Loaded

Loaded is an intense, violent game that gives new meaning to the term shoot-em-up. This is The Wild Bunch of the genre and the bad boy on the PlayStation block: Enemies don't flicker and vanish - they explode into a bloody mess (unless you play as Butch, who leaves a nice pile of ashes). When you get down to it, though, this is standard shoot-and-move fare. Mindless but fun.

Unlikely Heroes

Loaded features six characters unworthy of sympathy. There's Mama, an abandoned baby who never grew up; Bounca, a numbskull who enjoys hitting people; Cap N' Hands, a 200-year-old space pirate; Vox, a hi-fi nut who uses sound to destroy enemies; Fwank, a psychotic who cares only about his teddy bear and his big gun; and Butch, the "most dangerous cross-dresser in the galaxy," who uses a flame thrower.

The game's objective is simple: Find the exit to each level. Of course, the only thing standing between you and that goal is about 2000 bad guys. To conquer the hordes, each character is armed with a distinctive weapon. Pick your character wisely because, although these weapons can be powered up, there isn't a variety of them to choose from. Each character also has a smart-bomb attack that destroys everything on the screen. (Be forewarned, though - the effectiveness of the smart-bomb attack varies from character to character).

The stages are gigantic and challenging with wave after wave of enemies just asking to be blasted. Several hidden areas can be revealed by shooting walls, and there's no shortage of weapon power-ups, bullets, or life icons. Just shoot everything - you may have limited ammo, but you never know what you'll find.

Slaughter with A Smile

Loaded lives up to its name, especially in the graphics and sound department. The game looks awesome with smoking guns, smoldering scorch marks, and other telling details. All that's missing is a trail of bloody footprints to mark your path through the carnage.

Some of the eye-filling graphics include Butch's flapping dress, the gory red demise of enemies, and bizarre creatures, including attack dogs, scorpions, and rats. The rats are so creepy that you'll catch yourself prop- „ ping your feet up off the floor. You can scale in and out any time during the game, and the lighting is particularly effective (your character even changes color along with the light source). One quibble, though, is that some of the stages are so dark they're hard to navigate.

There are enough ringing explosions, gun blasts, splats, grunts, and groans to keep up with the action. Some of your enemies even say "Halt" and "Freeze." Let your guns reply to that. The music offers a nice variety, ranging from hard rock tunes (complete with lyrics) to simple synthesizer rhythms (like something out of a John Carpenter movie).

Kudos for Control

With your character horribly outnumbered, Loaded evens the odds with great controls.

You can run and fire in any direction, or aim in one direction while moving in another. Every action is keenly responsive, but this is basically a one-button game: All you really need is the fire button. The map is also a big help, especially since it sits unobtrusively in the corner so you can check it without interrupting the action.

Let God Sort 'Em Out

In all, Loaded is a simple premise taken to absurd heights: From the wacky characters to the overblown carnage, the game is generally a blast to play. While it lacks some of the strategy of similar-minded titles like Doom, the action hardly ever lets up. This will be one difficult game to top - let's hope there's a Loaded II on the horizon.

A couple of months back, I previewed a game called Overkill. It had it all: senseless violence, blood and big guns. I was in heaven. It appears that Overkill won't be the only game with a high body-count to grace the PlayStation this year. Interplay has a little gem of its own entitled Loaded.

You play as one of six intergalactic mercenaries who've been wrongly accused, and then jailed, on a prison planet. Now you must blast your way out using the biggest guns I've seen since Heavy Barrel hit the arcades.

Loaded is awesome! Fantastic graphics and special effects (just look at those lighting effects), plenty of gore and ridiculously powerful weapons of mass destruction combine to enhance this beautiful shooter.

It's been a long wait; too long for those of us in the gaming industry who have been teased with early versions of this tasty title. Now, Loaded is out there and the question is: "Why haven't you picked up a copy of it yet IV'Loaded has a little something for everyone: romance, comedy, drama, suspense...oh yeah, it also has a deluge of senseless violence and over-the-top gore. Loaded is a game for those of you out there who thought Road Warrior and Robocop were cinematic masterpieces; it's for those who see Moe, Larry and Curly as gods and find things like rolling grandma down a hill at the height of hilarity.

Let's face it: Loaded is for the teeming masses of morally depraved youth out there who have chewed away at American society and turned it into an MTV/BH 90210-driven culture. That would be you and me.

You play the part of an intergalactic tough guy. You've been wrongly imprisoned (this time) and are bent on finding out who set you up. During this voyage of discovery, a lot of innocent people must die. Choose from one of six killing machines, each equipped with a ridiculously powerful weapon and unique smart bomb. Each of these characters has different traits, from armor strength to speed. You must travel from one area to another, upgrading your weapon and collecting ammo and key cards. All you need to worry about is staying alive and not running out of ammo.

Besides a great concept, Loaded features some remarkable graphics and sound. All of the players, and enemies alike, are beautifully animated and the weapon discharges look like the Fourth of July. The most impressive aspect, though, is what the developers did with lighting. Explosions and other light sources cast shadows and reflections across surrounding surfaces.This effect is really cool. Consider as well that Loaded plays easily and has a high replay value, and you've got another persuasive reason to buy yourself a PlayStation. You also have a good reason to check yourself into an institution.