Space Station Silicon Valley

Summary

Genre: Platform
Number of players: 1
Rumble Pak: No
Controller Pak: No
Expansion Pak: Not used

Review

Silicon Valley was one of the first N64 games to be announced, but its appearance was a fair bit later than expected. So was it worth the wait?


Gameplay: Silcon Valley has a very strange theme behind it. Instead of playing as a normal hero, you are instead in control of a computer chip type thingy who has the ability of infesting the body of a creature and taking control of it. Each and every animal in the game are warped versions of real creatures and have their own special abilities, such as sheep being able to glide, and dogs with rockets on their backs. (???) In the game it's necessary to use the right creature to solve puzzles, which can be just a touch infuriating, but at the same time does mean that the game has a far longer lifespan. It's a very amusing game, largely thanks to the animals you can control - and these also mean that the game is very varied (for instance, one minute you can be trekking through a sewer in a fox on wheels' body, and the next you could be taking it to the sky as a dog in a plane for a spot of dogfighting......

This all adds to its overall playability, and needless to say you'll need to be a master of every animal in the end to win.


Challenge: Very challenging indeed, largely because the game is so varied that you're constantly finding yourself using animals which you have never used before to win. And mastering them all is necessary to win. The later stages are particularly ruthless and cunning, which makes the game all the better in my book. You'll be there for quite some time before you manage to complete this one.


Graphics: They're certainly not bad, and put a lot of other games on the N64 to shame, such as Clayfighter, and of course Hexen. But then again, it's no Turok 2 or Perfect Dark. Still, they're nothing to be embarrassed about.


Sounds: A tad tedious, it has to be said. The animals and missiles and so on are all quite good and inventive, but they're nothing special.


Summing up: A very good and challenging platform experience, which will keep you amused and entertained for a long time. Well worth adding to your collection.


Gamesmark: 80%


Reviewer: Tangycheese



Maverik's opinion: Silicon Valley is a pretty enjoyable game, to say nothing of being as original and innovative as they came. My only concerns are that the game can move very slowly in places, and it's no joke to be stuck in the body of some robotic elephant, trudging along veeeeeeery sloooooooooowly. Still, there's a lot to do, and plenty of variety.