Flesh Feast Review

Quit chewing on my foot - again.

Flesh Feast, the latest offering from Segasoft, is so similar in terms of plot to Resident Evil I had to use the same opening for this review. Graphically its completely different, as it is in gameplay. However, starting with the copying of the plot, Flesh Feast offers only what can be called a derivative experience.

In Flesh Feast you follow the story of three different groups of people. You are trapped on an island and you can't get out (well... in Resident Evil you are trapped in a mansion). There are zombies everywhere and they are threatening your life at all times (good god, that is similar to a game I've played before). The three groups of people are on different parts of the island and must advance towards the center where they will be able to find a way off the island. That's pretty much the point of the game - not exactly a stirring narrative.

Gameplay-wise, Flesh Feast is a lot like Take No Prisoners. It uses an overhead camera which follows your character as you pick up different weapons in your search for an exit to the current level you're trapped in. The 3D engine isn't spectacular, but on the upside, unlike Take No Prisoners, the characters are 3D instead of 2D.

In each level you can control up to three different people, which poses an interesting problem strategically, but is also annoying as hell. While trying to navigate the level with one character, it isn't uncommon to have one of your other characters die while you weren't paying attention. And unfortunately when one of your characters dies, they're dead for good. Although with the frustration associated with trying to control three people, having only one character alive could be a blessing - you only have to be focused on one person.

Graphically the game is decent. The over-the-head camera angle doesn't allow for much detail (it is usually so far zoomed out characters loose any detail they originally had). The engine is so average it's difficult to say much about it - just remember that it doesn't dazzle. The game's cut-scenes are so blatantly graphic (gore wise) that Flesh Feast easily received the 'M' from the ESRB. No, this is not a game for children.

The in-game gore is more cartoony - when you chop a zombie's head off with a chainsaw, it's funnier than it is gross - but the cut-scenes are truly disgusting.

Sound and music (notoriously ignored by most game developers) really shine in Flesh Feast. The music in the game is especially cool. The hardcore techno soundtrack really suits the game well and is composed professionally - unlike most musical scores that are composed by some hack with an old RB-338. Sound for the gory action in Flesh Feast are disgustingly realistic in a good way, although because of the cartoony graphics they don't strike fear in most people, the meek may be frightened.

Multiplayer is also notable - you get three months of premium membership on Heat.Net along with the game where you can play Flesh Feast deathmatch. Deathmatch, although a lot like other action games, is still more fun than the single player mode. In the end, Flesh Feast is a mediocre copy of two games that have been out for a while - Resident Evil and Take No Prisoners (which itself much like a copy of the classic Gauntlet). The derivative gameplay and plot make for a game that really isn't better than either of the two games it tried to imitate.