There are over 1,000 downloadable games at pcgameworld.com, one of the major sources of PC Game Demos. My goal for this column is to provide the reader with a guide to these demos. Specifically, I will tell you which ones are worth your time and your hard drive space and which ones are not.

All demos will be rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest. Five different points will be considered in the evaluation process:

Playability
Graphics and Sound
Computer Specs
Fun Factor
Overall

Testing system: PII 350, 128 RAM, Voodoo 3000 PCI, 256K DSL Internet

Delta Force Land Warrior

The first game I purchased for my PC was Delta Force. It was chock full of great single-player missions and some exciting multiplayer action on-line. In 1998, it was one of the best FPS¹ games on the market. This was before I purchased a 3D video card and started noticing that there were some amazing games out there that took full advantage of the 3D experience. Delta Force and Delta Force II utilized a Voxel-based rendering that is sub-par to the 3D graphics engines. Hey - it worked fine for Novalogic, no doubt about that. But they realized quickly that 3D is where it's at. So here comes Delta Force Land Warrior, the third in the Delta Force series. And it uses a *new* 3D graphics engine.

As I've explained before, I like the games that have outdoor settings. If I'm going to sit inside and play video games, I want to roam the landscape, not some oversized, computer-generated bathroom where I play deathmatch with 16 teenagers who have glandular hyperactivity and sniper-rifles. Please my eyes, and make me want to explore the area, is my cry to game makers.

So when I was plopped into the desert sands of Egypt, with my primary objective being the "big pyramid" way off in the distance, I was excited. Who and what would I encounter on my journey? And with all of these weapons I have, what would I do to them, or it? Turns out, not much. Because DFLW, the demo, is not too much to get excited over.

You start this mission as Sgt. Cole Harris, also known as "Gas Can," which is a peculiar name but not a real interesting guy. He has a southern drawl and when he pulls out the Combat Knife (one of my favorites from DF1), he says (to you apparently, since there is no one else around) "What am I suppos' to do wit dis? Clean a catfish?" This wasn't even funny the first time I heard it.

Gas Can is one of 5 characters you can select (who are all different in their specialties) in the full version of the game, which is a clever idea, but somewhat stupid. In the previous Delta Force games, you already select your weapons load-out before the mission begins, so why should they have specialties? It would seem that whatever load-out a player selects, should be their specialty. Whatever.

Your objective in the demo is to recover some biohazard stuff that is being held in one of the pyramids. Swarms of terrorists are trying to protect it, apparently. Although they aren't too serious about it as you will find, as the AI is pretty weak, just like the previous DF games.

You've got some weapons at your disposal, including an OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) which is a lot like the M16 over/under grenade launcher from the earlier DF games. There's also the SOCOM SD .45 Silenced Pistol, which is essentially worthless, but still worth noting. Throw in the MM-1 Grenade Launcher (rotating cylinder, just like the real thing) and the Frag Grenades, and you've got yourself a bit of firepower.

What I don't like about the grenade launching stuff is that you no longer have to aim high to gauge your trajectory or anything, you just point and shoot and it seems to drop right in there perfectly. I'm guessing this is all part of the Character Specialty aspect, since Gas Can is a "grenadier" but I still don't like it.

But where - oh where - is the Pancor Jackhammer automatic shotgun or the H&K PSG-1 Sniper Rifle? The two weapons are brand new according to the Novalogic web site, but I suppose they need some revision before they are released in the full version. Not to mention, that Gas Can, with all of his talents, is an expert with the MM1 Grenade Launcher, which can be sweet, even though the MM1 apparently can't take out any trees in the area without expending most of its ammunition.

Popping the top off of palm trees with the M249 SAW was one of my favorite things with the original game. Since Gas Can is some blonde goatee wearin', crawfish eatin', MM1 firin' madman, I expected a lot more fun out of this demo.

Unfortunately, Novalogic hasn't done too much in the realm of FPS expansion. Granted, this is just the demo, but the demo is worth 20 minutes of gameplay, tops. There are several different strategies you can take to conquer the terrorists and capture the Bio-suitcase, but you'll find they are all pretty weak, and without much flair.

Playability: Learning curve is about 45 seconds. The menus are easy to navigate, and gameplay is decent. However, the Delta Force games are just plain slow to begin with. When Gas Can is "running" at a full clip, he plods along at an agonizingly slow pace. The AI is pretty bad, but then again I didn't play it on the hardest level, which might make things more interesting.

Graphics / Sound: Graphics are okay. Be glad that the voxel engine is gone, but don't let that confuse you because this engine isn't much better. The demo has many issues, including some horrendous clipping problems. On numerous occasions I was being fired at by some soldiers who could apparently submerge their entire bodies in sand dunes. The weapon sounds are fine. The radio chatter gets old quick, though. It seems that someone is always checking up on Gas Can and blabbing away on your radio.

Computer Specs: A Pentium II is recommended. The demo is pretty small at 24 megs, so it's no big deal to download if you have something besides 56K dial-up.

Fun Factor: Shooting grenades from the MM1 is fun, but it peaks out early.

Overall: Don't waste your time. The Delta Force Land Warrior Demo is the same tired DF game in a different package.

TOTAL SCORE: 4.5

DELTA FORCE LAND WARRIOR
Demo Size: 24.1 MB
System Requirements [P200/32MB/Win95/98/3D Accelerator/DirectX]
Download Time: 56K: 1 hour, 128K: 24 mins, DSL/Cable: 8-10 mins.
Download Here: DELTA FORCE LAND WARRIOR @ PCGAMEWORLD
DELTA FORCE LAND WARRIOR @ GAMESPOT

¹FPS = First Person Shooter.

Greg A. Bruns is a freelance writer residing in Phoenix, Arizona. His monthly column "Straight Up with a Twist" appears in the Arcadia News. His first book, Tales from the Scenic Route, is currently unpublished. Greg also pens "Ask the Faceless Assassin" - an "advice" column.
Note: Featured author in October
E-mail: greg@gregbruns.com
Writing interests: Humor, Strange News, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Memoirs
I.D. Theory articles: Your Guide to College, Instant Gratification, Survive This!, Letter to the new President, The Things We Do For Love, Seattle: Emerging Character
PC Demo Game Reviews: HITMAN: Codename 47, Project IGI (I'm Going In), Diablo II, No One Lives Forever, Deus Ex, Delta Force Land Warrior, Motocross Madness, HEAVY METAL F.A.K.K. 2
Links: GregBruns.com, Tales from the Scenic Route, Ask the Faceless Assassin, More alphabet zen

Screenshots
from
Delta Force Land Warrior
(click to enlarge)

It should be noted here that these are not actual screenshots that I took. The shots that I tried to take turned out completely wrong, in bizarre psychedelic colors and double images. I don't know why, and Novalogic didn't offer any assistance in regards to correcting the problem. So these are screenshots from Novalogic's web site.

See that guy with his hands on his hips? That's how intelligent the AI is in this game.

More of the incredibly gifted parameters of the enemy.

Neck massage, chief?