Cel Damage
Score: 65% ESRB: Teen Publisher: EA Games Developer: Pseudo Interactive Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Arcade/ Miscellaneous
Graphics & Sound: The graphics are the best thing about Cel Damage. The cel shading used in the game's cartoon-like third person perspective are smooth, wonderfully animated, and colorful. The six available characters and their vehicles are all nicely animated, as are the four different areas you can race them in. Sound effects are appropriate for the mayhem that ensues, as characters 'smack' each other, destroying each other's cars, as well as much of the landscape. The rock music soundtrack, while not terribly varied, is effective, and goes well with the proceedings.
Gameplay: Initially the only Game Mode available in Cel Damage is Smack Attack. It consists of selecting a character and then frantically driving through the area you've selected, picking up weapons and power-ups, and trying to destroy all of the other characters as often as you possibly can. To unlock the next Game Mode, Gate Relay, you have to be the first one to smack the other characters a total of 500 times. In Gate Relay, you are required to pass through gates a set number of times. In the final game mode, Flag Rally, you must collect four flags and deliver them to the winner's circle before your competitors. The various characters in Cel Damage all have different attributes, as each is rated in Top Speed, Acceleration, Turning, Deceleration, Traction, and Weight. You can tell the difference between each of them, but ultimately, speed and turning seem to be the deciding factors, as you must quickly maneuver to the best weapons, then take out your opponents quickly in order to win. You can only pick up a single weapon at a time, which means there's little to do but roam around and take out other characters. There's not much depth to any of the Game Modes, and although the areas are interesting, once you've seen them all, there's little else to do.
Difficulty: Cel Damage is a difficult game. Smack Attack, for instance, is fast and furious, and you have to be constantly moving, picking up weapons, and taking out opponents in order to succeed. Weapons only have so many uses before they are expended, so you have to constantly be on the lookout for replacements. It is possible to lower the difficulty level and number of smacks/gates/flags required for the various game modes, but unless you play at the default levels, or higher, you cannot unlock the other Game Modes or areas. It would have been a welcome addition to have a more forgiving mode of play, but it appears the designers have attempted to make up for the game's limited play value by making it more difficult.
Game Mechanics: The game's controls are easy to master, and follow the standard right trigger for acceleration, left for braking and reverse, and the left thumbstick for steering. The A button fires your weapon, and although there are a few other controls, they are only important for some game modes or for multiplayer. The user interface is easy to figure out, although loading and saving games is a little confusing. Load times are short for the various levels, and getting set up and going is easy to do. The actual game play is simple, and most should master it in short order. Cel Damage is an attractive game that offers little replayability, and what gameplay it does offer is very repetitive. Even though it has four different areas and two game modes, unlocking them is difficult to do, and is probably not worth the effort involved. The available characters are interesting, as are their vehicles, but it's doubtful one would consider completing the entire game as each of them. Overall, this is a disappointing game, and one most would do best avoiding.
-Gordy, GameVortex Communications AKA Gary Lucero
Battle Engine Aquila Colin McRae Rally 3