- Release Date: 1999
- Genre: Shooter
- Style: Vehicle Shooter
- Similar Games: Tunnel B1 (PlayStation), Twisted Metal (PlayStation), Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation), Twisted Metal 2 (IBM PC Compatible), Tunnel B1 (Sega Saturn), BallBlazer Champions (PlayStation), Twisted Metal (IBM PC Compatible), Twisted Metal III (PlayStation)
Game Description
The Elimination event was the ultimate in televised arena combat. The participants were prisoners, of course, since no one sane enough would take up the gauntlet without some sort of incentive. Since those who survived the Elimination were granted reprieve and released back into society with both fame and wealth, the incentive was clear!All this came to an end during the Civil War. Instead of being televised, the Elimination served as a testing ground for weapons to be used in future battles. And the participants? They were prisoners of war, forced to compete solely for the amusement of the government. Now you happen to be next in line for the Elimination, and you're going to have to use all of your survival instincts to make it through alive.
Eliminator lets you select one of four different crafts, each rated in shield power, weapons and top speed: the Redeemer, Freedom, Liberty and Survivor. The Elimination event is composed of eight arenas filled with robotic creatures and futuristic defenses. You'll begin play in the Penitentiary, and then navigate through the Maze, Asylum, Cage, Chasm, Monastary, Tomb and Fortress.
While the goal of surviving each arena may sound straightforward enough, there are a few things any budding pilot should be aware of before strapping in. First, your ship has a bomb attached to it! If you don't complete the arena within the time limit, the bomb will detonate. Another thing to worry about is the boss character after each level, so make sure you collect as many of the twelve assorted weapons as you can within the arenas.
Progress will be saved after each level for those with a memory card, and two players can duke it out in three special duel zones: the Pit, the Dome and the Labyrinth. The object in the multi-player game is to simply destroy your opponent's base while protecting your own. Yet in order to destroy a base, you must first find the three Warp Bombs hidden somewhere within the arena!
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Despite sounding like it's a home version of The Running Man, Eliminator is really just a non-stop shooter in large, 3D arenas. You never get to perform hand-to-hand combat with other enemies, namely because you never leave your ship. The arenas are pretty huge too, so you lose that sense of claustrophobia you'd get from a closed-off cage or dome. Don't expect a "two men enter, one man leaves" mentality of futuristic arena combat made popular in films like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, either. It's just you against a slew of metallic creatures, from giant spiders to hulking robots.Once you're ready to begin, you'll play from a view behind your chosen craft as you thrust using the X button. Steering the ship can be performed using either the analog stick or pad, but analog control is not the way to go in this game. Unfortunately, the aiming system involves pressing up and down on the pad in order to raise and lower your sights, respectively. To hit tall creatures, you have to first push up on the pad to move your targeting icon. Thus, there's no sense in using the analog stick, because the number of enemies inside each arena is too high to be jumping from the stick to the pad every second or so.
Even using the pad is annoying, since you still have to pause from the action to readjust your sights to target creatures low, high in the air or on level ground. Using one of the shoulder buttons to scroll through targets would have made things much easier. Control issues aside, Eliminator does throw a lot of shooting action to keep fans of the genre busy. The graphics are also very pleasing to the eye and the action moves at a brisk pace, although there is some slowdown when a lot of creatures are on the screen at once.
Of course, there is also this little thing called a time limit. It's not like the game wasn't challenging enough, what with all of the enemies and sloppy control, but now you also have to worry about moving as fast as possible through the arenas. This is extremely frustrating since they are enormous -- all have interconnected areas that can only be accessed once you've cleared a certain amount of creatures. They are also filled with mines, laser turrets and other defenses to slow you down.
It is very easy to run out of time when you're trying to minimize damage by carefully weaving in and out of the dangers. While there are icons to help add some precious seconds to the clock, they are too few and far between. So what we have here is a game that is just too repetitive and frustrating to catch the eye of anyone other than the trigger happy shooter fan. Even then, the time limit, awkward control (which appears to be a trademark of too many Psygnosis games) and lack of variety will likely wear out this shooter's welcome by the time the first arena is completed.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
The graphics and sound make you want to play, but the control and time limit take away from the fun you'll have. The action gets repetitive too, since each level has you doing exactly the same thing.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
The environments are nicely detailed with impressive lighting effects and weather. The ships that you control are ugly, however. Imagine piloting a triangle or football and you'll have an idea of what to expect.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
I have yet to hear a Psygnosis game with poor music, and this title doesn't change my opinion. The catchy beats will make your head bob as you fly around the arenas.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
The two-player game is not bad, but it doesn't have the lasting appeal to hold your attention for more than a few games. The biggest fault with the game is the control -- the aiming system is too sloppy for such a fast-paced shooter.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
The 24-page manual covers everything you need to know to play the game. It also describes each ship and arena.~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Production Credits
MAGENTA SOFTWARE Design Team: Paul Johnson, Carl Swanick, Stephen Wadsworth; Programming Team: Kieren Gracie, Clive Johnson, Tim Scales, Dave Allsopp, Jed Roams, Jakes Mo; Art Team: Stephen Wadsworth, Dave Harper, Derek Siddle, Johnathan Greenwell, Nick Tame, Paul Johnson, Phil Smith, Colin Morrison; PSYGNOSIS Producer: Leo Cubbin; Producer, Post Production: Paul Evason; Early Production: Richard Biltcliffe; Director of External Development: Steve Riding; Head Producer: John Rostron; CPD Manager: Dawn Paine; Project Manager: David Riley; Music: Aziz Ibrahim; Additional Music and SFX: PC Music; FMV Sequences: The Aldis Animation Company Ltd.; Manual: Russell Coburn, Darren Richards, Peter Dyke; Alpha Test: Paul Tweedle, Alan McArdle, Marvin James, Ian Turnbull; Beta Test: Mark Inman, Thomas Rees, Shaun Durney, Stephen Winslow, John Hale, Harry Smith; Internal Submission: Stuart Allen, Neil Clarke, Mark O'Connor, Jonathan Whelan, John Wild, John Delany, Carl Seddon
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
