The Grid
Reviewer: Piccolo
System: Arcade
Developer: Midway
Year of Release: 2000
Genre: Deathmatch
Number of Players: 3
Save: Yes (PIN number saves stats)
ESRB Rating: N/A (Lifelike Violence-Strong)

I've never been terribly good at arcade games. Their flashy graphics and varying methods of play appealed to me, however greedy arcade managers usually set the difficulty too high to milk the money from players. Whenever I have a live opponent, they are usually pretty much an expert at the game and blow me away before I get a good taste of the game. However, I found The Grid to be completely different.

The game's premise is this: VSSE has dispatched two agents, Keith Martin and Richard Miller to stop the launch of a nuclear satellite into space. Wait, that's the Time Crisis 2 intro. Damn Northern Virginia Community College arcade. Anyway, 8 physically attractive fighters, including a ninja, engage in Mortal Combat in this virtual reality arena for a game show. A decent attempt to explain respawning, however this idea gets shot down because when your character loses he is transported back to the TV studio and promptly dies in a gruesome manner. In any case, on to the review.

The Grid doesn't need amazing graphics or loud sound and music to draw you in -- in most arcades, you will find the game as a set of 3 standard sized cabinets huddled together. If it is a busy arcade, you will often see a crowd around it, but do not be afraid to join it, as only the player who places first will get a free game. As your turn nears and you get a better view of the action, you will find that its 3D polygonal graphics are colorful, with good motion capture.

Sound and music? What sound and music? Arcades are too noisy. You will hear the traditional screams of being blown into a wall from across the stage by a cannonball, and maybe some cheesy catch phrases from the announcer. You will also hear him say "Toasty!" but that is only because it has been engraved into your brain.

First person shooter (FPS) games have been a favorite of mine since Wolfenstien 3D. I didn't play every one that came along, however Doom, Goldeneye, and Tribes have all had something special to add to the genre that I liked. The Grid is similar to these games, with an arena to run about in and several types of weapons to obliterate opponents with. It differs somewhat in that it is always in 3rd person, behind your character. Its control scheme is simple and lends itself to easy pick up and play from veterans of FPS games, especially of the PC variation: A tall joystick with a jump button and fire trigger, and a wide trackball for precise aiming. I had been obsessed with playing Tribes almost daily for weeks, so I was used to having my hands apart when playing the game. Maybe it was beginners luck, or perhaps it was my friend who was used to the closer quarters of a Nintendo 64 controller, but I was a phenom at this game. Eventually my friend adapted and got better, and I met some very challenging players that humbled me. But I will never forget what a great time I had playing this game, and an arcade game at that!

Difficulty in this game varies. If you're unlucky, you'll play against some very skilled opponents and get blown to bits. In the single player mode, I found the computer opponents to be quite easy, and that's a good thing since you'll be fighting several of them during a match. During these fights the game is quite encouraging, with the announcer urging you on after every kill. I reached the top of the ladder with ease, only to find that the Final Fight was just my guy standing in one place and hitting running opponents like a lame version of a shooting gallery. Overall, it's not a terribly hard game, and one of the few I stopped playing out of fatigue rather than running out of money.

Another word on the gameplay mechanics. The weapons range from manual and auto fire, and from Chainguns to missiles to close range weapons. When you run out of ammo, you can grab at people and slam them into the ground for a good amount of damage. Some stages have dangers like lava or electrified water you can lure opponents into. One stage takes place on a giant pool table, with a ball rolling around in a circle and flattening all in its path. Each of the 8 characters has a unique special move, which is accessed by the "Super" button near the trackball of course. They can be performed several times, but you must wait in between each move for a while before doing it again. The ninja does a flying kick. One of the girls digs into the floor and re-appears elsewhere. One of the guys uses a jetpack to fly across the stage and make anyone he hits spin themselves silly, disabling them for a while. My favorite character is the guy with a move in which he flies up and stomps on his opponent. For great Mario justice.

It's not a perfect game, of course. The characters don't seem to move fast enough, which is especially annoying when you're dashing for a health pack then get blown away as you near it. Two weapons seem to dominate: The Super Shotgun with its explosive shells that instantly hit the target you point at, and the Flash cannon with its swift rocket. In a skilled player's hands, the close range weapons like the flame thrower are deadly because once you start to take damage from these, there is little chance of you leaping away to safety because you are pushed backward. General arcade wear and tear applies, as the far left machine at my arcade had glitchy textures and a coin box that you had to pound after inserting a token to get it to register.

All in all, if you love FPS games, especially of the PC kind, you will most likely get addicted to The Grid. Its 3 cabinet design may make it too pricey for some arcades, but its popularity just might outweigh that. The Grid has restored my faith in arcade games.