Graphics and Control

Expendable's graphics are, true to Rage's promise, "visually gobsmacking." The game's levels are done up quite well in the theme of desolate, alien-infested worlds. More importantly, though, explosions abound. Everything you can damage explodes in a very satisfactory way, from the flying alien guts to blowing up a parked police car ($75 ticket for turning right at a "no right turn on red" stoplight, eh? Well, EAT THIS!).

Incoming. . .

Lots of alien blood

The game ran nice and smooth at 800x600 on a Celeron 400 with an NVIDIA TNT, so gameplay on slower systems at a slightly lower resolution (provided you have a 3D card) should pose no problem. Stepping the resolution up, though, caused the game to be uncontrollably jerky. What before were gracefully executed turn-shots, strafes, and other such maneuvers became the demented and random shooting of a mentally unstable space marine on PCP.

Your friend, the laser sight

Explosions galore

Speaking of control, it took a playthrough or two (the demo is only 1 level) to get the hang of, but once you've mastered it, it poses no problem. Your Expendable unit is controlled much the same way cars were controlled in RC Pro-Am for the NES, and other similar racing games. Given that you're a badassed space marine and not a cute lil' remote-control toy, this is a bit awkward at first, but it quickly becomes intuitive.