The Divide Enemies Within

With a grandiose story line that's worthy of a Hugo award, The Divide: Enemies Within prepares to take on PlayStation powerhouse action games like Spider and Pandemonium!. The difference, however, is that this new sci-fi platform game is fully 3-D with complete freedom of movement.

The gameplay borrows some elements from other titles. The layout of the levels look a bit like Bubsy 3D's, but with a darker, more foreboding feel to them (and with texture maps, unlike Bubsy 3D's flat-shaded terrain, Metroid fans may experience a sense of deva vu too. Some of the weapons and power-ups seem to be taken right out of the popular Nintendo series, to the point where The Divide could almost pass off as a 32-Bit Metroid sequel. This was not a coincidence. "I loved all the Metroid games," says Ian Verchere, director for Radical Entertainment, the developers of The Divide. "Knowing that Metroid is a Nintendo exclusive, I designed a game for the PlayStation which I hope captures the great balance of action and adventure that made Metroid so great."

As we said before. The Divide has a fantastic story line. It's an involving plot which we won't go into much detail here (to summarize it would do it injustice).

The story, combined with the computer-generated FMV sequences, should pull you right into the game. Before you even start out on your quest, the game will put you through a training level. This first stage will show you how to use the various power-ups for your Terragator Unit (the armored mech body you are placed in), how to fire primary and secondary armaments and how to use the basic controls (like aiming up and down, or switching camera angles). This initial lesson is not comprehensive, and a few tidbits of help will pop up later in the game as well.

After the lesson, the game will start you off right after you wake up from an eon-long cryosleep. Before your extended nap, you were injured in battle. So you begin the first level with very little in terms of equipment. In fact the first to-do on your itinerary is to pick up something to fix your injured legs (until then, you'll have an annoying limp). Slowly, as the game progresses, you'll pick up other parts vital for survival, like missiles, jumping attachments, heating and cooling units, etc.

As you traverse the alien worlds, you will run into a myriad of strange creatures. The levels are pretty standard fare-you'll find an ice level, a desert level, a jungle level, etc. Remember though, the game is fully 3-D, meaning you can explore wherever you want (you can even go back to visit old levels). But don't be under the impression that this is a Tomb Raider-type of exploration game. The stages are pretty straightforward and confined.

Even though you can't call The Divide the most original title around, it still has enough going for it to make it stand out. The story line and the unique levels and enemies may prove the game worthy. Check out this month's Review Crew to see what the game experts have to say.

Dare to COMPARE

As mentioned in the main text. The Divide has things in common with Nintendo's Metroid games. Here are a few of the things (some more important than others) that you'll find in both games (all except one. can you guess which one?): -Bombs and missiles as secondary weapons -Power-ups. such as a super jump-Enemies that leave lO-point health-up balls when killed -Canisters of energy (health) that hold 99 units apiece -A rainy level -A main character who almost bears it all in the end -Play set in an alien world -A descending elevator that brings you into the first level of the game.