Reviews
Scrapland
Scrappy equals crappy
S
crapland joins the crowded ranks of third-person games
inspired by Grand Theft Auto. Although the game’s box says
“American McGee presents...”, this game doesn’t exhibit the
level of polish we expected after playing McGee’s last game, Alice.
In short, Scrapland delivers a few memorable moments, but its bland
plot and one-dimensional gameplay ultimately fall flat.
The game has you play D-Trius, an android journalist and resident
of the huge metropolis of Scrapland. The game is split into two parts:
pedestrian (no pun intended) scenarios where you wander through
buildings, and flying sequences where you soar above the city streets.
Traversing the neon expanses of Scrapland can be visually pleasing,
but the thrill wears off once you notice the recycled textures and non-
sensical building design. Advancing from one task to the next quickly
becomes a bore.
The game tries to mimic GTA’s gameplay (go to point A, kill guy B,
talk to person C), but it fails to deliver GTA-style thrills. Mission battles
can be entertaining—even spectacular—the first time around; constant
repetition, however, quickly drains all joy from the experience. Dogfights
involve little more than simple maneuvering to lock onto your opponent,
and then firing a few easy shots to blast him to oblivion. Seconds later,
the very same opponent respawns and you must defeat him five more
times. This is neither fun nor challenging; it’s just tedious. Pedestrian
combat is equally monotonous.
The one bright spot in this otherwise abysmal game is the char-
acter-morphing system, which allows you to assume the identity and
abilities of any other android class. Although we enjoyed playing as the
roughly 20 different avail-
able androids (with their
corresponding abilities),
most have no real strategic
use. All the pretty lights and
bright colors in the world
amount to nothing if the
game isn’t fun to play.
—MARK NOACKMARCH 2005 MA XIMUMPC 79
Scrapland doesn’t skimp in the graphics department, but
leaves a lot to be desired in the fun department.Saitek X-52 Flight Control System
A whole lotta stick for just a little money
D
on’t let the gimmicky array of blue LEDs fool you,
Saitek’s new X-52 is not only the most capable PC
hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) we’ve ever
seen at this price point, it’s also the most flexible.
Only Andre the Giant would be comfortable with the
orientation of this system right out of the box, and we
found the throttle much too loosey-goosey. No problem:
You can quickly adjust both the joystick’s hand rest and
the throttle’s tension. The throttle also includes detents for
idle and afterburner settings, and every button on both the
throttle and joystick can be easily programmed using Saitek’s
Smart Technology (SST) software.
A fancy-pants LED multifunction display adorning the throt-
tle tells you which mode the X-52 is in, as well as the name of
the command assigned to a given button once the button is acti-
vated. The throttle also houses a thumb-stick mouse controller, which
is handy for in-game camera and navigation control.
Flight-sim purists might prefer the more realistic looks (and heft)
of Thrustmaster’s or CH Products’s offerings, but these sticks run $300
each, plus $150 for rudder pedals. The X-52 can do just about anything
these sticks can, for less than half the jingle—and offers the addition
of adequate rudder controls on the stick (left/right twist). If you don’t
like to twist, the device will work with third-party USB rudder controls.
Unfortunately, while the SST software makes it easy to program
basic functions, assigning more complex commands to rotating and
sliding buttons can be difficult—and the documentation is sparse.
Veteran pilots who require
ultimate precision might find
the stick’s dead zone a bit
too generous.
When all is said and
done, however, the X-52’s
price, features, and flexibil-
ity make it a solid choice for
budding Top Guns.
—STEVE KLETTImpressive graphics, but you quickly run out of fun
things to do.ANDROID PERFECTIONHUMAN ERROR
Repetitive gameplay and a lousy storyline.MA XIMUMPCVERDICT 5
Saitek’sA fancy-pants LED multifunction display adorning the throt-
tle tells you which mode the X-52 is in, as well as the name of
the command assigned to a given button once the button is acti-
vated. The throttle also houses a thumb-stick mouse controller, which vated. The throttle also houses a thumb-stick mouse controller, which
Flight-sim purists might prefer the more realistic looks (and heft)
of Thrustmaster’s or CH Products’s offerings, but these sticks run $300 of Thrustmaster’s or CH Products’s offerings, but these sticks run $300
Veteran pilots who require
ultimate precision might find
the stick’s dead zone a bit
too generous.
Great price! Extremely flexible, comfortable, and
fun to use.RED BARONSNOOPY
Tough to program advanced functions; should not
be used with USB hubs; not the best choice for
ultra-precision flying.
$130, http://www.saitekusa.comMA XIMUMPCVERDICT 9
The X-52’s array of blue lights might seem
gimmicky, but the throttle’s multi-function LED
is both ground-breaking and highly useful.$30, http://www.scrapland.com