Shockwave 2: Beyond the Gate Game Sample 1/2 - 3DO
0"Shockwave 2: Beyond the Gate" is the sequel to the highly-rated "Shockwave: Invasion Earth 2019" and "Shockwave: Operation Jumpgate" (which was an expansion to the original), released for the 3DO in 1995 and developed/published by Electronic Arts. While the game was well-recieved by critics, the poor sales of the series prevented it from recieving many ports or updates. Shockwave 2 was originally meant to be ported to many other platforms, but this was cancelled when the 3DO game sold poorly. However, it is stated that "Aztech New Media" bought the rights to publish the game for Macintosh computers back in 1998, including the game in the "Mac Pack Blitz" title.
Taking place roughly twenty years after the events of the first game where Alaina Stewart's attempt to destroy the JumpGate ended the Alien Wars, things did not turn out as planned. The United Nations has deteriorated due to immense political and social upheavals, a huge increase in the human population to remote regions of the solar system, and abandoned alien sites recklessly being pillaged for treasures and technology. You play the role of Captain Avery Flynn and his team, a group of quasi-military Privateers (reluctantly sanctioned by the U.N.) who are sent to retrieve an important alien artifact near the abandoned Jump Gate from the past when things go terribly wrong and your team onboard the great craft, "The Cortez", are caught up in a fight to protect the universe.
In the game, you travel across six systems tackling a variety of missions which fall within three categories: Turret missions, Hovercraft missions, and Fighter Missions (each having their own play style). You can also view logs of planets and areas that you discover, watch messages sent by your crew and other people, and change your weaponry to suit your playing style and the mission you participate in. As you progress, new weapons will be developed which you can use as you see fit, but most new weapons are powerful and limited or tools that are used automatically, so you should be mindful of what you take with you on missions and use good weapons sparingly.
The audio/visuals are good for their time, though (like its predecessor) there is almost no music in which to speak of. If there were music, this game would easily be one of the best action titles for the 3DO, but the exclusion of BGMs is actually rather baffling (especially since the Mac game apparently has music of some kind). The game controls well and has a good radar and useful map (if you bring it with you) and there are very few flaws from a gameplay standpoint. Even when the going gets tough, your team will often send stations where you can recharge your weapons and fuel. The game features the acting talents of Marcia Pizzo (Movies like "Bicentennial Man", games like "Psychic Detective"), Kristina Holland (Shows like "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home", games like "Fade to Black"), and others.
These videos show some of the game in action. Enjoy.