T2KFreeker
Captain Quazar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 537
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| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:33 pm Post subject: ICE BREAKER/PANASONIC INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE |
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Strange things were brewing with this title for the 3DO. Strange things can be good though. One part puzzler and one part shooter, Ice Breaker released for the 3DO and people generally didn't get it. Sadly, I personally didn't get why others didn't get it, but I got it.  It's like people were chased off at the thought of a weird meshing of the two genres, whereas quite a few of my buddies sat around playing the game and seriously enjoyed the underlying fact of Ice Breaker; it took brains as well as skill with s controller to play it. Not a button masher and I think this intimidated shooter fans and puzzle fans didn't really know what to make of it. It's okay though because us that sat in the middle saw what was here and the fun to be had with this quircky little game and we rode that sucker like a bull in rodeo!
Enough with the praises as I am sure that you are trying to read a review of the game, so the basics are this; destroy all of the pyramids om the level and survive. Sounds easy? Think again as the difficulty level ramps up and you will be tested. Factor in the different ways to destroy a pyramid, and you have your work cut out for you. Shoot some, trap some, ram some, don't touch others, and don't get destroyed by the level environments or get stuck in the traps yourself. Obviously alot iof thought was put into this game. It really can get to be that hectic, which adds to the charm of the game. Levels are basically controlled by a grid of levels you can play and by beating a level you can play another one from the level grid screen. If you feel compelled to, you can also go back to previous levels you have beaten and play them as well. Think you are good? Play them on the highest difficuly and then brag that you didn't break a sweat! I didn't think so!
The sound here is nicely done as there are some interresting ones for the charactrs on screen. I always found the shattering effect of the pyramids that do that to be quite pleasing to the ears. Cool sound effect there. Don't ask cause I don't know why. The music is nice, not too much, but at a nice tempo to control the mood of the game and it's levels. As much as I like the music, I wish a bit more had been put into this area of the game as I really don't find the music to be as memorable as the game itslef. Not sure iof this was intentional, but thank God it's not annoying music as that can bring a game to a screeching halt!
The controls are perfect here as they do exactly what they are supposed to do. No over looseness, not too tight, it is exactly what it needs to be. I find it to be refreshing, how about you?
Graphics. What to say here? Don't expect to see these amazing epic making visuals in this game. Instead, expect a well designed game with some nice looking visuals. I really enjoy the animations in this game and enjoy the simplicity here as they animate well and keep the game at a steady flow and give it a very unique look. Basically, things do what they seem to need to do and that's all that needed to be done. Not to say that there isn't any fun to be had here as some of the animations for the traps and little touches like the way the Pyramids move and flex help to keep things nice looking. Sweet looking game that put it's focus where it was needed; in the game play department. What else can you ask for from a game that is a puzzler at heart?
My final thoughts are these; I ain't kissing ass here and I speak my mind quite freely, ask anyone who has known me for any number of years and they will tell you this. I tell it like it is. I think that it is sad that more people do not know anout Ice Breaker as it really is a very cool game that is fresh and original ion a genre that usually is dominated by Tetris and Puyo Puyo clones. Hell, even one of my favorite 3DO games Trip'd is a Puyo Puyo clone. Ice Breaker is so different that it sits in the class with games like Tempest, so different that they have their own corner of the market for puzzle style games. Coming from me, as Tempest 2000 is my all time favorite game ever, should be taken as the highest compliment available from me. It is a shame that Ice Breaker 2 was released under the circumstances that it released under as polotics played a big roll for some of us as to why we didn't get it. I hope that this gets fixed and we see the game re released by someone credable and responsible soon.
For those of you that have waited on Ice Breaker for numerous reasons, you should be ashamed as this game is a classic and deserves your attention if you have access to a 3DO system. Get going, what are you waiting for?
Graphics: 7
Controls: 10
Sound: 8
Fun Factor: 10
Replay:10
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