Customer Reviews

Descent

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With all of the Descent games out there, its seems like this one was kind of left in the dust. But in my opinion its probably the best and my favorite of them all. While Descent II expanded more with new features and Descent 3 totally changed the whole mission, this game is probably the most original of the three. So maybe its considered too basic, but that's acutally what I like about it. It has the coolest robots, the coolest levels, and the best soundtrack I've heard ever! I get immersed in this game and the gameplay does it. Granted the graphics are really pixelly, but who cares? The music and the levels keep me playing. While Descent II divided the levels up into different solar systems and kept recycling the music over and over again, not Descent. With 21 different musical compositions and 30 partially unique levels, this ones gives more variety. Also the surprises at the end of levels 7 and 27 were nice. In closing, this game is great. I grit my teeth and prepare to obliterate hoards of nasty mechanical nighmares every time. Get it if you can, they should re-release it. DESCENT RULES!!

Descent was one of the most innovative games of its time. To this day, there has been nothing else quite like it. The general gameplay of Descent meshes an interior engine like Doom with a space combat simulator control scheme. The end result is a game where you can fly anywhere, even upside-down, through the levels.

You are Material Defender 1032, a mercenary hired by the Post-Terran Mining Corporation to douse a robotic rebellion in their intergalactic mines. It seems that a mysterious alien virus has overtaken control of the robots and is coercing them to attack Earth. Thus, you are sent to purge the PTMC mines by destroying their fusion Reactors.

The objectives of each level are fairly simple. Find the appropriate colored keys to open the proper doors in order to find the Reactor. Upon finding the Reactor, you can destroy it setting off a countdown sequence during which you must race to the exit as fast as possible. It is a compelling formula that never grows old.

The Playstation version of Descent is a worthy port of its PC counterpart. It offers new features including:

- An awesome new Redbook soundtrack. Some of the tunes come from the PC version of Descent 2, but most are actually remixes of the MIDI music found in the original PC Descent game.

- New movies. The game is marked by several CG-animated movies, including lengthy renderings of the introduction sequence and the ending sequence in full-motion.

- Colored lighting. During countdown sequences, the entire mine turns red and the lights pulsate. Weapons also have a colorful hue about them when they hit walls or other objects.

Still, the Playstation version is inferior in some respects. The most obvious is the framerate. It can be rather choppy at times and I would guesstimate it hovers around 15-20 fps. Moreover, it would have been cool if the multiplayer modes were split-screen instead of requiring two televisions, two Playstations, and two copies of Descent.

Needless to say, though, if you've never played Descent here's a good place to start. One of the more remarkable aspects of this port is how well the PSX controller was used. Anyone who has played Descent on the PC knows there are a ton of controls. Yet, somehow, Parallax simplified it all to fit on a PSX controller in a very intuitive, natural fashion.

This gmae is the BEST. As soon as i started playing it i was hooked. I would play for hours, just staring at the screen untill my mind was interupted by the phone ringing, or something like that, sometimes i would get into the game so much that i wouldn't evan hear the phone. The story line is set in the future with you as a soldier of some sort piloting a small spaceship. An unknown alien race has sent in some kind of computer virus into droids working in minneral mines on different

planets throughout the solar system. You have been assinged to go into these mines to rescue any survivers, Destroy as maney Robos as possible and finnally destroy the mines them selves.

The graphics in the game are very good(they are a little rough). the theme music is great(i esspecially like level 5's). Each of the twenty sevan levels are completely different(3 secret levels too). All this makes descent, THE GEATEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Descent is a great series and it remains to be my favorite over series like Half Life or Doom. It's truly different with is 360-DOF style gameplay, and it is very challenging. The one thing about the 360-DOF style is that I do not think it is suited for console games of this era. There are simply just not enough buttons on the Playstation controller to control the Pyro. I've been playing the PC version for years. That and it just feels like a really crappy port from the computer to the Playstation. Possibly it could just be me since I'm so used to using the keyboard and mouse. But consider these few points. I just bought the Playstation version as a sort of collector's item. It was cheap so I checked it out. I don't recommend that you buy this game if you're new to Descent. Instead, I'll tell you to buy the PC version and look up Descent Rebirth. The PC version is a Windows DOS game which will not work on any modern systems. I am rating the PC version five out of five because I don't want this review to discourage you from buying Descent. Seriously, BUY THE PC VERSION!!! You won't regret it! Hope I've helped you out some.

Because the editorial review does not explain much i thought I should put in some more information. Here is the story line as i uderstand it. Descent is set in the future. By now mankind has become very advanced, especially in space travel. Colonies have been set up through out the solar system. Very important minerals have ben found on many of the planets and moons, mines were set up on these planets(and moons). But an unknown race of aliens has sent in some sort of computer virus to cuase the androids in the mines to mauthfunction and turn against humanity. You are a soldier working for p.t.m.c. and you have been assinged to stop the invasion. Each mine has a main reactor wich p.t.m.c. would normally be able to self destruct from space stations, but all radio connection has been lost, and evan if they could, there could still be human survivers in the mines. Now you have to go in and destroy the reactor yourself. Your mission is to enter the mines in a small battle spaceship, save any survivors, destroy as many robots as possible and than get to the main reactor and destroy it. Once the reactor has been destroyed you have 50 seconds to get to the emergency exit and escape. you win when you defeat all the levels, however when you win p.t.m.c. won't let you return because they fear that your ship has been infested with something(i don't understand what). You are armed with 10 weapons, the simple laser, or the plasma cannon witch shoots balls of super shocked slime or the muchine gun like vulcan cannon, the atomic mega missle or the homing missle wich seeks enamys out and blast them(or when it is fired by enamys, seeks you out and could probably follow you through the whole level). And you are up against more than 20 different enamy robots as you attempt to defeat 27 levels PLUS 3 or 4 secret levels. It also has great music(i like level 4's music the best). Graphics are great( I wish i could play it with some kind of virtual Reality mask). If you are thinking of getting descent, Trust me, the money is worth it.

I remember playing this game as when I was around 8 and I thought it was awesome. This game is awesome but it can get a little boring. With just the playstation controller the game can be a little awkward. The levels become difficult to navigate even with the map. After getting the hang of it though the game is really fun with complex levels and tough enemies. There is not much to do after you beat the game but there are 30 levels and many of them are very large and take a long time to complete. It's not a small game. For under ten dollars it's definetely worth the money. If you manage to get two copies of this game and link consoles you can play two player against each other. A Really Good Game Overall

IF YOU OWN AN PLAYSTAION ONE AND DONT OWN DESCENT YOU HAVNT TAPED THE TRUE POWER OF YOUR GAME SYSTEM

NO GAME WILL EVER GIVE YOU THE NAUSIATING 360 DEGREE THRILL RIDE THAT DESCENT WILL

BUY IT NOW

Some time ago,when I adquired my playstation console my first game was Descent. Today, it is the only game that has me playing it over and over again. The fun of it being the incredible soundtrack, the smoothness of the gameplay in wich you can practically swim and the intricate maze of the mines in wich you must be absolutely aware of all your ship`s capabilities to survive. Armed with flares, lasers, missiles and your wits you must fight your way in and out of this maze with your ultimate prize: your comrade`s life and your own. I higly recomend it to all.

This game is an ultimate if you love this combination of mazes, shooting, and puzzles. Anyone would love to just jump right in and put their hands on the joystick, and blow those robots away. All in all this is the greatest game ever