Extermination (video game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Extermination | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Deep Space |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Release date(s) |  March 8, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB:Mature (M) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Extermination is a video game for PlayStation 2. As it was a first-party game and came out very early in the system's life cycle, it was used as a showcase for the system at trade shows before its release. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Story
The plot of Extermination focuses upon U.S. Marines Special Forces soldier Dennis Riley. Part of "Team Red Light", his squad receives a distress call from Fort Stewart, a top secret facility in Antarctica. In response, Team Red Light is sent in via parachute to investigate the facility. Dennis, along with teammate Roger Grigman, quickly find themselves in an unexpected situation: The fort has been overtaken by a strange virus that has the ability to infect and manipulate both living and nonliving material that has killed off most of the area's human population. Dennis, with the aid of old acquaintance Cindy Chen and the few survivors of his team, work together to escape becoming another casualty in the virus's wake.
[edit] Gameplay
Extermination belongs to the "Survival Horror" genre of video games, and as such players are encouraged to run whenever they can. This idea is reenforced by the fact that ammunition is limited for the main character's weapons (unlimited ammo refills are located in very few places), and enemies typically take a lot of damage before being defeated.
The game also features an Infection System. Along with a conventional health bar, there is also an "Infection Rate". Enemies in the game have the potential to both take damage to Dennis' health and raise his Infection Rate. When the rate reaches 100%, Dennis becomes completely infected by the virus, and his maximum health is not only reduced to 60%, but also constantly depletes. Additionally, things that would usually not harm Dennis (i.e. infected puddles) or would only infect him now take damage. This can be fought back using a special machine called the MTS Bed located in certain areas of the game which cures the infection and restores his health to full, but this also requires an MTS vaccine, a limited item. If Dennis' health reaches zero when infected, he will mutate into a creature and die.
In the beginning, Dennis is equipped with an Special Purpose Rifle, or "SPR-4" assault rifle, a weapon traditionally given to the armed forces in the game's setting. This weapon is highly customizable and can be fitted with gadgets such as a zoom scope, flashlight grip, radar, and parts which convert it to different types of weapons such as a flame thrower, shotgun, or rocket launcher. Another unique factor in Extermination's gameplay is the "Battery Pack". Found near the beginning of the game, Dennis uses this rechargable battery to activate various machinery, and execute functions common to most video games such as saving the game. The battery pack can be upgraded to hold more power by collecting cells found in various locations around the Fort.
[edit] Trivia
- The look of the various small arms in Extermination were done with the supervision of Ichiro Nagata, a weapon expert working for Combat Magazine.
- The game seems to take a lot of inspiration from the John Carpenter film "The Thing" in the setting, plot and even in some of the music, which resembles Ennio Morricone's score for the film.
- The UK, Jap and US versions of the game all have different voice casts. Also in the US version the special forces uniform's differ. Rather than being all black as in the UK and Jap versions, they're all white, which would make more sense due to the snowy setting. The main character Roger also sports a different hair style in the US version.
