Independence Day
PlayStation * Fox Interactive

Review by Michael Vafeas
6.6

Films are films. Videogames are videogames. So why is there a group of individuals who continually insist on an awkward fusion of the two forms of entertainment? While exceptions---most notably Mortal Kombat the movie and the multi-platform Alien Trilogy game---do exist, most attempts at using game material for movies and vice versa have resulted in less-than-average products. Independence Day was a film noted for its extraordinary special effects and action, while the plot was so blatantly unrealistic that the overall ID4 experience was one of superficial thrills only---a phenomenon that we game players are quite familiar with. Furthermore, the majority of events that took place in the movie would have translated awfully into any interactive experience, so we are given an arcade-style flight sim with the backdrop of an alien invasion.

While the background of the story taken in the context of a videogame is not terrible, the game itself suffers from one nuance too many. The fun factor consequently takes a nose dive and reaches a point where the game can barely be considered average. This is largely due to the lack of interesting objectives, coupled with insufficient play control with which you must complete the unexciting missions given to you. In ID4, you control a fighter jet which navigates underneath the massive crafts hovering above the Earth's surface. Your missions include destroying the large crafts in portions, as well as obliterating several smaller spacecraft that jet through the atmosphere. While these goals have their sporadic exciting points, the sluggish control and difficult shooting makes the action more frustrating than anything else. Moreover, the fact that you must destroy structures attached to an overhead spacecraft while constantly avoiding contact with the mammoth craft is irritating and cumbersome. The objects that continually fire at you might be tolerable had it not been for the already difficult task of destroying parts of the spacecraft. In the later levels, the fighting becomes even more difficult, since the alien ships prove to be too fast and random to follow and lock onto well. These levels prove to be full of "dammit! I missed!" syndrome, which is okay in small quantities, but not in an entire game. After some practice, the control becomes a bit better, but still largely gets in the way of play and prevents you from enjoying the game to any great extent. A two-player mode also livens things up a bit, if you are out of decent two player games to play.

Being based on a movie noted for breathtaking visuals, the game graphics are understandably expected to follow suit. Instead, the graphics prove to be disappointing and void of any significant visual appeal that might have been hoped for. Regrettably aware of realism, the levels take place in the cast shadows of the gigantic hovering crafts. This justifies the use of dull, depressing colors, but does little to make the graphics appealing. The objects are fairly clear, but a grainy appearance is prevalent due to the severe pixelization that occurs when objects are scaled close to the screen. The frame rate is also unimpressive, as are the generic explosions that occur when objects are destroyed. The cinemas feature some of the best clips from the movie, but appear surprisingly grainy as well. The sound effects fare just as poorly, if not worse. There is a conspicuous absence of music while you are playing, and only simple beeps and shooting sounds fill your ears while the action takes place. There is digitized voice, but it is often too muffled to be intelligible. An overall lack of effort is apparent in the sound area.

Unsurprisingly, Independence Day turns out to be yet another poor movie-to-game conversion. ID4 is one of those many painful titles seemingly in a limbo somewhere between decent and below average. This one might be worth a rent if you're also picking up the movie on a Saturday night, but as expected, it is only an average game.


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