E3 2004: THQ Booth

Written by Matt Swider  on June 04, 2004

Specials: You'll be Punished if you don't Destroy All Humans! Never mind, Tak(e) 2 doses of Full Spectrum Warrior and call me after you read the THQ booth tour.

Tweet

Comments

Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)
What began as a video game demonstration for the U.S. Army to train soldiers in real-time combat situations, became what it is today: an action-oriented, cover-to-cover Real Time Strategy release known as Full Spectrum Warrior. Off the bat, Full Spectrum is comparable to the squad-based shooter ilk, as the game's progression will revolve in heavy combat. Though, Full Spectrum's focus is not to fight the enemy, but rather to go around it. See, with Full Spectrum, the game will be staged with two operating teams that will require players to get from point A to point B without getting dead. You'll do this by switching between the two teams at selective points in time to move to cover points in a third-person level view. While enemies will await your Alpha and Bravo teams from their own vantage spots, you'll need to judge where your team's best entries of survival lay -- be it up against a wall, behind a dumpster, a vehicle, or something else. And though shooting won't be accessible directly for any period of use, there will be gunplay -- only Spectrum's take is a little different. Instead of aiming, reloading, and emptying bullets into any enemy's body you want to, you'll need to command which person does what to take on specified actions against hostile forces. Full Spectrum Warrior's mechanics are indeed awkward when compared to the many squad-based action games out there, but in theory and actuality, Full Spectrum is no such thing as that. Look for this original THQ title next month.

The Punisher (PS2, Xbox)
The Punisher is another title that I must admit surprised me. Though I originally wrote off the Punisher as a simple shooter with a license attached, and the interrogation element as a simple gimmick, I must admit that I was impressed by the Punisher. The Punisher, which follows the comic and not the recently released movie, will of course place gamers in the shoes of the titular comic anti-hero as he hunts and kills criminals and mobsters. Anyone who has the slightest knowledge of the Punisher will actually feel as if they are the murderous comic hero, as the Punisher has a number of methods he can use to dispatch his enemies. There is the interrogation method spoken of earlier, which allows the Punisher to take objects in the environments, his guns, or just his fists, and, using the movement of the dual analog sticks, scare certain hoods into giving him information. One example I witnessed was a situation where I caught a goon, drug him over to a pool of piranhas, and by moving the analog stick back and forth, I was able to push the goon's head slowly toward the piranhas. If I wasn't careful, I would just shove his head in, allowing the piranha to decimate his face and making him worthless for information. There is also the slaughter mode, which slows down time and gives the Punisher unlimited ammunition, hence its title. A nice touch to this mode is that while the Punisher is firing, there are cinematically visual and audio flashbacks to his murdered family, which reinforce the player's empathy for the Punisher's homicidal resolve. Also adding to the Punisher's repertoire are a number of environmental kills, such as a time when I encountered enemies in a kitchen. One drew close, and I sheathed my guns, grabbed a butcher knife, and sunk it deep into my foe's head. Although gruesome at times, the game does accurately re-create the character of the Punisher and may be a surprise treat for gamers with stronger stomachs.

Destroy All Humans! (PS2, Xbox)
This was one of the more innovative ideas at E3. Destroy All Humans! puts players in the role of B-movie alien conqueror, complete with psychic abilities, a death ray gun, and a flying saucer. The ultimate goal is world domination, and there are a number of methods available to players to accomplish this goal. The alien, a little green monster with a disproportionately large head, has a number of high tech weapons and supernatural abilities to fool us pesky humans. He can levitate objects and people, he can read minds, and he can even steal human identities by projecting an image into everyone's minds. When discovered, he can use a death ray that disinigrates any opposition, and can even take to the sky in his flying saucer and begin a full assault on whatever environment he occupies. The graphics and animation are good, as well as the choice of setting, which seems to be an innocent America in the 1950's. Destroy All Humans! looks like an interesting and seminal title, and should turn some heads when it releases.

Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA)
Going the way of platform gaming last fall with their unique character in the jungle boy of Tak, THQ has decided to yet again revisit the Nickelodeon-inspired character for another fall release this year. Tak is back, and this time he's grown. A few years older and after the wicked shaman Tlaloc once again, Tak must now set out to recover the nightmare scepter. In essence, Tak 2 won't be so different from its previous interactive animal/intersecting level accomplishments. The major difference in this new Tak entry will be that Tak can now manage a potion system, which will enable him to inhabit a variety of animal bodies by possessing them with a specially brewed formula. Expect to see nine whole playable environments and old friends to return in this title-to-be in October.