Seek and Destroy Review

Introduction
Video games have become a serious business. Originally a niche market that was considered to service the outcast of society, the industry is now today one of the most successful financial avenues imaginable. Instead of taking a mere weekend to construct by one person working in their garage, teams of sophisticated experts in numerous different fields require years and millions of dollars to bring titles to market. Gone are the simplistic gameplay and pixilated graphics. Everything today is about photorealistic graphics, advanced artificial intelligence and deep revolving plot lines and characters. Although these progressions make the gaming experience much more realistic, the jury is still out whether these advancements make for a better game overall.

Retrospective remakes and reissues are one of the biggest crazes for the industry. While some proponents defend the existence of these classics with the demand of players wanting to relive the days of their youth, I believe that it is their solid, yet simplistic, gameplay that keeps gamers coming back for more. Nevertheless, if one looks hard enough through the stacks and stacks of video games released every year, there are always a few that pass on the super stellar graphics and the celebrity voice-overs to concentrate on what everybody really wants…an enjoyable game that anyone can play without needing lightning reflexes or an intimate knowledge of controller management.

Unfortunately, it is exactly titles like this that get swept under the rug by most of the gaming media. They have no spark which ignites the imagination or push by a big-time producer to bring the product to the forefront. Moreover, these select titles are usually released at a reduced price which immediately camouflages them in with other sub-par productions, and can easily discourage a consumer from taking them out for a test drive. Their only real hope for reaching a large number of gamers is by word of mouth, since most of these titles will never be advertised in either print or on television. Unlike most media sites, we here at XGP try to give each title its fair time in the spotlight and are constantly on the lookout for titles that may have slipped under the radar. Recently we smacked aside the big boys to give some attention to a game that probably none of you readers have ever heard of, or even seen for sale in your local gaming establishment. Let me introduce you all to a 2002 release from Conspiracy Entertainment called Seek and Destroy.

Gameplay
Seek and Destroy is one of the many games that takes place within the Choro-Q universe. Although this reference may be totally unknown to most American gamers, the Choro-Q brand-name is one that has had much success across the seas and has been in existence for many years. In fact, we recently did a review on Road Trip, which was my first personal exposure to this universe. The Choro-Q universe is one where vehicles take on the abilities of human beings and these machines can talk, think and react to their surroundings, just like any of us currently walking the earth.

The background for the game is rather simple. In the calendar year 210 CQ, the Q-Stein Empire declares war on the Kingdom of Proton and invades. The war is going badly for the Proton forces. In a short six month period, over 80% of the land has been taken over with only two major cities remaining free. The Proton King has gone underground for protection and the citizens of the land have their backs against the wall, fighting what looks to be a hopeless endeavor. With its army decimated, the remaining civilians have taken up the cause of their country. You play the part of one of these citizens forced to fight for your very survival.

The story mode is made up of twenty-five different battles. Even though the game forces a player to proceed in an almost completely linear fashion, there are rare examples when you will have the choice of two or three different encounters to attempt. There is even a few opportunities where the missions will change depending on your decision, but these are exceptionally rare. Moreso, each of the missions are rather short and usually won’t take more than fifteen minutes to complete. You do have the ability to drive across the land in an overhead view between the physical squirmishes, but there is no real reason to consider this a plus since nothing goes on outside of the established battle zones.

Visually, this title looks very basic. The graphics are standard Choro-Q flavoring with blocky and squat vehicles. Most of the environments are rather sparse with very little extras scattered throughout the frame. Some of the objects can be destroyed by both enemy and friendly fire, or by simply driving your tank into the side of a building. The framerate remains solid but, unlike the other games within the genre, there are plentiful examples of clipping or the camera getting hung up because of the surroundings. The sound effects and background music are forgettable and you will miss out on absolutely nothing if you switch your sound system over to a local radio station or start spinning some personal CDs.

The controller setup can be completely customized to how ever the player prefers to operate their tank. The upper turret on some tanks can be maneuvered independently from the main body and there are multiple weapon firing buttons so your tank can have up to three different weapons activated. When beginning the game, players have the choice of fifteen different tanks to use, and these can be swapped out with new unlocked models in special sections of the town. There are also 100 different parts that can be purchased, including weapons, engines, tank treads or even cosmetic items and the camouflage scheme can be altered for your respective surroundings. Tanks do have weapon restrictions depending on their allowable overall weight and body type, so it is imperative to find a tank that fits in with your playing style. The versatility of the tank and weapon selection is the most intriguing aspect of the game and players can loose hours just looking through the different pieces and parts to be used to complete missions.

Seek and Destroy utilizes the caR-PG aspect that made Road Trip so much fun and exciting. You have the ability to ’speak’ to a plethora of different NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that populate a town, once it has been liberated from the clutches of the evil Q-Stein Empire. Subtle hints about what needs to be done next came be gleamed from these conversations, but players will not acquire new items or necessary must-have information for completing the game, so in all actuality it really isn’t needed if you are short on time and want to get through the game as quickly as possible. Inside each town there are special areas where players can earn extra spending money, along with any funds that are awarded in completing missions, for purchasing upgrades. These arenas are either one-on-one slugfests or can be various mini games when speed, maneuverability or specially equipped weapons will play a strategic part for your success. There is also a heliport which acts as a quick transportation manner for visiting any area already cleared. Furthermore, each city has a shop that has different upgradeable parts for your tank and a garage to save your progress and equip your extra items. Players will have to employ some brainpower with these shops as some areas are the only place were certain objects can be purchased and if you forget where you can buy the water floats or the jet engines you can expect a lot of wasted time backtracking through the cities until you find what you need to progress further in the game.

All of the different battlefields have a degree of variation and utilize the elements very well. You can expect to have altercations on the land, in the sea and even flying through the air. Sometimes you will have a supporting cast of NPCs fighting along side of you, but for most part it usually is just your tank against superior odds. This is no real reason to fear as the computer AI is not the smartest found within the history of gaming and very rarely will you need more than two tries to be able to finish an assignment. The loose camera does cause complications and will make your endeavor more trying than it really should be, but the inclusion of a radar on your HUD (Heads-Up Display) will keep you abreast of the battle developing around you.

Extras
Besides the story mode, players have the opportunity to flaunt their tank handling prowess in a two player match-up. Along with a standard slugfest, where the object is to eliminate your opponent, players can also compete in any of the sixteen mini games that were available in the one player story mode. There are also eight various environments that can be sampled to keep the experience fresh. Moreover, custom tanks are allowed to be utilized along with any of their extra special weapons or unique parts. Definitely this adds to the shelf life of the game but it could use more variety to keep the player coming back for more.

Seek and Destroy also contains a one player arcade mode with three different difficulty levels. However, even on the highest setting, once you have unlocked the more powerful weaponry, the computer really doesn’t present much of a challenge. By defeating opponents, you are given special codes to unlock extra items to be used in the main game. There is also a one player Deathmatch option where you will be pitted against an endless supply of enemy tanks and the goal is to simply stay alive as long as possible. The other unique aspect of the game is the tank library bundled in with the game. Each of the 100 tanks has a Reader’s Digest version of their individual history and can be educational for those who want to have some background on their choice of destruction. Probably, this is the best part of the game, which is extremely pitiful in this day and age.

Conclusion
All in all, Seek and Destroy is not exactly the same quality of sleeper pearl in the gaming industry oyster which Road Trip happened to be. Takara could have had another excellent gaming experience if they had found a way to add more depth to the very short story mode or included more challenging mini games to help fill in the void. Even though the game was released for under ten dollars at its launch, it still doesn’t justify allowing a player complete the entire game in a single afternoon sitting. This game can only really be recommended for collectors or those on a very, very tight budget. For everybody else, I would suggest looking elsewhere for your electronic pleasure.

Final Score: 6.8