Mazer

Mazer is a frustratingly addictive game that alternately makes you want to cheer in triumph and stomp your 3DO to pieces.

Aliens have invaded Earth and enslaved the population. Playing as one of four rebels, you must fight through 16 levels to liberate the planet.

Decent controls allow you to run through each level quickly. Occasionally, however, you get stuck between items, and become easy target prey.

The digitized graphics generally look good, but the scenes of the bosses blowing up are ridiculous. After intriguing opening voice clips, the sound does little to draw you in.

While hardly amazing, Mazer has its moments. It'll satisfy most 3DO owners who've been thirsting for a little action.

When American Laser Games announces a new game, everyone instantly thinks, "Well, another FMV shooter. Surprise, surprise, their latest title is not a Mad Dog mimic, but an action game. Mazer is a bizarre CD that will sort of remind you of a poor man's Loaded. Set against a futuristic backdrop, it is set in 3/4 perspective giving you a panoramic view of the playing field. Choose from four characters, but each one is practically the same. Freon and Hawk are good for long range, while Azotar and Arashi are best used for close range.

The visuals feature rendered and digitized effects--however, they leave much to be desired as the choppiness of the screen scrolling gets in the way of the game play. The audio is upbeat heavy-metal thrash that sometimes works with the stage and sometimes doesn't. The control is simple, as it should be for action games.

The point of each level is to free humans who are being transformed into cybernetic killers, collect the power-ups and fight a Boss. All of this happens on the small playing board.

Enemies appear through the floor practically swamping you. no matter what your firepower is. If you want to survive, you'll have to manage your shields carefully. The Bosses move slowly but they inflict lots of damage.

With all of the enemies on the screen, avoiding hits is tough. If you manage to destroy the Boss, you'll be treated to a CD cinema of it blowing up.

The power-ups of Mazer do little to improve your situation. You feel like you're defending the Alamo--the odds are against you. This CD is almost too difficult, and therefore is hard to get into. The choppiness of Mazer hints that the programmers tried to do too much on the 3DO. Maybe it would have been better on another machine. Overall, renting this game would be prudent before buying it.