Metalion, by ZIO
Interactive $19.95
Reviewed June 2002
While you are waiting for Star Wars Rogue
Leader coming to your Pocket PC, why not check out ZIO's
Metalion, which is an amazingly fast paced 3D flight shooter.
It's not only a showcase of the gorgeous looking animated
graphics (designed by a professional animation company),
it is also a big step into keeping high performance under
high number fps (frames per second) on a Pocket PC.
The first thing I thought when I picked
up this game was "finally we are out of Raiden clones
and into the real 3D first person flight shooter world." Well,
almost first person. In Metalion, you control a robot that
will save the world by fighting mean machines with big guns.
What you will see on the screen is your Metalion flying in
the air and fighting incoming enemies. There is a slide show
before the beginning of the game that tells you the story
behind the game. The story isn't complicated, but soon you
will find that you hardly need one. The amazing part of the
game is how great the graphics look and how easy it is to
control your character in 3D. It's like a Saturday morning
cartoon playing in the palm of your hand, and you get to
be in it and play a big part.
In the world where we are spoiled with
great looking console games like SkyGunner and Star Wars,
we often forget the steps that have been taken to get there.
When you get to fly up and down, left and right in Metalion,
instead of the 2D screen movements like Raiden clones, you
will realize that ZIO has taken one of those steps on this
new gaming platform. Developed by Vooz, the high quality
animations and graphics in this game feel so real that when
the clouds swooshing by your ears you'd swear you can almost
feel the breeze.
The game play is fast paced, and the action
is thumb-numbing. You can start in 1 of the 3 difficulty
levels, though you only get more lives at easier levels but
the game sequence is all the same. You can change the graphic
effects and sound quality levels depending on the type of
device you're using. The D-pad controls the character's movements,
2 additional hardware buttons control the gun and bomb actions.
Even though the controls are extremely smooth, you will need
some practice to get used to the perspectives when you target
enemies or dodge their fire in 3D, even when you chase the
power ups. There are 3 types of Metalion you can choose from:
normal, power or speed. If you die early in the game, you
are not alone. But with practice you'll eventually get through
the game.
The sound tracks will remind you of those
in a driving game. Loud music and fast games seem to go hand
and hand. The game takes up 2.3MB space and runs smoothly
at high quality level on my Casio E-200.
So instead of watching your favorite
cool Saturday morning cartoon, why not play it? Get Metalion
and experience the new world of flying and shooting games
for Pocket PC. And oh, may the force be with you!
Playing Hints and Tips:
Don't stop moving. All enemy fire
seems to have guidance systems. Keep moving: it's the only
way to survive long in this game.
Test all three Metalion robots and
see which one works the best for you. I liked GAIA for
the Speed, but its power isn't all that weak either.
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