Cryptark is one of my favorite games of the millenium. Gunhead is Cryptark, moved to 3D. I wanted to love it.
But the move to 3D came with a massive simplification of the textures. Nothing looks as good as it did. The ships seem less like derelicts, formerly functional vessels, than like arena boxes bolted on to each other. It's all vibrant neon-grit minimalism, instead of Cryptark's just-shy-of-Giger thanomechanical estetic.
They didn't use a Descent-like engine, but a standard FPS one. So now the derelicts have gravity, which doesn't sync with the fictional framework or the way interiors are laid out or how the enemies fly around freely or basic science. Interfacing with things suspended in mid-air is extremely awkward - the player freezes in air for unknown reasons if the Interact key is pressed while in the unintuitive sweet spot for fiddling with ship hardware.
In both games the player is up against massive odds, which they overcome by solid planning beforehand and rapidly executed aggressive surgical strikes. FOV for Cryptark gives the player 360 awareness to a limited depth : They are The Aggressor, zipping through the ship like a living scalpel, in total control of the thirty feet around them (until they aren't). In Gunhead the FOV is FPS standard, so most of the space around the player is not in view, making the player feel like The Hunted. Ironically, the "you can see out until your view is blocked" nature also makes Gunhead sometimes feel less tense.
In Cryptark, the ship layouts frequently gave shortcuts or alternate paths through open 'hallways'. It felt very organic. In Gunhead, it's a bunch of arena boxes welded to each other, to be taken in sequence.
There are pacing and balance issues.
Game ruining bugs in Gunhead (never in Cryptark).
Ironically, the Gunhead looks worse. It was a clear nod to the A-10 Warthog, boldly aggressive. Here it's just a humanoid chasis.
Cryptark is a masterpiece. Gunhead feels rushed and incomplete.
¿Te resulta útil?