Shock Wave Operation Jumpgate: 2026

If you loved the first Shock Wave, you'll jump for joy overjumpgate. But you'd better practice before attempting this tough outer-space battle-Jumpgate has a unique requirement. You must beat and save at least one mission from the original Shock Wave before you can access this second game.

Shocking News

Some aliens never learn. After being defeated in the first game, they've amassed a huge strike force that again requires you to leap into your trusty F-177 Fighter. This time, the fight isn't on Earth. Road trip!

Shock Wave Operation Jumpgate: 2026 sends you winging through the solar system in five long missions that supplement the ten missions in the first Shock Wave.Jump-gate's missions are similar to the pre-quel's. You weave through alien traffic in your low-flying craft, blasting the enemy and trying to ration your weapons between refueling stations. Full-motion video conveys the movie-like plot. During the fight, you'll hear familiar commentary from commanders and medics. By now, these guys are like family.

Forbidden Planet

The graphics and sounds will be instantly recognizable to Shock Waver Your first-person view of craggy alien terrain and darting ships is initially enthralling, but your surroundings don't vary much. It was more fun to destroy pyramids, casinos, and the Hollywood sign in the first game. As before, the video footage is stellar.

The sounds are also strong, with dynamic explosions and good voices driving the action. Still no battle music, though.

The controls are identical to the first game's: a button each for lasers, missiles, and turbo speed. The targeting cursor feels a little more forgiving this time, registering near misses as direct hits. The flying still feels somewhat limited since you can neither soar high nor burrow into the ground.

Shock to the System

The biggest difference between the two games is Jumpgate's difficulty. It assumes you mastered the first game, so the enemies are faster, more numerous, and mostly airborne (the easy-to-bag walkers have disappeared). Expect lots of crashing and replaying. But what replaying it is! This Operation's a success.

The year is 2019 and the Earth has suddenly been attacked by an enormous and totally unknown alien force. You are a rookie aboard a ship in orbit around the Earth. The ship has been cut off from Washington and all other military headquarters. The commander decides to send out every available pilot he has in order to try to stop the advance of the enemy. This is your first real combat mission so stay cool and stay on course. You will fly missions over many different countries and terrains, and as the story unfolds you will be a key player in the fight to save planet Earth.

Aliens have bombarded Earth, and only you and your trusty F177 sub-orbital fighter can stop them. Shock Wave is a technologically advanced flight simulator from Electronic Arts. There are three modes of fighting: dogfights against swarms of fighters, battles against alien ground forces, and one-on-one duels with alien motherships. Cinematic motion-video scenes, 24-bit true-color artwork, texture-mapped landscapes based upon real terrains, and digitized sound enhance the game's realism.

Wow! At first it was hard to tell if this was a science-fiction movie ora game! In fact, Electronic Arts claims that playing Shock Wave will be like starring in a Hollywood sci-fi flick, and they're not far off. From the cockpit of the F-177 fighter, you fly over texture-mapped landscapes created from custom aerial photography, fighting alien spacecraft rendered with real-time 3D graphics. Blue-screened actors work against photographic images and computer-generated true-color artwork. The sounds and music are CD-quality stereo with Dolby Surround Sound.

EA even plans to issue a full-motion video version that'll use the soon-to-come Panasonic 3DO MPEG cartridge to produce VHS-quality pix at 30 frames per second!

Yes, there's a story line, and it's cool. In the year 2019, Earth is suddenly bombarded from space by a murderous, unknown alien race. You're a rookie pilot aboard the UNS Omaha, the world's first outer space aircraft carrier. The fate of the world is in your hands, the way any starfighting gamer should want it. Shock Wave looks and sounds like it's going to be out of this world, but the proof will be in the playing.

Shock Wave's tough adversaries and first-rate graphics make it a decent 3DO shooter. Controlling an FI77 all-atmosphere space fighter, you rocket in and out of the atmosphere to take on ten stages of first-person-perspective air-to-air and air-to-ground combat.

Strange Invaders

Shock Wave's alien hordes don't overwhelm you with superior technology as much as they wear you down with sheer numbers. Their bizarre insectoid vehicles include spider walkers and supply ships with flapping wings. The game won't fry your fingers, but don't expea any breaks; you usually must destroy every bad guy on a level to meet mission objectives.

Your arsenal contains the basics, but it's enough to get the job done. The controls respond instantly - using laser blasters and guided missiles should be a no-brainer for shooter aces. The FI 77 control panel features cool-looking readouts, but you only use the weapons-energy meters, shield strength, and fuel gauge.

Vicious Visuals

Shock Wave has great live-action video, computer-generated animated graphics, and texture-mapped polygons. The story sequences will make sci-fi hardware fans drool. The polygon-based in-flight and combat visuals feature quick scaling and wild rotation. The audio's a mite sparse, with crystalline CD voices. Effects are limited to the constant, muted hum of your jet engines, your shots, and hits on your jet.

Shock Wave's downsides have more to do with your friends than your foes. The FI77 must be a low-level fighter, since it hugs the ground like you're flying in a box. Although lateral movement isn't as constricted, friendly fire always brings you down when you stray off the predetermined flight path.

Sometimes Mission Control and your fellow flyers pop onto your radar display and calmly say 'You're doing just fine," even though the ETs are dusting your butt. And TV reporters flash on-screen with news even when you're in a dogfight and you need your radar.

Regarding Wave

Although a little more attention should've been paid to the aforementioned details, this disc puts up a good fight. Shooter vets eager to cut another notch into their 3DO will be in for a Shock.