this may be, it is also very confusing.

Verdict

Good fun, after you've mastered the frustrating control method, which is Corporation's only major drawback. UCCHQ is a confusing place and you need your wits about you if you hope to finish the game. Even then, it could still take you several weeks of play.

More playable than Infestation, with more to offer in the way of interesting enemies, objects and happenings, Corporation is a winner. Miss it if you enjoy a boring life!

Neil Jackson

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