Wild Metal - Dreamcast and PC exclusive - Free PC Game

[CRTGAMER]

Wild Metal (Country) - Dreamcast and PC Exclusive


Exclusive game
As the title states this relatively unknown older game is on the PC and its only home console release, the Dreamcast. A lot of gamers dismissed it as a slow moving simple shooting game. I rate this Dreamcast game up there with Toy Commander, due to its uniqueness of gameplay.

Dreamcast Owners Manual: http://www.thocp.net/software/games/con ... manual.pdf

My other game reviews:

Team ICO ICO and Shadow of the Colossus information.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=221298#p221298

Toy Commander a Dreamcast only release.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=307530#p307530

Katamari Series Review A review of the PS2 releases and a comparison.
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=25806&p=326982#p326982



Drive the beast
You control a tank with an open ended terrain to explore. A huge expanse that takes what seems an eternity in your mechanical beast. That's the fun of it, you are really driving an armor plated heavy tank. The steep hills are sometimes a trick to climb, having to drive up at angles. Controlling your tank really feels like a street repair power shovel tractor, gotta make it up this hill! A workout in moving the treads of your rig. Driving off a cliff will sometimes causes you to land upside-down, what to do? Give a blast of your cannon, flip over from the repercussion. Or call a helicopter with the Y and B buttons to pick you up. Hunt down other tanks and recover the power cores. A mention earlier about how open ended exploring type of game this is. Reminds one of Grand Theft Auto open ended type game. Makes sense since Rockstar produced this game! There is a lot of territory to cover, a surprise over that next mountain. beacon markers help you home in on the next target.



Strategy
Ever play Scorched Earth, Artillery Duel or even Team 17 's Worms? its in this game. Adjusting distance and height of your artillery volleys. Thankfully wind and gunpowder charge amount doesn't play a factor here because the game is in real time. Both you and targets are actively moving and or shooting back. The terrain affects the pitch of your gun, every volley pushes your tank back slightly. A constant rotating turret and setting the muzzle angle. A different type of strafing action, rotate turret to the side and drive around the side of a hill while plugging the enemy. Sometimes you can park your tank in a rut to avoid shots as you angle your cannon bearing down on the enemy. Fun to catch a tank off guard in the far distance, when you are on a hill overlooking a valley of enemy tanks.



Control
Dreamcast controller for this game is spot on. As you drive your tank with the analog stick, the triggers rotates the gun turret left and right. Your view always follows where you point the turret. To adjust the elevation angle of the barrel hold down the A button, release and tap continually to fire off the artillery. A satisfying feeling when you see the payload drop down on your distant target. Direction pad selects weapon, X drops the mines and marker beacons. To look down at the valleys and up the hills the Y and B buttons adjust the height angle. The gun can even be used to turn over a flipped tank.



This game works great with the standard DC controller. Just screams with the DC Panther. There is something about controlling a tank with a Flightstick vs a dinky thumbstick.



The third level is a night shot. Yellow glow in front of your tank helps light the way. When you see a blue spotlight its from an approaching helicopter which drops extra artillery to pick up. I suspect later levels of night shots will have enemy lights to watch for. Sometimes you find a red force field. the way thru is finding the generator, usually out of reach. Back the tank up, set your angle and blow that generator up. Not an easy task since there are a couple of gun placements firing back.

Two Player
Two player split screen arena mode. Ever play Conker multi player tank battle? Throw in the Scorched Earth angle aspect, while constantly moving around the terrain. Frag, Power Cores or Capture, your choice.



Give this tank a try, a bit of patience compared to a typical FPS. But that is the key to discovering a hidden gem.

Some videos:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 457857355#
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 9638442440

PC version
Windows game controlled using a keyboard, which can be customized to any key. Rockstar is offering the game for FREE at their website, what more can one ask for. Not a demo, but the entire game, you can burn the install setup file to CDR if you want.

Rockstar PC Wild Metal FREE download:
http://www.rockstargames.com/classics/?id=2



FREEWARE PC GAME!

[CRTGAMER]

Got to the giant enemy tank level. You know something is up when there a loud rumbling in the dark off in the distance. First time that Giant tank appeared it, really got the adrenaline going to stay alive. The enemy mine dispensers are now tossing magnetic mines, dragging my tank to the explosive.

Mention earlier about the Panther DC. Original controller works well, but Panther is the ultimate way to play this game. The large stick really gives a good affect of controlling the tank, shoot the cannon with the stick trigger. Stick buttons select weapons and view on a fly. The buttons around the trakball gives better control when you park the tank in a trench. Stage the gun barrel, left hand on the buttons, right hand controlling the base triggers.

Love the sound of a big load mortar exploding in the distance.

IGN Review Gave Game play a 9.2 rating:
http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/161/161886p1.html

Compared to most Dreamcast titles to date, this game is ugly as homemade sin, and as a result, will get passed over by many a gamer. Whether or not it achieves main stream success, Wild Metal is definitely one that will be remembered by many as a true hardcore gamer's game. What the game lacks in flash and glitz it makes up for in hardcore gameplay and brutally involving physics -- However, many won't really "get" the game at first, and some won't "get" it at all...

WM is very unique, and, in some ways, very reminiscent of old 8 and 4 bit games. For instance, upon turning the power on, you are offered no explanation of the game. No cut scenes. No dialogue. Nothing human ever even appears on screen. You just start the game, and without any ado, are slapped onto the playing field, without any objective presented, and without any explanation as to who you are or what you're doing. This, in itself, may serve to alienate some -- As it did with me -- But if you keep at it, you'll soon find yourself playing an intricately designed and infinitely involving game.

For anyone who has played the PC classic Scorched Earth, some of the battle in Wild Metal seems to give a nod to it. Hitting your targets, stationary or moving, requires a great amount of skill, as you must time your release just right to get the right trajectory. When you consider the extremely radical terrain, the accurate physics, and the multiple stationary and mobile targets shooting at you at once, the whole experience is quite involving.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

This is cool. I own a Dreamcast now, not the only games I have for it are Soul Calibur Sonic Adventure and Dead or Alive 2. I'll have to check this out.

[Reprise]

Wild Metal (Country) - Dreamcast and PC exclusive
A lot of gamers dismissed it as a slow moving simple shooting game.

Yup, I would be one of them I used to own it and found it intensely dull sorry. I couldn't stand it at all.

To each their own though. A very well written review there and you back up your opinions and points well, so fair play to you.

[CRTGAMER]

This is cool. I own a Dreamcast now, not the only games I have for it are Soul Calibur Sonic Adventure and Dead or Alive 2. I'll have to check this out.

Wild Metal (Country) - Dreamcast and PC exclusive
A lot of gamers dismissed it as a slow moving simple shooting game.

Yup, I would be one of them I used to own it and found it intensely dull sorry. I couldn't stand it at all.

To each their own though. A very well written review there and you back up your opinions and points well, so fair play to you.

Thanks for the reply feedbacks. Agree, a love or hate game.
I think any Scorched Earth patient gamer will get hooked on this baby though.

Satoshi, please give your take on the game once you try it out.

For the curious, there is a free PC download link at the OP.

The MadCatz Panther mentioned in the OP also has a PC XL edition. Preconfigured for certain FPS games.

[d123456]

Never knew about this one!
Thanks for the great review and tips.

[CRTGAMER]

Finally beat the entire game. Silly me, I saved multiple files to replay favorite levels. Ended up deleting other game saves to make room. After beating the final 21st level, all arenas unlocked and can be revisited. The 4 block saved config file is all thats needed, now backed up on a couple memory cards. Memory card has to have free space to load the config file.

I can now drive any tank including the huge enemy boss tank, the Minotaur. The enemy tank that made me go evasive like a maniac, "Holy Crap" to stay alive. Hover tanks are a bear to drive, constantly bouncing around and hard to aim a shot. Adds another dimension of gameplay with that tricky aiming, Abrams steady cannon tank its not.

Favorite levels?
Level 3 Temple - Because of the first night scene with all the lighting.
Level 7 Minotaur - Face three giant tanks! Keep evading thru narrow cliffs while shooting.
Level 15 Enclave - The blue level on red mars dunes. Love looking down canyons dropping mortar on unsuspecting tanks.

Favorite tanks?
Default Rhino Tank
Enemy Hyena Tank

Game also works beautiful with VGA with more detail. I noticed when sitting so close to the monitor speakers, I can really hear distinct sounds of enemy gun spinning around and the force field pump motors.

The lighting! Look for colored lights splashing off the dunes, find targets, weapons crates and power cores.