ECTS: C-12 Announced

Amidst the PS2 hype at ECTS Sony unveiled a new PSOne game called C-12. Developed by SCE Studio Cambridge, producers of the successful MediEvil series, C-12 is an action game set in the future after an alien invasion. Earth is in ruins and most of the remaining human population have been turned into cyborgs by the evil invaders. You play Lieutenant Vaughan, one of the last resistance fighters and the planet's last hope.

We spent some time with a 50 percent complete build on the show floor and the game is certainly promising. Although Sony calls the game an action-adventure title, the "adventure" is limited to finding keys and various objects to progress. The emphasis here is on action. You are equipped with a sword and a machine gun that also fires grenade rounds-a handy combination. There's also a shield you can use from time to time, and if you "overload" your shield by tapping the button twice you send out a pulse beam that incapacitates nearby enemies. The game feels somewhat like a faster Syphon Filter, and even includes a lock-on feature, useful in the 3D environments.

Right now the in-game camera is pretty poor. It constantly moves and shakes, although bear in mind this is only a 50 percent complete copy and we're hoping it will be ironed out in time for release. The game also doesn't look too spectacular at the moment with very simplistic environments, but maintains a good frame-rate even with multiple enemies and explosions.

C-12 is currently set for a March 2001 release date on the PlayStation.