Cel Damage

Release Date: November 01, 2001
Genre: Shooter
Style: Vehicle Shooter
Similar Games: Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012 (PlayStation), Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense (Dreamcast), Twisted Metal: Small Brawl (PlayStation)

Game Description

A vehicular combat title, Cel Damage is a light-hearted homage to genre greats, such as Twisted Metal: Black. Blurring the lines between the single and multiplayer modes is the game's loose play structure -- three game modes and 12 stages can be played and unlocked by a single player competing against computer-controlled "bots" or against three other players. Violet the demon girl, Fowl Mouth the gangster duck, and many others make up the motley crew of characters available for selection, each of which has a unique default weapon. Desert, Jungle, Space, and Transylvania are the four environment themes on offer, with a total of 12 levels spanning the four worlds. Scattered about each are a host of weapons ranging from the cartoon-inspired black holes and boxing gloves to the more malicious grenades and chainsaw, though, only one weapon can be held at a time. Other controller buttons allow you to honk your horn or taunt the opposing players.

Smack Attack is the only game mode initially selectable and requires players to reach a predetermined number of points. Points are awarded for damaging the other contestants, however, destroying them entirely will yield a far greater number of points. The Gate Relay and Flag Rally modes require players to race between designated checkpoints and to capture flags and return to them to your assigned checkpoint, respectively. Making use of the cel-shading graphical technique, Cel Damage sports cartoon-quality visuals and a smooth 60 frames per second.

~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

As evidenced by the title, Cel Damage is a vehicular combat game relying heavily on its offbeat cel-shaded visuals to pull players in. Resembling something out of Cool World or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the quality of animation in Cel Damage is excellent, making you believe you are part of a living, breathing cartoon world. Unfortunately, the visuals are about the only aspect worth appreciating in this chaotic game, one best enjoyed by those afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Once you pick your vehicle and stage, you're immediately thrust into the action. Players must be constantly moving at high speeds to not only avoid getting hit, but to hit opponents as well. The radar used to track enemies is barely useful, with cars represented by a series of icons across the top of the screen. Because everything moves so fast, there's no time to look up -- once you figure out the icon, the vehicle has zipped away to a new location and you're in the process of being swiped at by a baseball bat.

The game then boils down to gunning the accelerator and getting as close as you can to an opponent to take him or her out. Only one weapon can be stored and used at a time, and you'll quickly learn that while boxing gloves and freeze rays are funny to look at, they are nothing in comparison to the mighty axe or chain saw. Not only are these weapons fast, but they destroy an enemy in a single hit -- a must if you plan on racking up the "smacks" it takes to advance to the next level.

The four themed environments offer nice diversity but are ultimately too small -- imagine dropping a bunch of wind-up cars in a fish bowl and you'll end up with a good idea of how the game plays. There's no sense of strategy to the action, it's just one high-energy form of tag with the ultimate goal of being the first to score 500 hits. This is no small feat to accomplish due to the frenzied AI, and will doubtlessly frustrate most seasoned gamers expecting more depth to the action.

Bumping down the computer AI results in a slower-paced and thus more manageable game, but it prevents players from accessing the two additional modes of play as well as the four boss characters found in each setting. The bonus modes aren't exciting, however, with one being a timed race between two points and the other being a capture the flag free-for-all. While the game improves somewhat as a multiplayer title, the ridiculously fast action coupled with the decreased viewpoint only means the fun is short-lived.