ONE

How it was in 1997?

ONE is a game that, by all standards, should make it to #1 on the console game charts. ONE has just about everything an action fan could ask for in a game. Unfortunately, someone responsible for putting this potentially outstanding game together goofed big time!

You play a character named John Cain who awakens in a strange environment. To your utter shock and dismay you discover something is missing. Some perverted sicko has cut off your left arm and replaced it with a really nifty big gun. You won't have much time to think about how this affects your playing pinball machines because all hell immediately breaks loose. You are under attack by helicopters and more mad men than Hitler was able to muster. So off you go on a non-stop action binge. You'll run, jump, dive, crouch and do somersaults through 6 levels of total mayhem.

There's never a minutes peace. If you stop to relax for a second - you're dead. Fortunately, you have some super-human powers and an assortment of lethal weapons to help you make it to the checkpoints on each level.


The graphics are stunning. Explosions send glass, rocks and debris flying everywhere. John Cain is modeled very sharply except for that strange blue glow that always surrounds him. Simply put - this is a gorgeous game.

Lots of noise! But that's what you'd expect in an action packed game. The sound of guns, airships, explosions, grunts and groans all blend together in a symphony of carnage. There is a soundtrack in there somewhere, but you won't have time to listen to the music.

The game supports the Dual Analog Pad (DAP). As is the case in a lot of games, the DAP was very sensitive when executing precise moves. No obvious advantage was found using the DAP over the standard digital controller. You'll die a hundred deaths until you master the control in this game.

Now here's where the game completely falls apart. You play the game from a third person perspective. The camera angle is from an elevated position. That's OK, but what really rubs salt into the wound is - the camera floats around John Cain. Sometimes it's in back, or on the side or some really stupid angle that hinders your control of Cain. You have no control of the camera other than some minor zooming in/out. If you need to jump across something, most chances are, the camera will be located in the worst possible position. You probably won't successfully complete the jump, fall into the ravine and die. Each time you die, you must start again from your last checkpoint.

The explosions fill the screen and block your view of some important things. For instance, if you're running and there's a major explosion, you had better stop lest you blindly fall into an abyss and die. If you haven't mastered jumping with the controller you'll probably fall into the abyss anyway.

It's really really sad that the floating camera thing totally destroys what could be one of the best action games around today. What a goof!

You can set the difficulty to "Easy" but you'll still find the game extremely hard to play. Make no mistake, this is a tough game. Be prepared for some serious frustration.

Replay value? You'll be lucky to make it through the game so why would you want to go back and play it again!

Bottom Line: If you've been told by a licensed psychiatrist that you are an insatiable masochist, definitely buy this game. If not, you may still want to rent ONE for a day just to see what might have been.

Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 8.5
Learning Curve: Moderate
Difficulty: Hard
Control: 6
Manual: Good
Replay Value: Low

OVERALL SCORE: 6.9 

ONE

Rated 4.1/5 based on 31 reviews