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Review: Alter Echo
by VGLN Staff
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
A time freezing, shape shifter makes for some interesting, but fun gameplay.
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Title:
Alter Echo
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Platform:
Xbox |
Publisher:
THQ
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Developer:
Outrage Games
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#
of Players: 1
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Genre:
Action/Adventure
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release: August 18, 2003
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Grapevine:
"Odo was a famous Shape Shifter from Star Trek Deep Space 9." |
Alter Echo takes place on a planet called Proteus. It's surface is covered by a substance called Multiplast. Multiplast is a substance that allows rare individuals called Shapers to physcially change into all sorts of things. In Alter Echo you'll be able to morph into Stealth Form, Sword Form, and Gun Form. This is done with the single press of a button.
You play as a male named Nevin who works for a corporation that mines Multiplast. You are a shaper, a special shaper. Why? Because you have the power to freeze time with a feature called Time Dilate. With the press of a button you can go into Time Dilate mode and use to the D-Pad to create a chain of attacks. After you complete the chain, Nevin will attack the enemies in real-time while the enemies are frozen.
Your mission is to go to Proteus to stop an evil Shaper named Paavo. He has created a new form of Plast calles Xenoplast. It has gotten out of control! So much that it is alive and aware of what is going on. Now you must stop the Xenoplast and Paavo before it is too late!
Alter Echo is a 3rd person action game that mixes platforming action with one on one action. The game is broken up into many levels so don't worry about having to start a section all over if you die. You'll constantly be able to save. As you progress through Proteus you'll encounter numerous enemies that Paavo has sent after you. You will use all three of your Shaper forms to destroy them. Everything in Alter Echo flows nicely with the difficulty being just right.
Controls in Alter Echo are spot on. Very easy to get the hang of. The Left Thumbstick is used to move while the Right Thumbstick is used to control the camera. The Left and Right Triggers are used to switch forms. A is used to jump while B, X, and Y are all used to attack. The white button is used for Invisibility, Shield, or Bullet Absord depending on what shape you are in. Last but not least, use the black button to cycle through your weapons and the D-Pad to cycle through targets.
Visually, Alter Echo has it's own unique style to it. Some might call it bland, I call it appropriate. Colors are spot-on and help create the appearance that the world around you is changing. Characters animations are fluid and varied. Models have enough detail while environment effects are sometimes lacking. Overall the visual side of Alter Echo is just fine.
Sound wise, Alter Echo won't blow you away like other games but it definitely won't make you turn off the in-game sound. The true shame is that Alter Echo doesn't support 5.1 surround sound, which is odd since 99% of all other games do. In game sounds are adequate in style. Different weapons, enemies, etc -- all have different sounds. Music is very techno, which is a love it or hate it dilemma. Voice acting is pretty good with Nevin delivering one-liners on the money. Overall, the audio side of Alter Echo gets the job done.
Overall, it is great to see developers trying new things to advance the video game, and we all know it's time for a change. Sooner or later, we're going to say to ourselves "Wait a minute? Didn't I just play the same game but with different characters last week?" So props go out to Outrage Games and THQ for having the "fortitude" to develop and publish this game. If you're looking for something new then Alter Echo should do. A nice, fun, different game that will hopefully get the attention it deserves.
--- Hector Cortez
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