Eradicator.gif - 26.2 K
Preview by Alfred Giovetti
Price: $49.95
Release: December 1996
Genre: Doom-style first- and third-person perspective arcade action
Developer: Accolade
Producer: Matthew Powers
Publisher: Accolade
Phone: 408-985-1700, 800-245-7744
Website: http://www.accolade.com/
Demo: www.accolade.com/products/eradicator/acerdemo01.html
Requires: IBM & compatibles, 486 Dx-66 mhz, (pentium preferred), Windows '95 compatible, 2 CD-Rom, 8 mb ram, mouse, keyboard, supports all major soundcards.

The plot: Enter a fortress alone, kill off the malevolent alien intelligence and its denizens within, and free the wealth of the galaxy.

The game can be played from first- and third-person perspectives. The third-person perspective is above and behind the protagonist alter ego of the game player. There are 20 weapons in true doom style and perhaps even some hidden weapons. SCREEN10.gif - 17.3 K

Take the role of one of three characters: Elena, Kamchak, and Dan Blaze. "Elena, a feline mercenary, is fast, yet not as powerful as the other characters, thus making her easy to kill. Kamchak, the lizard warrior, is the most powerful, hard to kill, yet slow. Dan Blaze, the humanoid minor, offers a combination of characteristics of both Elena and Kamchak."

Like many of the space combat flight simulators, Eradicator has applied the laws of physics to the game. Momentum, the tendency of an object in motion, and Force, the action of acceleration on mass, and friction, the tendency of slowing down an object in motion as it impacts with other objects, such as gas particles that make up air, with will apply. Projectiles will bounce off walls correctly like billiard balls, instead of just impacting.

Eradicator enemies will get smarter as you get smarter, making the challenge continual and nullifying the advantage of experience, which has proved difficult to implement effectively in many previous games. Quests or mission-based objectives, problem solving, and varying fighting skills, will replace the kill everything objectives found in other Doom-like games in an attempt to make the game more cerebral and engaging. SCREEN4.gif - 24.8 K

In an attempt to get more and more cinematic and distance this Doom-clone from all the rest and maybe rest the weary eyes and hands of Doom addicts to their wallets for yet another carbon copy, the game designers have added unique multiple "picture-in-picture" views and very heavy arcade action.

High-quality, animated cut scenes break up the action between each of the 25 levels of play, and up to 8 players will be allowed to play the game over a network.

Preview references:
Press release: www.accolade.com/pr/05.16.96_erad3Daction.html
Jason Bates, PC Gamer, volume 3, number 7, pg. 30-31.