Previous Next

When there's fog up to the rooftops and chaos on the streets, what do you do? Neil Jackson certainly doesn't blubber - he takes his police jetbike for a spin...

Something strange has happened to San Francisco. Okay, so the place was pretty strange anyway, but now it's even stranger. A massive cloud of toxic gas has rolled in from across the Bay and settled over the city. It's several hundred feet thick and there is no easy way of avoiding it. Those who survive steal from the dead to keep themselves alive.

In the aftermath, law and order must be restored - especially when people realise the cloud isn't going to dissipate. A decimated police force face a growing band of villains known as the Black Angels. Somebody has to stop them, or at least try. The San Francisco Police Department is made for gung-ho, give-it-a-go nutters like you.

You start in the briefing room, where your sarge points out the basic mission details - where to find the enemy, the best place for backup and what's happening on the city streets. Using this information, you can play your attack.

Your sarge also tells you about the city's landmarks (for navigational purposes) as well as giving you detailed into on the suspect you're attempting to catch. After your research, you move to the Armoury, where an odd-looking coffee machine doubles as an armament vendor. From here you can select machine gun and cannon ammo in various sizes, an airtight suit - don't leave home without it - or a reserve fuel tank.

On Day One, you're hunting for one of several robots that are spying on the police and reporting back to the Angels gang. None of them is armed, so it should be like taking candy from a baby - that's what you think. They're no pushover.

Capturing droids (or any other suspects) requires you to use the nets and pickup pods (PUPs) at your disposal - the crimefighter's primary weapons. These are homing missiles which throw out huge wire nets on detonation and remote-controlled pickup pods which home in on the netted target. It's best to place about three pods in the middle of a street, so you can safely pick them up. PUPs are best deployed in short cul-de-sacs under cover of buildings, or the Angels may destroy them.

Once you're behind the controls, the Bay area looks strange and uninviting. Huge skyscrapers poke through the tops of the clouds, their bases concealed beneath thick gas.

Your first action should be to pick up the nets because you can't catch anything without them. As you fly in for the scoop, Black Angels may hassle you in stolen jetbikes. Arm your cannon or machine gun and pray it doesn't jam. It normally clears itself quickly but this isn't very helpful when you're under pressure.

Your enemy attacker appears on your Heads Up Display, along with two reticles - one square and one round. The square reticle is the target indicator and shows you what you're trying to kill. The round one, on the other hand, acts as a Lead Calculator. It uses the enemy's speed and direction to work out the best place to aim your weapons. Aim for the circle, guys!

After disposing of the heavies, you must deal with the chief suspect himself. Once back at the base, you can interrogate him and bargain for names and clues. Get another suspect and you receive a mission code to get you through to the next level - and more trouble on the streets.

Excellent 3D vector graphics make The Killing Cloud an exciting and atmospheric game. The tourist view (available only on the first mission) provides a glimpse of the city without clouds - the size and detail of the playing area are stunning. Otherwise, the game is as fast and as detaile as you like. There are three settings to choose from, each with an increase in the updating speed of the display.

The front end graphics in The Killing Cloud are Cyberpunk in quality and fit beautifully with the future-darkworld concept. Even so, some of the mouse-response times and menu-to-menu connecting routes could be improved.

There is an interesting sampled start tune which is nearly put together. There are also a variety of clear, crisp crashes, thuds, whines and mumbles. Well-themed and well mixed, the sound complements the game perfectly.

The Killing Cloud is one of those rare pieces of work that show signs of craftsmanship - a tradition thought long dead in the software business. Cynicism aside, it does have loads of attractive features: dark and moody graphics, a strong plot which fits the game's style like a glove, a well as a good mixture of excellent sound effects.

But these facts don't make a good game on their own. In The Killing Cloud, fine graphics, sound and gameplay combine to provide a game which takes a long time to complete, but which also involves you in every twist and turn of its racy plot. Almost every cloud has a silver lining - this one's gold.