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The Mark
.: By:
Mike :: Device
used:
iPAQ H3650
:: June 24, 2001 ::
Buy this game :.
Flux
has always been a company that creates outstanding-looking games. The graphical
quality of their titles, however, has not always been matched in the gameplay
department (for an example of this, see the FishingFishing
review). The Mark
is their latest big-name offering, potentially offering Flux
a chance to redress the balance.
The first thing that struck me was the actual
installation method, which definitely qualifies as "unique". First,
you install the game as normal but, afterwards, you then have to install the New
York scenery pack. Detailed instructions would have been nice, but I couldn't
find any supplied with the game. This is only a minor nitpick, however.
A rather more major nitpick, unfortunately, is
with the language. By this, I don't mean that it's offensive (although be warned
that there is the occasional word that you probably wouldn't want your kids to
see). Instead, I'm referring to the translation aspect. Flux
are a Korean company and, much as it's great to see games from non-English
speaking countries, the "All
your base" phenomen is fast becoming a little tired.
Mistranslations are acceptable to me as long
as they don't compromise the gameplay too much. Unfortunately, in the case of The
Mark, they do. Mission objectives are sometimes unclear, as are the
instructions you receive from your commander whilst in the heat of combat. For
example, I found that in the third mission, "Invisible Mark", I wasn't
at all clear about who I should actually be trying to shoot. It ended up being a
matter of trial and error, and left me wishing that Flux
had opted to use a professional translator or, at the very least, got in touch
with a native English speaker. How hard can it be?
Putting the language barrier to the side, it's
on to the question of the presentation. As with Flux's
other titles, this one doesn't disappoint. The graphical quality is by and large
excellent, as are the sound effects.
The game's user-interface is another area
which could do with some improvement. When you select the "Scenery"
option to begin a game (and "Scenery" is surely not a particularly
good choice of words, either!), you have to register an existing player, or
create a new player.
This is where you choose your gun (discussed
below), something that strikes me as wrong. Why can't you change your gun
between missions? Surely it would be better to allow you to select a gun
appropriate to the particular mission, rather than force the user to go back to
the main menu and start again?
Not only is that slightly confusing, but there
is also a password system in operation. To continue a saved game (i.e. register
an existing player), you have to enter your password each time. It's clumsy and,
in my opinion, isn't necessary. Worse still is that there's very little
indication that you need to enter a password.
The gameplay is, however, the make-or-break
factor. As a sniper, your role in the game is, logically enough, to shoot
various targets. To do this, you have a zoomed-in viewing area which you can
either drag to move around the screen, or tap to jump to a particular location.
To fire a shot, you press the fire key (which in the case of my iPAQ
version was the action key).
Complicating matters slightly is the fact that
you can't seem to hold the gun quite still unless you use accuracy mode - this
doesn't make any noticeable difference to the zoom level but removes everything
else from the screen so that you can only see what's inside the circular aiming
viewpoint. Irritatingly, you have to use a separate key to enter accuracy mode
(down on the joypad) and then leave it (up). Quite why you can't use just the
one key to switch modes is a mystery.
There's also a slight element of strategy to
the game in that you have the choice of two different sniping guns. The first
allows you to fire off several consecutive shots without reloading, but there is
a delay when it comes to changing the cartridge (which is done automatically).
The second gives a slight pause whilst reloading is carried out after each shot,
but there is no long pause to change cartridges. You also have to take into
account that there is only a limited number of cartridges, so every shot counts.
Each mission is of course different, but the
idea is the same throughout. Shoot the bad guys before it's too late. Any sense
of reality is rather thrown out of the window when you see that enemy snipers
can appear from nowhere - when this happens, you are given a warning and have to
locate and shoot them before a countdown finishes. These snipers are all the
more quirky in that they are usually facing in a random direction, looking
slightly out of place in relation to the events and main characters around them.
Personally, I felt that the gameplay, although
fun at first, quickly becomes tired and repetitive. After a while, I found the
game more frustrating than enjoyable. That there are only five missions in total
for the New York scenery doesn't help matters and, bearing in the mind the price
($24.95 at the time of writing), I'd be hard-pressed to recommend purchasing
this title.
Pros:
Cons:
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