Shockwave Assault

Plot

The year is 2019 and the alien invasion is here. In a surprise attack, the aliens decimate Earth's military forces. Mankind's only hope is the surviving orbital space carrier Omaha and its squadron of F-177 pilots. As the young and unexperienced member of the squadron, it is the protagonist's job to drive the aliens from the planet.

Gameplay

Most of Shockwave Assault takes place in the cockpit of a F-177 fighter. The fighter is armed with a rapid fire laser which consumes energy and a limited number of homing missiles. The ship automatically levels off when it stops turning. The thrusters consume fuel, but give the ship a useful burst of speed. The shield is depleted as the ship runs into things or is hit by enemy fire. Each of these resources can be replenished by flying under the refueling drones that are located at fixed locations in each mission.

The player must fight through ten missions, each with a boss at the end. The levels take place at various places around the Earth, and the terrain is modeled appropriately (Egypt has desert terrain, Peru has jungles, etc.). At the start of each mission the player is briefed on what to expect, and throughout the level, the onboard computer gives additional information that changes depending on the player's performance.

Ports and sequels

The game received an expansion, Shock Wave: Operation JumpGate, on the 3DO. All later versions of the game (Windows, Mac OS, Apple Pippin, PlayStation, and Saturn) included the original content and the expansion pack in the same release. It also received a 3DO-exclusive sequel, Shockwave 2: Beyond the Gate published by Electronic Arts. Publishing rights for the sequel were later sold to Aztech New Media Corp. and a Macintosh port made in 1996 but not released due to low sales for the 3DO version was released in 1998 as part of their Mac Pack Blitz compilation.

The Windows version was the first Electronic Arts game specifically designed to utilize the enhancements of the Windows 95 operating system. Project director Phillippe Tarbouriech explained, "Many of the 3D effects in Shockwave Assault would not have been possible under MS-DOS or Windows 3.1. In addition, Win 95 allows the PC to play streaming video for the first time."

Reception

The original 3DO release received mixed reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly criticized the over-sensitive controls but praised the texture-mapped graphics and off-rails gameplay. They made particular note of the game's use of full motion video, saying that in sharp contrast to previous FMV-heavy games, the quality was sharp, the acting was good, and the overall use of FMV was "more of an addition to the game instead of the whole emphasis." GamePro was more critical, stating that FMVs would preempt the HUD display even in situations where the radar is needed, and the inability to alter altitude makes it feel "like you're flying in a box." However, they agreed that the texture-mapped graphics and FMV cutscenes are impressive, and concluded, "Shock Wave's tough adversaries and first-rate graphics make it a decent 3DO shooter."

Reviewing the PlayStation version, a Next Generation critic said that while it runs noticeably smoother than the 3DO original and has the added bonus of the Operation Jumpgate expansion, "it's still pretty boring, at least right up until the point where it becomes utterly too difficult to get any farther." He elaborated that despite the 15 levels using different textures and theoretically being based on aerial photographs, they all look and play much the same. He did, however, praise the way the game runs full motion video alongside real time gameplay. A review of the Macintosh version in the same issue made the same criticisms about the sameness of the levels and none of the same praises, summarizing the game as "the perfect title for those who don't mind brainless action patterns over and over." Despite this, it was given a higher score than the PlayStation version.