Congo

Congo is a first-person perspective game based on Michael Crichton's book of the same name. You are an adventurer searching for Soloman's mine which is said to contain priceless gems. You must search level to level for clues that will take you one step closer to fortune and glory. It won't be easy, because mutated apes and other wild animals will attempt to stop you.

The first-person perspective lets you comb through the jungle. Lots of detailed foliage and rendered animals bring the book to life. Like most games of this type, there are plenty of secrets to be found, especially weapons which are real life-savers. While it takes a few liberties with the story, Congo looks to be an awesome adventure.

People say:

6.0

Sadly, Congo contributes nothing really new to the Doom genre. You run around a thick jungle with a 3-D, first-person perspective while shooting enemies. Congo does have a cool jungle ambience. The music and background noise sets the mood-well, it gets a little scary when you hear something rustling behind the trees. Unfortunately, the effect is ruined when you actually see the cartoonist! enemies who die comical deaths. The levels lack variety, though they add to the general mood of the game-being alone in a large jungle. Several times I thought I was lost, which is really hard to do with Congo's well-made mapping system.

4.0

This one is not what I call fantastic. Most of the FMV makes you wonder if you're watching Congo, the TBS miniseries. While you're on your first-person journey through the Amazon jungles, you'll encounter strange, man-sized spiders, spear-spitting totems and floating, disembodied heads. Were all of those in the movie? The movement is too fluid for someone walking and the sprites and scenery get way too pixelized when you're even relatively close to them. The funny thing is that some of the enemies look like they're made of clay. Congo tries hard to be a good game, but fails. Maybe a side-scroller should have been done instead.

4.0

Congo: Lost City of Zinj is a title that attempts to base its success on the big-budget movie counterpart; unfortunately, this game is quite a dud. The game concept had potential, but due to substandard graphics and limited free-roaming control, Congo is just lame. The low frame rate of Congo makes navigation and aiming tedious, which can be quite frustrating to say the least. Although some gamers may find some enjoyment hidden within the tediously boring action, I found nothing but irritation and little to keep me interested longer than a television commercial. If you have any doubt, try this one first; it will probably save you money in the tong run.

6.0

I have to admit to being fed up with all the Doom clones. This game does a decent job for the genre but it doesn't add anything above and beyond. The downside is the enemies-giant bugs, apes and spiders--just don't look or respond that great. On the plus side is the ability to run and jump which adds a bit of gameplay. Still, the theme and especially the movie just don't interest me. This is not to say this isn't a good game, just that I'm basically getting sick of them! Fans of this genre who might have enjoyed the movie or liked the story line will definitely like it. There is nothing extraordinary about Congo but it is a solid game if you're in that market.