While nothing extraordinary, Project Edent is an above average team-based adventure.
Despite Tomb Raider having already been announced to be in development on the PlayStation 2 for a while yet, Eidos Interactive and Core Design have been keeping a quiet lid on its progress. Likely this has been done to not distract attention from the developer’s other products, one of which is Project Eden, a futuristic team-based action title. Project Eden does not attempt anything revolutionary, but what it does work at, fans looking for something a little different should be pleased with.
Project Eden is set in a world that has been distraught by catastrophic events, forcing the world to build layer upon layer of buildings until the “normal” world is miles above the Earth’s crust. Taking control of four members from the Urban Patrol Agency (UPA), Project Eden begins with a four-person squad under player control being sent to the “Real Meat” factory, where there have been reports that the equipment has started to malfunction. Technicians have been sent in to repair the machinery – and haven’t returned. Not usually a job for the UPA, the squad wonders if there is more to their job than meets the eye.
Given the ratio of successes to failures, it is no surprise that most developers do not set out to create a game dependent on AI controlled characters having to follow a player through tight corridors and intense shootouts. If executed incorrectly, the experience can be very frustrating, with the player having to baby all of the characters from one location to the next. From playing Project Eden, it is obvious that Core Design spent time on making the AI as little concern to the player as possible. For the most part, characters may be somewhat sluggish, but are able to manage navigation. Time and time again, however, instances where characters simply decided to stop moving forward or began rotating in circles, unsure of what direction to head in, cropped up.
Of course, the fact that all four characters are playable means that there times each where they’ll have to be individually controlled in order to take advantage of their skills. This is one of the more intriguing aspects of Project Eden; it requires more problem solving than one might initially think. For example, early on in the game, Minoko must use her hacking skills to change the direction of a filtering pipe, and the only way to reach it is via a swinging pipe. Once inside the filter, Minoko shifts the pipe’s direction and toxic gas starts to flood the chamber. There is a door at the end of the chamber that can only be fixed by Andre’s tools, but the gas will kill him. Since Amber is a robot, only he is able to wander through the gas and turn it off before Amber can repair the door and the three can wander through and eventually meet up with Minoko again. This is only one situation in Project Eden, and finding out the uses for each character can really make you sit and think.
The balance between puzzle solving and action leans more toward using the gamer’s brain, but the action sequences are mostly enjoyable. That is, except for the fact that combat is rather difficult to accomplish using the Dual Shock 2. Enemy characters have a full array of movement at their disposal, so do not be surprised to see them use it – enemies will dodge and run circles around you and your comrades. Due to the enemy’s speed, the lack of a proper aiming tool (i.e. a mouse) makes it troubling to get a proper lock-on. More often than not, leaving the meat of the combat up to your three other friends while providing support from a distance works out better than heading in Duke Nukem’ style.
More time has been spent on making sure Project Eden included as many smart, engaging puzzles as possible, rather than incorporating half a billion polygons and the latest in vector shading techniques. Which is not to say that Project Eden is not a great looking game, but for this type of title, the graphics are not where it counts. Much of the game takes place in a rather drab, dark, metal texture-filled, apocalyptic-looking environment that fits the game’s theme, but is really nothing that has not been seen before.
Considering that all throughout the PlayStation’s lifetime Core Design only developed Tomb Raider titles, seeing them branch out to other genres before kicking Lara Croft’s new adventure into high gear is certainly welcome. Project Eden doesn’t attempt to change the genre forever, but it is definitely worth playing for gamers looking for a slower-paced take on already overdone action genre.
