Shadow Warrior Created by 3D Realms Published by GT Interactive Hoping to make a splash before this fall's heaviest hitting action games arrive on the scene is Lo Wang, hero of Shadow Warrior, and expert wise guy. He inhabits a world similar in feel to the one we encountered in Duke Nukem, but with half the sexism and double the bad puns. With hardly enough time to roll our eyes at his wise cracks, bad guys are peppering us with machine guns, and the fight is on. And how goes the fight? Very well, indeed. Shadow Warrior sports the Build engine, used before in Duke Nukem and more recently in Blood, and the results are the same: a 3-D world, yes, but one with occasional perspective problems and lacking the smooth realism of the Quake engine. But well-balanced weapons, outstanding sound, and creative environments make Shadow Warrior an interesting single-player game, and a howl-with-laughter deathmatch multiplayer riot. James Bond Of The Orient Lo Wang, injured as a young man by a bunch of mean guys, has spent years in secret training. His goal: revenge himself upon his persecutors, using his skills as shadow warrior. Despite his years of bitter solitude, he remains cheerful, and doesn't hesitate to mock his snake coward foes. A man with a name like his has got to be both macho and cavalier. Trained not only in the use of the sword and throwing star, but also in Uzi, grenade thrower, and rail gun, Lo Wang is a man of all trades. His age has not dulled his senses or his muscles. He slices, he dices; he jokes, "You not half the man you used to be!" as his sword diagonally bisects a pale, choking enemy. Who Needs Puzzles? Driven by revenge, Lo Wang fights through the usual perils on his way to face the biggest and baddest of his adversaries. Bad guys, varying in weaponry and tactics, hide around every turn, as if waiting just for him. As in most action games, they don't move until they spot him, and then they attack blindly until killed. Shadow Warrior does nothing to improve upon the lack of self-preservation among action game monsters. Further, there are the expected key and secret door searches, an action game's excuse for puzzles (actually, an excuse to get you to run through the level's rooms many times, to keep the levels smaller!). There are a handful of creative puzzles; but, as Lo himself quips upon solving the first of these, "Would rather kick ass than solve puzzle!" My sentiments exactly. It sure is a hoot, though, to use the excellent selection of weapons to blow holes in the opposition. Spraying arcs of blood, limbs, and accompanying gurgling, splashing, bubbling, crunching sounds pave your way. There's a high premium on gore, and by golly, it does wonders for gameplay. "I Like Sword; It's A Personal Weapon!" The first weapon in action games is usually the weakest, and is never returned to if possible. This is far from true for a shadow warrior, whose hands and heart are firmly attached to his sword. A blow from its sharp edge deals almost 100 points of damage, and has the further advantage of splattering bad guy blood everywhere, including Lo's hands. The gasping choke of a sliced machine gun soldier ranks among the best sounds in all action gaming. During a deathmatch game, the sword's lethal damage and almost silent swooshing noise provide some of the loudest laughs and curses, as unwitting players, especially campers, suddenly stare at a bloody screen and wonder momentarily what went so terribly wrong. There's little as satisfying in deathmatch as returning the favor by quickly showing up on the scene and eviscerating your killer with your new shiny sword. Several of the weapons have multiple uses, including the riot gun, a sort of shotgun which can be set to fire four rapid shells in a row. There's no weapon so handy for repelling shadow warriors who insist on killing you with their swords. Another beauty is the Uzi, which can be doubled up, with Lo holding one in each hand. The missile launcher can be combined with a pick-up to create a nuclear rocket, with a resulting explosion unrivaled in action games. But perhaps the most amusing and clever weapon of all is the sticky bomb. Used in snake coward fashion, they can be attached to walls near frequently visited sites, where they will beep peacefully until approached by opponents (or forgetful snake cowards!), upon which event they will explode. Used in true shadow warrior comedic fashion, they can be thrown and attached directly to opponents, who will run for several seconds in panic, the bomb flopping like a spiked tail. "Hey, sticky bomb," Lo Wang will sometimes cry. "Meet Mister Stupid!" BOOM! There are several other weapons, including a grenade launcher, a rail gun which shoots through walls, and a severed head held by Lo Wang like a bowling ball through the eye sockets; but the main point is how balanced the weaponry is. During a typical deathmatch game, you will find yourself switching from one weapon to another, not because you lack ammo, but because they are each so well suited to their own situations. This balance is, in my opinion, Shadow Warrior's primary strength. Other action games should strive to emulate this. Along with the weapons come a variety of other inventory items, all of which are in turn useful. The medkit and night-vision goggles have traveled to Wang's world straight from Duke Nukem, but the fun ones include a gas bomb which releases a noxious green smoke that invokes the funniest coughing spasm from anyone who wanders by, and a flash bomb which whites out an opponent's screen so thoroughly that even a baby ninja could waste him. Caltrops sprinkled on the ground cause serious foot damage to opposing Wangs, who eschew shoes like true warriors. These and other pickups complement the brilliant weapons selection. Plenty Of Stuff To Do The creators of Shadow Warrior are more hyped about their level design than their weapons, however. I can see why. Most of the environments possess a unique feel, whether it be a factory, a shipyard, or a resort hotel. Pictures, furniture, knick-knacks, and appliances lend a detailed and appropriate air to each level. Until you shoot them, of course! The sky textures also deserve mention, because they all add to the level design's reality. One in particular is quite nice, a mountainous horizon with blue sky and white puffy clouds. The skies become especially effective in those parts of levels which involve vertiginous dropoffs. Leaping from pillar to pillar above certain death, I found my stomach in my throat, as if on a ferris wheel. The designers also took some care to involve moving features, like boats through water and cars on roads. The results look a little silly at times, but then, the game itself has its tongue firmly in cheek. Much of each level can be interacted with, which is far more interesting than key and switch puzzles. Everything from soda machines to forklifts can be manipulated, often with amusing results. Sometimes one runs across a smoking piece of machinery, usually outfitted with an amazingly loud and effective weapon. Run up to a damaged tractor, for example, and unless you have a repair kit, Lo Wang will joke, "Mmm, must be American made!" Fix the tractor, and use the John Deere dual rocket launcher to mow down the baddies! One of the included deathmatch levels features a repairable tank, and this alone led my friends and I to more raucous laughter than any other deathmatch feature since Duke Nukem’s pipe bomb. Just the heart-in-throat feeling of running like rabbits while tank shells shudder the entire level behind you is worth the price of the game. Sub-woofer Paradise Earthquakes and explosions routinely shake the world of Shadow Warrior, but its the accompanying sounds that really make the game a sensory experience. Allow your sub-woofers the freedom to express this game's sound, and neighboring towns will feel the effects. Especially in heated deathmatch battles, the sound is relentless and powerful. Some of the best individual sounds include the slobbering splash of a sword hit, the crunch of a rocket hitting smack dab in someone's back, the bizarre train whistle emitted by ghosts, and the thunder of tank shells. Lo Wang himself chatters more than an outfielder, from an "I like big weapon!" when he picks up the grenade launcher to a simple "Hoo-ya!" when he chucks a throwing star. He never shuts up. Shadow warriors have no training in discretion. Monsters also make entertaining sounds, particularly when they die. Although not very bright, monsters are quite tough, and put up a good fight even on the easiest skill level, "Tiny grasshopper". Like the weapons, the monsters are also well-balanced, using a variety of attacks which keep you on your toes. Some hit instantly at range, while others fire more deadly but slower projectiles. Some leap and slash. Ghosts flicker in and out of view. Unfortunately, the monsters are sprites, two-dimensional animations which almost always look flat like paper. You can choose to three-dimensionalize the items lying around the levels, but not the monsters. This, plus the Build engine's tendency to warp perspective, not only decreases realism but also tends to give my friends and I a headache much sooner than the Quake engine. Granted, we're a small sample, but if you found Duke Nukem affected you the same way, be warned. Shadow Warrior is enjoyable single-player, but does very little to improve the genre. Where it shines is in deathmatch, human versus human. The great weapon balance, thundering sound, and sarcastic humor make deathmatch Shadow Warrior the most hilarious and enjoyable multiplayer action game I've ever played. If you have friends you can hook up with, I guarantee a lot of laughs and a ton of namecalling. Rating: 8/10 Written by: David Perkins Date: September 22, 1997 Vital Statistics Pentium-60 CPU speed 16 MB RAM 60 MB of hard drive space Sound card LAN, serial, modem supported. Internet play over TEN.