Tachyon: The Fringe
- June 20, 2000 00:00 AM PST
NovaLogic takes the fight to outer-space in Tachyon, their latest attempt at space flight-sim bliss. Sure, it's got cool graphics, Privateer-style gameplay, and the voice-acting of Bruce Campbell. But is it any good? Find out in our latest GamePro review.
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You play the role of Jake Logan, a cocky pilot who has been banished to the outer reaches of space for a crime he didn't commit. Sentenced to live out the rest of your life in "The Fringe", you sell yourself as a mercenary pilot who'll do just about anything� For a price.
Going to War!
Tachyon's story element is actually split into two parallel campaigns. As you begin to take jobs, you'll eventually have the choice to work for either of two enemy nations: The Bora and Galspan. Throughout the campaign, there's definitely consequence of action: Work for the wrong people and your faction standing with others will be thus damaged/improved. The more you work for one side, the less popular you become with the other. And each side has entirely different missions, jobs, and victory conditions.
Gameplay is a matter of flying from system to system in search of work. Find a job, and you'll have a shot at earning some money to upgrade your ship(s). Some jobs are as simple as getting paid to dispose of dangerous space-mines, and some jobs will take you through the game's branching single-player campaign as you wage war on your enemies. Either way, you'll get paid, and you'll buy new weapons, armor, and/or ship upgrades, not to mention new ships as well.
Your control scheme is pretty standard as far as space flight-sims go. You'll use a joystick/keyboard or mouse/keyboard combo to control your ship and its systems. Space shooter fans will be right at home as practically every familiar command (such as Target Enemy, Pickup Cargo, and Link Weapons) can be found in seconds. The ability to Slide (rotate the ship's facing without changing its direction of movement) is a nice feature, and allows for some tricky maneuvers. However, though it may be highly functional, Tachyon's control scheme lacks originality.
As you progress through Tachyon, you'll eventually have enough money to hire wingmen to assist you. Some of the most interesting characters in the game are introduced this way. And from time to time each wingman will engage Jake in conservation, either regarding the mission or just for the sake of comedy relief.
Tachyon's graphics are its biggest surprise. NovaLogic is notorious for its voxel-engine games, but with Tachyon it was apparently decided to go with polygons instead. And the results speak in volumes: Tachyon looks damn good. From every missile trail to every cluster of asteroids, Tachyon's rendering is second to none. The ships range from your one-seater to giant capital ships, and they look sharp even at close range. Too bad Tachyon's audio is just slightly above average. Lasers sound like lasers, but overall, the sound effects could've used a little more soul. The voice acting, however, is good. Campbell and the other talented voice actors steal the show at times.
Even with a Hollywood name on the box to draw attention, Tachyon is still more like a treat for the hardcore space flight-sim fan. I'm talking about the type of fan that has the need to fly brand new ships every six months. Those people will love Tachyon. Its entertaining multiplayer mode over NovaWorld is reason enough to get fanboys everywhere salivating. However, casual gamers and tourists may not be able to appreciate Tachyon for what it really is: a very entertaining Privateer clone.
