Genre : Action
Developer : Planet Moon Studios
Publisher : Lucasarts
Release date : November 11, 2003

Pre-order 'ARMED AND DANGEROUS': PC

Whatever the Planet Moon Studios guys are on, they need to share the wealth. The same team that brought us the often-overlooked PC classic Giants: Citizen Kabuto is gearing up to bring us another dose of twisted humor coupled with some decent gameplay. The Armed & Dangerous build we received was really only a “first-look” build with two levels and a handful of weapons, but if the game development stays on the same course it’s bound to become a real gem.

In Armed & Dangerous you play as the leader of a group of characters who are a little more than slightly off of their rocker. The main character, Roman, is a normal human male, who wears a red bandanna over the lower half of his face. Fighting alongside him is a robot called Q1-11 looks like crusader and a short green guy called Jonesy who wields two pistols. A third compatriot is an even smaller, pale creature called Rexus who’s sole purpose in the build we received is to get shoved into a creature to keep warm, enema-style.

Armed & Dangerous’s gameplay is standard 3rd person fare, with a few twists to keep it fresh. As you walk around shooting all manners of enemies and other objects using SMGs, sniper rifles, and rocket launchers, you can throw mines and man machine gun emplacements to riddle anything nearby with unfriendly fire. Enemies will hunch over when hurt and lose most of their will to fight, and fly like a rag doll when thrown into the air by a nearby explosion. In some levels the player is called upon to man a large ball turret on a wall to fend off wave after wave of an advancing army, which is actually a bit more fun that it initially sounds. Dispensed liberally throughout the game is Planet Moon Studios special blend of strange humor, guaranteed to keep the gamer not only interested in the gameplay but also laughing throughout.

Buildings explode into chunks and burst into flames, enemies slump over objects fairly realistically, bullets hitting the dirt and explosions kick up mass amounts of mud and debris, and generally the game takes the term “over-the-top” one step further. The sound effects also have a degree of quality to them, with the sounds of gunfire, explosions, and the humorous voice work all lending a hand to give the game a unique sound.

If the final product ends up anything like the preview code we have now, you can almost expect Planet Moon Studios to yet again prove that a dose of humor alongside quality gameplay is an entertaining combination. With a projected release date of Winter 2003, it won’t be long before gamers themselves can experience the silly, off-beat world of Armed & Dangerous.