Name: Devastation
Publisher: ARUSH Entertainment,
Groove Games, HD Interactive
Developer: Digitalo Studios
Media: 1 CD
HD Installation: 1.18 gig
Dirt Cheap Price: $3.99
Yes, two.
390
patch - Size: 107 megs
390 Performance Fix - Size: 290k(recommended for multiplayer users after
installing the 390 patch)
It is the year 2075, and the Earth is in a technological dark age. The planet is now run by a huge corporation called "Grathius" that houses and handles all of the technology left on the planet, leaving citizens clueless and out of touch(kind of like your grandma trying to use a computer). To maintain order in the streets, Grathius has set up "Pacification Squads" that brutally beat the piss out of, or just straight-up kill anyone who gets in their way. Due to the oppression, various resistance factions have popped up to combat Grathius and attempt to restore the world to its former state.
What's it all about? |
It's a squad-based first person shooter. Playing as Flynn Haskell, a leader of the local resistance unit, you'll make your way through various areas as you gather members to add to your squad. Every level has a set of objectives that you'll have to finish in order to move on, they usually range from search and rescue, to search and destroy....and sometimes, just right-out searching. After achieving a major victory against Grathius, you'll obtain a "ReGenerator" unit that will allow you to come back from the dead to keep fighting. It's at this point that the game becomes less of a single-player FPS, and more like a Deathmatch-style game with objectives(much like Unreal Tournament's Assault mode). It's definitely an interesting turn of events: There's no more health, you just fight until you die...and then you come back to fight again. |
Your
teammates are
controlled via four commands that can be given out(attack, defend,
follow or hold), from there they'll go out and do their "best"
to follow them. You can actually outfit them with whatever weapon
you choose,
though
if
they find
something
they
consider
better, they'll just pick it up and use it. They'll also, intelligently,
make their way to whatever objective you're working on and even
cover you during your attempt to achieve it. Finally, the game
offers two modes of gameplay: Arcade and Simulation mode. Arcade
is exactly
what it sounds like: Fast and furious gameplay
with only moderate attention to realism(in short, it's fun). The
Simulation mode is supposed to make the game much harder, adding
stuff like realistic
damage, character attributes, etc.(I'd guess this would really
suck, though I never tried it)
Graphics - Great! Though the game uses the Unreal Tournament engine, Digitalo has added quite a bit to it...which, in some ways, makes this game look far better than UT. Stuff like the "Karma" physics engine and "OFX VisualFX" system add quite a bit of flair...though, sadly, this comes at a huge cost: The game's performance. It's not only incredibly power hungry, but no matter how much power you throw at it, it still has issues running. Things like studdering framerates, game crashes(usually due to AI scripts) and a host of other issues rear their ugly heads from time to time. Past all that though, the game really is something to see. All of the textures were based off of actual photographs, so there's just a huge variety of them and they're all very convincing. Character models are also very well done, with some great detail in the various textures they all sport.
| Sound - The soundtrack is made up of these really short, randomly played techno pieces that begin the second you are shot, or start shooting, and then end soon afterwards. If you're in a pretty heated fire-fight, you'll get to hear quite a bit of whatever piece is played...but for the casual encounter, you're pretty much stuck with 15 to 20 seconds of play through. The in-game sound effects are pretty standard with beefy gun shots, explosions, etc. followed by character screams and grunts. The voice acting for most of the characters is actually quite good, they do an excellent job of conveying accents and such...but some, like Duffy, are just a bit overacted(almost to the point of being hokey). |  Sure is a nice day to destroy Grathius... |
 |
AI - Un-fucking-believably hard....and cheap. The enemy AI seems to be able to hit you the split second they spot you, and as if that's not bad enough, they seem to be able to shoot you through walls at times. To make matters worse, their attack routines consist of just running all over the place during a fight like complete idiots, yet somehow they're whooping your ass. Finally, and this is just so over-the-top-unbelievable it makes me want to shit my pants every time they do it to me, they'll sit there and pull that "jumping shot" bullshit and hit you nearly every time. It's beyond aggravating...and if it weren't for the ReGenerator you acquire so early in the game, the AI would ruin this title. |
Alright, now for the other half of the AI: Your NPC teammates. After the first level, you're given a teammate...from there you get more and more characters to join your cause(up to a whopping eight) that you'll have to command in battle. Seems easy enough right? Well, it is and isn't. Telling teammates what to do is simple enough using the Team Command contextual menu...now how they go about carrying out those orders is another ordeal all together. They'll get stuck in ladder climbing animations, get stuck in dumpsters or just sit there trying to shoot through a wall at some enemy. It doesn't seem nearly as bad as the teammate AI in Diakatana, but then again, when these guys die it won't kill you(once you get the ReGenerator).
| Getting it to run - Pretty easy. Just pop in the CD and follow the directions. After you get done, BE SURE to patch it to version 390! This patches' main fix was the complete reworking of the NPC AI...as it's still questionable after the patch, I can only dream of how bad it must have been before it. Past that, if you're going to play it online be sure to grab the version 390 Performance fix as it's said to vastly improve online multiplayer once the 390 patch has been installed. Also, the CD is required to be in the drive, so pop it in before you start up. Finally, like Halo, this game creates a folder in your My Documents folder to house your saved games, screenshots and other user-created files....why, again, I don't know... |  Grathius Girls: For guys who like them large! |
 What? Crap? Me!? |
Anytime
you're in an area where you have to pick something up to complete
the objective, pick EVERYTHING else up first, as once you pick
up the objective item you can't get the rest. 80% of the weapons you'll pick up are crap(and 10% are gimmicky one-use weapons), and once you make it to Taiwan only power weapons will cut it...do not question this, just get a fucking P-Laser and trust me. Once you acquire the ReGenerator, don't ever bother telling your team to defend the base unless you receive a message that it's under attack. A mandatory team of two people will always be there to guard it by default, and that's usually more than enough(especially if you arm them with something decent). |
| Once
you get the ReGeneratorr, feel free to sacrifice yourself or your
teammates as much as you'd like. Put them on Attack at all times
and go for the gold. Bukko(the next to last level) is nearly-impossible, I actually had to use the God mode to achieve one of the objectives(you'll know it when you see it). Though you can try all you want, trust me, after the 40th fucking attempt you'll want to break it out. Simply hit the tilde key to bring up the console and type in "God". Once you achieved the objective don't be a little bitch, turn God mode off. |
 |
During the final battle, if you can get behind the Commander, he'll rarely turn around to attack you...assuming you're far enough away. Just continuously snipe him in the back of the head until he's down...and stays down.
If you need help, or are just interested in reading up on the various enemies, weapons and locations in the game, be sure to check out the Devastation SP FAQ by Fallon. I consulted it many a time throughout the game...
Still Supported?
Yes, though only through HD Interactive's website. Their Devastation support page has both patches available, as well as further technical support via email.
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Fun
Stuff on the CD: The game's manual....that's about it. With a little help for your friends: The entire attack AI for your teammates was completely rewritten in the whopping 107 meg 390 patch. Apparently this enabled more intelligent fighting, in terms of tactics and whatnot. The enemy AI was also completely redone, which was said to result in a much more challenging game. I've not ever played the game without the patch...but I can only dream of what it must have been like... |