Re Loaded

Warning: This is not the same Loaded your parents warned you about. Although Re-Loaded retains the bloody elements of its predecessor, this time the focus is on strategy and puzzle solving... and the difficulty has been pumped up a notch!

A Kinder, Gentler Loaded?

You'll notice the differences with Re-Loaded immediately, especially with the enemies who do a lot more damage. Their power forces you to move slowly and proceed carefully through the stages, making the game-f play different from the reckless run-and-gun forays of the first game. There are even stages where the objective is to save people! Although a few stages rely solely on run-and-gun skills, they're few and far between.

This sequel takes place right after Loaded, with you in hot pursuit of FUB's buddy, Cheb (a sick galactic wannabe ruler who framed you). The game takes you from the tropics to city streets, and even to a monastery where monks throw grenades, pack some righteous firepower, and beat you to a bloody pulp in seconds with sticks.

The Good, the Bad, and the Real Bad

Four returning characters (Cap 'N Hands, Bounca, Mamma, and Butch) and two newcomers (The Consumer and Sister Magpie) compose the dirty half-dozen of playable psychos, who each have varying strengths and weaknesses. Of the two new characters, Magpie is the best--she packs excellent firepower and moves quickly.

At the end, the game goes overboard and gets too disgusting. Your final mission is to destroy a giant mutated Cheb, who is strapped to a table. You travel across his body, shooting his eyes, nose, teeth...and other parts of his anatomy. This stage is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Not Just a Re-Hash

Loaded fans will definitely want to take a look at Re-Loaded. It adds enough new and diverse elements to rise above the "more of the same" stigma, yet manages to keep the core aspects that made the original game so much fun. Time to re-load and go back for more!

Graphics

The blood and carnage are colorful, the character cinemas superb, and the stages well-rendered with excellent light-source effects. However, the action gets choppy and slow when the screen is too full.

Sound

The wet slap of enemies biting the dust, death screams, and gun discharges are excellent. The music, varying from hard rock to mellow synthesizers, fits perfectly with each stage.

Control

The simple running, strafing, and shooting mechanics are blessed with nearperfect controls. Movement becomes sluggish and imprecise only when you're navigating hills and steep cliffs.

Fun Factor

The puzzles and deliberate pacing are excellent additions, but some may find the game too slow and plodding. In either case, Re-Loaded is worthy of its predecessor, delivering a good bang for your buck.

Re-Loaded is the sequel to Loaded, last year's bloody shoot-em-up. Some new faces join the roster of gunners, including The Consumer and Sister Magpie. Additionally, returning characters such as Bounca and Mama have new looks. The game will offer more puzzles, different weapons, and new abilities. Characters can climb stairs and jump, and bullets can now ricochet!

Going completely over the top, the last level takes place on the body of a giant strapped to a table. In this climactic final stage, you must blast your way to the giant's head, then blow it apart!

The first Loaded became an instant classic on the PlayStation. Tons of action, bloody mayhem and enough blasting to keep any gamer happy for a long time. Interplay and Gremlin have teamed up once again to create a sequel to their smash Hit-Re-Loaded.

It's not unlike the first game in that it has plenty of shooting action. The main difference, though, is that this time there are some new faces. The interface has also been cleaned up and the control looks to be a bit better than the first. The copy we received is still early, and only one level was playable so far. The enemies are now made up of seemingly nude monsters running around.

The futuristic wasteland that will make up the first level of gameplay is graphically not as impressive as the first game's levels at first glance. The landscape doesn't have very much variety other than hills that must be climbed over as well as a maze of pathways and crossings. During the first level, your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to collect three objects and return them to their owner, who will then allow you to pass over his bridge.

Control is very important in a game of this type. With enemies coming at you from all sides, it's important to be able to shoot in all directions quickly. An analog controller would help in this case, but the PlayStation controller works fairly well for right now. The only problem is that sometimes enemies attack you before you can turn around and shoot at them.

The addition of a few new characters helps the game out. Old friends come back to cause more carnage. Re-Loaded stars Cap N Hands. Butch, Mama, The Consumer, Bounca and Sister Magpie. Each of the characters has his or her own opening presented with CG-rendered graphics.