Gaming Target - Xbox: Alter Echo

Written by Bryan Montford on September 10, 2003

Full Review: An unusual play and combat system make this a progressive title, but is it enough to make it a compelling buy?

Have you ever played a video game and thought, УMan, if I could only climb that stupid wall!Ф Or possibly, УWhat I wouldn't give for a gun...Ф What if you could change what you could do? What if you could morph into something different? Alter Echo let's you do exactly that.

As Nevin, the hero of our story, you can alternate at will between three entirely different forms, each with its own capabilities. To complete the game you'll need each of these forms and the inherent abilities they impart. The three modes include melee mode with powerful blades to aid you in hand to hand combat; gun mode for those times when a ranged attack is your best friend; and stealth mode where you can finally live out your fantasies as a gecko from the future. The gecko thing is actually very cool; you even get a little invisibility to help you out at times.

The story behind how this comes about is a little sticky. An organic substance called Multiplast covers the surface of planet Proteus. Multiplast is exceedingly important because special people called Shapers can form Multiplast into bio-machines with great power. You however are not just any Shaper. You have an exceptional ability to merge with the energy field of Multiplast and can in effect, stop time. They call it Time Dilation. This time stopping thing is one of the cooler points of the game.

You are under the employment of a company that mines Multiplast and they have a little problem they'd like for you to handle. It seems that an enterprising Shaper named Paavo has created a new form of Multiplast called Xenoplast, and it's self-aware. Xenoplast isn't too keen on the idea of being exploited by humanity. You might even say it takes serious issue with the concept. Genocide seems like a viable option and it makes a very convincing attempt to obliterate human kind.

As you may have already guessed it's your job to save the world. This should provide a sizeable challenge by any standards, but even more so when the entire planet isn't happy to see you. Talk about a tough room.

The combat system is pretty innovative in several ways. Not a lot of games give you the ability to change shape and stop time. Alter Echo adds a third wrinkle by the addition of chaining moves together to create combos. You can also purchase and upgrade these moves throughout the game. The real magic happens when you combine all these elements. It can actually be quite impressive and ads a surprising layer of depth I hadn't expected.

Unfortunately the graphics are not inspiring, the game play becomes tedious and repetitive, and the levels end a bit abruptly. The music is kind of cool, but it's not the kind of thing you'll walk around humming. Techno is still respectable in my book and is fitting for the game, but it's a little flat and unfortunately doesn't elevate the game much.

THQ put some work into Alter Echo. It shows. But it also feels like something that had too much expected of it with too few resources to make it happen. I can respect that. IСve worked on too many projects plagued by the same problem not to respect that. But when the dollar hit's the counter at my local store a line is drawn, and this one doesn't make me want to part with the cash.