Toy Commander
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Introduction Every so often a game comes along that you just know is going to be a treat. From its earliest beta, Toy Commander has been on that list, and if it does not quite fulfill those high expectations, it is still a mighty fine game. Putting a particularly warped twist on the 'toys some alive' theme of Pixar's recent release of Toy Story 2, the game casts you as Andy, a young boy whose toys have decided to wage war against him for being neglected. The house is under siege and it is up to Andy to win back the trust of his toys. Taking control of the 35 toys that have not been corrupted and spread across 8 distinct gaming arenas, it is your duty to rescue the house and ultimately face off against the "toy commander" in the cellar. If you succeed you will be crowned the new toy commander. Graphics Visually, Toy Commander is a high point in the first generation of Dreamcast software. While some of the textures are simple, their high definition and appealing colour palette give the overall presentation a strong impression. The environment is supposed to be a house and that is exactly what it feels like. The detail in each area is impeccable right down to the small details whether it be on pictures or fixtures throughout the house. The sense of scale is also well executed, which ultimately gives you the feeling of being a toy. The toys themselves are well designed and highly detailed. To top it off the game sustains a perfect 60 FPS with little to no slowdown and no pop-up. The only instances of slowdown we found were in situations where it was a close up with many explosions going off. Very minimal and does not distract from the gameplay or presentation. Audio The soundtrack is mostly made up of techno and trance based themes. They fit quite well with the gameplay and there is enough variety to keep you from turning down the volume. The in-game sound effects are commendable. Each of the different weapons have their own distinct sound which have been carefully recreated for the game. What is also impressive is how the volume fluctuates depending what camera angle you are using. If you slide into first person perspective you can expect to feel the full impact of machine guns going off. It is this attention to detail that the developer No Cliche is to be commended. The only thing we would have liked to seen added would have been the ability of the toys to have their own voices, then in essence bringing them more to life. |