Descent 3
by Interplay Productions
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: InterplayFormat: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT
Model: C95-778-0
Publisher: Interplay Productions
Accessories:
Video Game Reviews of Descent 3
Customer Review: Newer is not always better
Summary: 1 Stars
Before I bought this game, I followed the progress of its development via the World Wide Web. The only reason I was so excited to get it was because I expected it to be better than Descent II. I expected Descent 3 to have all of the D2 weapons and more. I remember being disappointed when I read the manual that weapons such as the Phoenix Cannon and Helix Cannon were excluded. On top of that, only a few primary weapons (out of ten total) are actually any good, which means the descriptions of the weapons in the pilot's manual are very misleading.
The system requirements were way too high. I remember buying a video card for this game, and I couldn't even play level 5 because it was too choppy. And nobody's computer was good enough to play certain multiplayer levels.
The single-player was overcomplicated. Instead of "get blue key, get yellow key, get red key, destroy the reactor or boss," you have to complete these specific objectives, and if you don't, you fail the mission and can't continue until you do. I enjoyed the missions, but that's because I like action games a lot. Outrage tried way too hard to make the single-player like a tactical action game. In a shooting game, complicated objectives just don't fly. It just doesn't seem action-packed.
The music, and almost all of the sounds were different. I liked the music, but that's because I like techno. The music and sounds were just so inconsistent with Descent I and II. It's a common misconception among Descent players that Descent 3 failed because of lack of marketing. But there was just too much competition from games like Half-Life; so D3 fell by the wayside. There was a great lack of Descent 3 players online, which continually declined. So most players became over-confident and over-competitive, worrying too much about their rank and statistics and heckling the weaker players, constantly reminding them of their lack of skill, day in and day out.
For three years I struggled with Descent 3 (Yes I said three years). I just couldn't get the concept of how to move with whatever controller I was using. Self-help Web sites for Descent didn't help, because this game is not Descent. And the changes Outrage made to the ship physics and controls didn't make it any easier. The single-player only lasted a month, and that's because I didn't play it all day. There were only 15 levels, and while they were much bigger (that's another thing, D3 has super-huge levels), each super-huge level took the same amount of time to complete as any D1/D2 level. The size of the levels made a lot of the weapons ineffective too.
Once I got the hang of the multiplayer, then it was O.K., which is why I gave this game the rating I gave it. I think the only reasons I played as long as I did were because I thought it was going to be like Descent II, and I wanted to become the best player. Both of those things never happened. For 3 years I only had a 33% efficiency. Never made it past the first rank, when the ranks still existed. I didn't even make the list on PXO. Not to mention that this game is full of bugs. Especially if you have a modern computer. I'd say playing Descent 3 multiplayer was one of the worst experiences of my life. I'd say, if you like action games and single-player games, pick it up, it's good for a few thrills...plus it's only like $1 now. But if you don't have the patience for being chain-killed in multiplayer, and can't stand playing the same levels over and over, then this game is not for you.
Description of Descent 3
Get into the action with Descent 3 and Descent 3 Mercenary where you will test out your piloting skills using extensive arsenal of tactics and heavy firepower. With detailed environments and multiplayer missions kick it up a notch and create your own levels to compete with power-ups, robots, and scripted events.Descent 3 is not your ordinary first-person shooter--and it never was. Instead of binding a player to the body of a military grunt or brawny mercenary, the Descent line puts the player in the cockpit of an agile and heavily equipped space ship. Spiraling around the bowels of catacombs and pulling zero Gs while decimating the enemy has been this series' hallmark. With version 3, the game gets bigger.
The sky's the limit (almost, since there's a moratorium on altitude), and the players can now skim over enigmatic alien ruins and the bombed-out hulks of recent industry. Enemies are just as hard or harder to fight in open terrain, and some truly gifted behemoths will make players scurry for the familiar safety of the underground warren.
But the most challenging aspect of this milieu is its vigorous use of all three dimensions. If players are too regimented in forward, back, and sideways moves, some nasty 3-D accelerated surprises await them. Of course, there's standard play for the lone wolf, but for those who like to fly in packs, there's the Internet module, which enables players to congregate and interact. Descent 3 is the ultraworthy heir to a gaming dynasty, so put your tray table in its upright position and adjust your attitude. --Tamara Hladik
Shooter Games
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