Gore

Bore

For the most part, a simplistic run-and-gun shooter just isn't enough any more - we want stealth, variety and challenge, to think before we act. But there still remains a contingent of gamers hell-bent on the visceral thrill of sheer unadulterated destruction, as proven by the success of Serious Sam, which stole our hearts by looking great and being fantastic fun. Who cares if all the bad guys look the same, or if I'm moving at four times the speed of a normal man and the guns I'm carrying are bigger than my entire body? Obviously 4D Rulers don't, and they're hoping to appeal to that contingent by crafting a game that has, in the finest id tradition, absolutely no depth whatsoever.

For four long years 4D Rulers must have been completely shut away from the outside world, because they've come out of their hole with Gore, a game so shockingly out of touch that everything about it is three years too late. The textures, models, maps and character design all look and feel antiquated and smack of a development team without any ideas. There's an attempt at a story, but it's of no consequence. Put simply (and trust me, the full version isn't much more complicated than this), the world has gone mad and is controlled by the mob. The government decides to construct a team of unstoppable marines to combat this threat, and one of them happens to be you. Genius.

This all boils down to pushing forward through wave after wave of mindless drones, with no real objectives other than to maim everything that moves. At least Serious Sam looked good while it was doing this, but Gore just looks dated. There are tiny glimmers of conceptual development here and there, such as being able to select from any one of twelve classes of character, with differing attributes from speed to weapons. There's also a Day of Defeat style stamina meter, which depletes whenever your character is exerting himself through running, jumping and using heavy weapons. This can add some desperation to the action, but that's about the extent of the innovation on display. There are of course multiplayer modes for you to engage in, but why play a cheap-looking Quake III when the original is waiting for you, looking all glamorous and modded up to the nines?

Conclusion

There is no reason for me to recommend that you spend your money on Gore, unless you're completely desperate for another game that you've played a dozen times before. It's a shame that 4D Rulers' first title ended as a product that is so completely irrelevant in today's gaming climate. Never mind, lads.