Obsidian . . . Obsession . . . Obstinance?
A Review of Obsidian
by Ron Enderland
Games and computing have long been inexorably intertwined. My guess is that the ENIAC designers probably had their multimillion dollar invention challenging them to chess matches or the like when it wasn't being used for real work.
Gaming, more than any other computing field in the last couple of years, has spurred on chip developers to cram ever more intelligence into ever tinier packages. The result is increasingly spectacular multimedia creations (that require increasingly powerful horsepower to run).
Obsidian is an excellent entrant into the virtual reality sector of the gaming market. It is an exploration of the earth in 2066 A.D. which fills five CD-ROM's.
The plot is summed up thusly: Environmental chemist Max Powers and engineer Lilah Kerlin are working together to attempt to clean up the earth's toxic atmosphere. They have developed the Ceres Project, which uses molecular-sized robots to turn pollution into inert, harmless vapor.
They are camped out in a remote wooded area, mere days from implementing the Ceres operation. With a primal scream, Max vanishes. Lilah (actually you) must enter Obsidian, a growing mass of rock, in order to find your missing partner and get Ceres up and running before the toxic atmosphere ends human life.
You must view certain files on Lilah's PDA in order to enter the world of Obsidian. The files give you hints as to which directions you must go once inside the monolith.
The game is in the classic virtual reality mode, with the scene before you looking nicely similar to what it would appear to be if this imaginary world really existed. Great attention has been given to the detailed graphics in this presentation.
As you solve various problems and advance in the game, you are prompted to insert the various numbered disks into your CD-ROM drive. A changer would be a handy device to have for this program.
You can save the game as you progress. This makes it simple to pop in where you left off. You can't "lose," either, as it is a continuing adventure. You might possibly have to wander certain areas repeatedly until you figure out the puzzles that you must solve, but that's the worst that can happen to your character.
There is a great deal of info on the website that you can check out to aid your journey. There is also supposedly a lot of information in the included manual (which this reviewer never received).
The game, as I've already mentioned, is a technological marvel. However, there were definite personal sore points that I must cover.
For one, I'm running a Pentium 90 with 20 MB of RAM and a quad-speed CD-ROM drive, within the game's stated minimum system requirements. However, the video is herky-jerky and the sound drops out during the frequent movie sequences. C'mon, Sega, if you need a Pentium 150 and 32 MB to run this game right, just tell us!
Also, exiting is an ordeal. You must sit through a seemingly endless stretch of credits before you finally reach the comfort of your desktop. Hitting "Esc" will start the whole nightmarish process over again. Your speed-up options are either machine-gun mouse clicks or the Windows 95 bail-out maneuver: Ctrl+Alt+Del. This will allow you to truncate the exit sequence.
To sum up, this is an above-average presentation, particularly if you are blessed with masses of RAM and triple-digit processor speed. I'm afraid that SegaSoft might be just a little too proud of their hard work, however.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Obsidian |
| Company: | SegaSoft |
| Cost: | $49.99 |
System Requirements:
IBM:
Windows 95, IBM PC or compatible with Pentium 90 MHz processor,
4X CD-ROM drive, 16MB RAM, 16 bit video,
Sound Blaster 16 (Sound Blaster AWE32 strongly recommended).
Macintosh:
PowerPC 7100, System 7.0, 4X CD-ROM drive,
16MB RAM, color monitor.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 5
Sound 4
Interface 2
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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