Review by: Rob Peets

One word sums up Loaded, released for PSX about a year ago and now available on Saturn, the word: carnage! If you like loads of blood and guts and bodies smearing all over the place then this game is for you. It looks kinda like the classic top view shooter Gauntlet but in 3D with very detailed textures, actually it really plays like Gauntlet too, just much more violent. You get to choose between six characters all of whom are psychotics in some form or another, each has their own kind of hand held weapon and special weapon which acts as a very cool smart bomb to clear the area when it gets too tough. Each level is a 'find the keys to get through the doors that will lead you to the end of the level', nothing new here.

GRAPHICS 9/10

If anything this game looks amazing. The texture detail is very high, on one level theres some fencing which looks like you could reach into your screen and touch it. Also I realised that while I was playing as the BUTCH character, (a psycho who uses a flamethrower and wears a dress, only because in an escape its always the first item of clothing he seems to find)...anyway while I was blasting away at some huge hoard of enemies with the flamethrower, explosions going off left and right, I could imagine the searing heat as I roared thru the hallways. Thats how 'hot' the graphics are. The only thing that could be better is the zoom mode, which is a bit useless because if you zoom in too close you wont be able to see whats happening around you... and believe me--you need to see everything. Its a cool idea though :)

SOUND 8/10

The soundtrack features songs by the band 'Pop Will Eat Itself' and really nice sound effects to go along with the gore factor.

CONTROL 8/10

Eight directions, a fire button for main weaponry and secondary fire button for smart bombs. Theres the zoom feature I mentioned earlier, plus run and strafe buttons and a map button. Thats about it as far as controls, and everything seemed to work nicely. The pads are fully configurable for up to 2 players.

REPLAY VALUE 5/10

This is where the game kind of bites, as do many level based games in my opinion. There are fifteen levels, but I can see how after Ive finished the game I won't want to pick it up again for a while, unless I'm showing it off to a friend or something. :)

OVERALL 8/10

This game is really nice as far as these kinds of games go. If you feel like letting loose and destroying everything that crosses your path then the game is worth its price. Otherwise rent it and take it for a test drive, either way you most likely wont be too disapointed. By the way, the game is rated 'M' ages 17+

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