Game:

Gunmetal (1998)

Duration: 3:53

7,650 views

94

In the four years that Mad Genius Software existed (1995 - 1999), this obscure FPS was their only title that saw the light of day. Or was even conceived.

Set some 300 years in the future where nations have given way to corporate entities, the player assumes the identity of a security guard for the Nataka Corporation, specifically the Cavalry section... just as war breaks out.

Sounds awfully generic so far, but this is not your basic, space marine vs monsters, run-of-the-mill FPS; while on the surface and in screenshots it looked pretty much like anything else, Gunmetal was different, putting players in control of an RPV - Remote Piloted Vehicle - and then letting them get to customising their loadout.

Unlike other FPS' of the time where weapons were conveniently scattered around the levels, here you had to buy them yourself before starting each mission. In addition (and once funds permitted), you could buy ammo, upgrade/repair your armour/chassis, and add all sorts of other equipment before hovering off through the transit gate and blowing the shit out of enemy RPV's and a bunch of other units while following mission objectives (which usually involved going mental with firepower).

Ammo was still littered around (along with Armour/Chassis repair units), but for the most part you had to rely on what you'd bought yourself. Destroying enemy (and non-combat) units allowed the scrap left over to be collected and used as credits, to further spend on upgrading and repairing your RPV for the next mission. And upgrading was a goddamn necessity if you wanted to make it.

While Gunmetal turned out to be nothing revolutionary (although it did enjoy a short time as the most-downloaded demo of 1998), it's a fun, fast paced FPS with some unique gameplay elements.

Anyway, this is the first mission, also known as the training level. Very, very easy, with not all that much going on just yet. It's obvious I haven't played this in a long time (oh shit, 10 years!), because in addition to missing the secrets I used to find with my eyes closed, I'm swinging around readjusting to the gamespeed and whatnot.

Still, it makes a change.

Other Statistics