Game Description

Imagine piloting a gigantic, walking robot over sixty feet tall through the crowded streets of a futuristic city. That's the gist of Slave Zero that puts you at the controls of a stolen Slave unit in an effort to battle the tyrannical SovKhan Corporate Dynasty.

SovKhan is based in the heart of Megacity S1-9, a metropolis that sprawls not only outward but upward as well. The colossal city amounts to little more than a massive, industrial base built to churn out metallic machines of destruction and its pollutants have already transformed countless thousands of miles of countryside into a toxic wasteland.

The Guardians, an ancient clan of warriors, have sworn to destroy the city and SovKhan with it. They've stolen a cybernetic Slave unit -- a massive, living war machine whose pilot is bonded permanently with it -- from SovKhan's own production line. Chan, the most promising warrior within the Guardians, has been chosen to become one with Slave Zero and battle the forces of SovKhan and Megacity S1-9.

This third-person action game puts the player at the helm of Slave Zero which he or she pilots through the massive 3D city battling enemy vehicles, robots and Slave units. One of the highlights of the title is the incredible sense of scale it imparts. The massive vehicle towers over the city streets, allowing you to step on cars and trucks -- or pick them up and toss them around like toys.

Slave Zero is armed with three weapons, each of which can be upgraded by picking up an appropriate power-up. The projectile weapon starts as a simple machine-gun that evolves via upgrades into a devastating siege cannon. All missile weapons undergo a similar rise in power, at first firing simple, unguided rockets but are later equipped with independently guided warheads. The energy weapon fires lasers, plasma and, eventually, apocalyptic Dark Matter.

Gameplay is focused strictly upon action. As is typical of most shooters, the player fights through level after level facing waves of enemies that increase in number and strength. To win, the player must seek out power-ups and ammunition, contend with narrow platforms and ledges over lethal drops and periodically defeat ultra-powerful "boss" enemies. ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Slave Zero blends the frenetic action of third-person shooters with "giant robot" games such as those in the Mechwarrior, Earthsiege and Heavy Gear series. ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

Addictive at first, the repetitive action becomes tedious very quickly. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Producer: Matt Powers

Director: Sean Vesce

Lead Artist: K. Capelli

PC Programming: Jim Mazrimas, Dave Aufderheide, Kurt Arnuld, Jim Tomasko, Jack Ritter, Jason Leighton

Design: Jeff Gregg, Mike Wikan, Jason Weesner

Art: Jeff Wilcox, Stefan Henry-Biskup, Ted Naifeh, Michael Khoury, Trevor Grimshaw, David Gustlin, Chin-Han Hsu

In-Game Cinematics: Lee Petty, Judah Baron, Angus Wilson, Seth Swanson

Sound Design and Voice Direction: W. Scott Snyder

Music: Randy Atkins

Story and Dialog: Margaret Stohi

Product Marketing Manager: Greg Sarrail

Tools and Installer: Eric Tetz

Mastering: Luis Rivas

Lead Tester: Sam Newman

Assistant Lead Tester: Ted Tomasko, Jeff Loney

Testers: Greg Akatiff, Donny Clay, Jason Cordero, Erik Johnson, Marie Person, Shawn Shinn, Ben Skelton, P. Tseren Sodbinow, Clayton Wolfe, Christoper (sic) D. Reimer, Dan Burkhead, Richard Brock

Compatibility Test Supervisor: David Abrams

Compatibility Analysts: Adam Stokke, Jeremy Anderson, David Strang, Coung Vu

Customer Support: David Costello, Chris McQuinn, Brent Wilkinson, Jason Stokke, Moye Daniel, Blair Reynolds, Will Habeck

Storyboards: Jason Brubaker, Famous Frames

Voice Recording: WebTone Productions, Campbell, CA

Creative Services: Jill Dos Santos, Eric Larson

Manual: Bruce Harlick

Online Documentation: Chris McQuinn

Character Design Assistance: Chuck Wojtkiewicz

Voice Talent: Commander Li: Morgan Hyde, The SovKhan: Roger Jackson, Old One: Charles Martinet, Number Two: Greg Weber, Number Three: Cosmo Sagen; Convoy Leader: W. Scott Snyder, Manta Pilot 1: Roger Jackson, Manta Pilot 2: David Nowlin, Manta Pilot 3: Mike Wikan, Sangonar: Charles Martinet, Revenant Prime: David Nowlin, Greg Weber, Mayhem: Jarret Black, Screams: Delina Cheichi, Stacy Lawrence, Amanda Snyder

Technical Assistance: Pat Truong at ATI, Val Felipe at Immersion, Sam Dietrick ad nVidia, Tom Forsyth at 3DLabs, Suneil Mishra at Aureal, Micah Mason at Aureal, Keith Charley at Creative, All the folks at 3dfx, Eric Le at Matrox, Allen Hansen at Cyrix, Sean Hunt at Sega, The people at Sega DTS

The Team Would Like To Thank: The Families of the Team, Erica Krishnamurthy, The entire PR group, James Vitalis, Glyn Anderson, Taunya Shiffer, Matt at Beyond Games, Lars Batista, Trey Watkins, Scott Krager, Andrew Zavattero, Brian Wanamaker, Scot Amox, Karin Sanders, Nikolai Sander/ADN, Harry Denholm/ADN, Jonas Rukis/ADN, Christer Janson/ADN

Slave Zero was created using the tolls and technology of the Ecstasy Engine (TM). ~ Rich Hernandez, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

The first five minutes spent playing Slave Zero are jaw dropping. Eye-popping 3D graphics bring home a sense of scale that's somehow absent from most giant-robot games. You truly feel huge piloting your stolen Slave unit, crushing cars and unfortunate pedestrians as you stomp through a vertical urban sprawl right out of Blade Runner.

The problem is that within five minutes of firing up the game, you'll have experienced everything it has to offer. The next fifteen or so hours of gameplay are repetitious going on monotonous, before they become downright maddening.

Slave Zero isn't only the game's title; it also refers to the colossal Slave unit that you pilot throughout the game. Obviously inspired by popular animé, Slaves are towering, bipedal robotic creations armed with devastating weaponry. Slaves are also alive: they're actually cybernetic creatures that are grown into exoskeletons and powered by Dark Matter. A Slave's pilot doesn't just hop into a cockpit; he partakes in a permanent, symbiotic bond with the behemoth that is referred to as "becoming one."

The game's main character, Chan, has just become one with Slave Zero, which was stolen from the SovKhan Corporate Dynasty. SovKhan rules the world from the colossal Megacity S1-9, which serves as an enormous factory that produces both Slaves and Sentinels which are big fighting robots minus the biological aspects. Chan serves the Guardians, an ancient clan of warriors whose current agenda is to shut down SovKhan and destroy Megacity S1-9, freeing the world from both oppression and pollution.

It's too bad that the game squanders such a promising background story. Slave Zero could have been a great action/adventure but, save for occasional voiceovers and cut-scenes, the game is more of an Arcade shooter than anything else.

Slave Zero is okay in very small doses. In fact, if the look and feel of the levels varied just the slightest bit, this would be a very nice game. Fabulous 3D graphics and sound (the game requires a 3dfx or Direct3D compatible 3D accelerator) frame the frenetic action. The controls are responsive and camera management is nicely done, which is a high compliment to any third-person shooter. Roaming through a live city, rife with traffic and destructible buildings is downright fun. You can even pick up and throw cars and pedestrians (whose bodies stick to walls!) and stomp your SUV-sized feet to create ravaging shock waves.

The weapons are varied and interesting. You can only have three armaments at any time: a projectile weapon, an energy weapon and a missile weapon. As you progress through the game and grab power-ups the capability of each of the weapons changes, becoming more effective and destructive. Projectile weapons, for example, range from a simple machine gun to multi-barreled mini-guns to an overwhelming siege cannon.

Enemies are less intriguing. Nearly all of them consist of humanoid robots that vary in size and weaponry. They become heartier and better armed and armored as the game progresses, offsetting your developing arsenal.

The more you play Slave Zero, the less appealing it is. After those magical first moments, the action dissolves into a never-ending pattern: move into area, blow up all the robots, pick up the power-ups, repeat. The plot never lives up to the promise set forth in the back-story; soon, you could not care less about Chan, the Guardians and all the poor critters dying on the polluted landscape, which you never get to see anyway.

You can come pretty close to experiencing Slave Zero to its fullest -- for free -- by playing the demo thirty times. If you get tired of it, just think of the money you saved. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Awe inspiring at first, the graphics quickly become mundane as you're exposed to level after level of repetitive scenery. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

An excellent techno score augments well-implemented sound effects (complete with across-the-board 3D support) and solid voice acting. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

There's no instant-action mode, no multi-player support and the single-player game is linear and monotonous. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The jewel-case manual is light but sufficient for Slave Zero's shallow gameplay. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide