Action - Giants

Damn Sarju!

Sarju's going to say that he doesn't remember, or even that I said no such thing, but I called dibs on the Giants: Citizen Kabuto review all the way back at E3. Then again, maybe he reviewed it anyway just because I called dibs on every game that looked good at E3. Regardless - in the end, the much-hyped, oft-delayed and very funny Giants ended up reviewed and it most definitely impressed us!

The pelting

Drop off

Giants' best features are definitely the writing, graphics and design. Those aspects of the game helped us overlook the game's bugs to an extent, but it was irritating when those shortcomings got in the way of our enjoyment. The game does not deserve to be hobbled by bugs and poor '"feature" choices.

On the other hand, it's a testament to that same design and writing that we're impressed enough to include Giants on our Top Games of 2000 list. Poor AI, bugs, instability, no in-game save and the lack of plot after the Mecc missions just couldn't stop us from immensely enjoying this game.

Piggy back!

Reaperman!

Kabuto gives two BIG thumbs up

Mostly action, somewhat RTS, Giants doesn't just have a weird concept and sense of humor. It has three strange and very different races to play with. Singleplayer works like a StarCraft campaign. You play each race in a pre-determined order, as the missions go on the plot is revealed through cinematic sequences.

And boy, are there a lot of missions! They don't get stale either, as each race plays quite differently. You have the team of military, technological Meccs, then the small, quick and magically deadly Sea Reaper, and finally the raw brute strength and wrestling moves of Kabuto. All three rely, to one point or another, on the services of the Smartie slave race.

Sonak	Saggy indeed.
Nice	Sigh

The graphics are truly astounding. In general, in 2000 we didn't see as much of a graphical leap as between 1998 and 1999, but Giants is an exception. The terrain, the character models (as few as they are), the special effects are all mind-blowing. Then, of course, there's always the topless Sea Reaper for you Tomb Raider fans! The game manages to portray the vast sense of scale involved, what with Kabuto stomping around, smashing the same trees and buildings that the Meccs and the Reaper duck between.

Giants: Citizen Kabuto: 85%