This review was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

When it comes to first-person shooter games, arguably few could call them innovative or original; considering the genre, the bulk of FPS titles have players running around a large map either looking for bad guys to shoot, or shooting said bad guys. You may do so on an alien planet, or while traveling through time, or when en route to kill Hitler, or while tracking down terrorists, but no matter the franchise it’s the same premise – run and gun. Shoot to kill. Nintendo and N-Space’s Geist, however, takes on a much more refreshing approach to the FPS genre and supplements the run and gun formula with a novel twist – possession. To mow down enemies, players must first possess a host, assuming control of the host’s faculties and – of course – his weaponry. Love it or hate it, it’s the first breathtaking modification that the genre has undergone in years, and while it’s implemented well, one leaves the game satisfied but a touch disappointed. Expect a sequel.

Geist’s presented plot is simple but soon becomes engaging enough to draw the player in and keep his attention throughout the rest of the game. Players are cast as John Raimi, a specialist who’s teamed up with a government team to infiltrate the headquarters of Volks Corporation, a scientific entity thought to have created a powerful biological or chemical weapon that could deal damage to countries around the world. Typical of government operatives, they stroll into Volks territory completely unaware of what horrible scheme Volks has prepared for every major nation on the globe, and are immediately swept up in the company’s new, otherworldly experiment. Gamers control Raimi and learn the very basics – medical kits restore health, this is how you shoot a gun, this is how you talk to people, et al – as they’re thrown into their first firefight; as the team nears the exit nearly every member is dead, and soon it’s just Raimi knocked to the ground. Volks himself, founder of his company, decides to conduct his ethereal experiment on Raimi to see if he’d make a fine Volks employee, but just as soon as Raimi’s soul is ripped from his body, he is “rescued” by another ghost, Gigi, a small girl who reminds Raimi of his real identity and encourages him to save his friend and escape. Numerous twists and turns abound, such that by the game’s end players have experienced an enjoyable, unusual FPS – something the market desperately needs.

As obvious from the above paragraph, there are really two distinct modes of play – you can float around as a ghost on a possessing binge, or you can grab a reliable body and start gunning. In between the two are strewn light puzzles to test your mental capacities, and bosses your mettle. That said, Geist’s gameplay still focuses the majority of its content on managing Raimi’s ghost capabilities, which are the game’s true highlights. Players start off learning the basics from Gigi, the local spirit mentor. She’ll instruct you on how to keep up your ghost vitality by sucking up plants, as well as how to float around, how to examine the immediate environment, and how to possess. Raimi can possess both living and inanimate objects, and whatever a gamer observes that is “possessable” gains a red sheen. As usual, though, there’s a catch: to grab a living host you’ve got to scare it to death, which means you’ve got to possess whatever objects are around the host and start wreaking spiritual havoc in its direct vicinity. This involves tossing plates, exploding paint cans, reflecting ghastly images, and so forth, which makes it great fun to observe the living’s reaction. To keep it interesting N-Space added animal possession, and it’s a treat to walk around barking at guards or informing a trainer you’re going to kill her. The same prank is never used twice, which keeps the player guessing and enriches the gameplay.

Continue reading...

This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content.

“So there’s this guy, right, and he kinda gets this wacky experiment done on him that sucks his metaphysical essence out of his cold, dead body. Sounds gross, obviously, but because this guy is nothing but a floating soul with glowy eyes – he can totally possess people and animals. Also, toilet paper rolls.”

That was the meeting at N-Space that set Geist off onto its hectic and adventurous three-year development process. I know because I was there. I was possessing the potted plant on the conference room table.

That’s what Geist, the mostly first-person shooter coming in August for the GameCube, is all about. You start the game as John Raimi, a classic elite soldier who gets captured during an infiltration mission at a bizarre and creepy research facility owned by the corrupt and nefarious Volks Corporation. Once captured, he’s put through an experiment that separates his soul/aura/spirit/essence from his physical body. As a roaming spirit John has the ability to “possess” and control pretty much anything from bunny rabbits to assault cannons. Using this new… power, John needs to escape the facility and perhaps find a way to reunite with his flesh and blood.

Just because you’re pretty much a ghost doesn’t mean you can just float out of the complex. No, you’re bound to some physical restrictions, so when you want to move around you need a physical host to do it for you. This whole aspect adds a dynamic level of puzzle-solving to the game from the start, but still gives you a powerful arsenal to accomplish your tasks. The ideal mode of transit is inside a person you’ve possessed, but before you can actually claim someone’s body you need to weaken his spirit to allow for the possession. This most arduous of tasks is performed by scaring – yes, scaring – your target until he’s so freaked out you can just grab ahold of his body and get moving. To scare people, you do what any ghost would do: make creepy noises and make stuff move around the room.

The game’s engine makes that rather simple, as pretty much any object in the game can be possessed. In one demo we were shown, we had to possess a piece of paper that a guard was carrying and when he started to read it, mess around with the words to freak him out. Little critters like mice and rats can be possessed easily too, both for some puzzle elements and to scare some of the more skittish enemies on the base.

Continue reading...