Armed and Dangerous (video game)
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| Armed and Dangerous | |
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| Developer(s) | Planet Moon Studios |
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts,Activision(UK Release) |
| Engine | Amityville II[1] |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360 (Backwards Compatible) |
| Release date | December 2, 2003 (NA) 2004 (Europe) |
| Genre(s) | First/Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (13+) PEGI: 12+ |
| Media | DVD, CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Pentium 3 1 GHz CPU, 256MB RAM, Windows 98+, 32 MB DirectX-compatible 3D accelerator, 4.5GB hard disk space |
| Input methods | Mouse, keyboard |
Armed and Dangerous, often shortened to AnD, is a video game created by Planet Moon Studios and released by LucasArts. It is a third person Action/Adventure Comedy shooter which parodies both other games and several other media such as Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Monty Python's Holy Grail, using humorous in-game dialogue and cutscenes.
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[edit] Gameplay
Armed and Dangerous is a third-person shooter action game, the camera hovering behind Roman, the player character, at all times. The game is played mostly on foot, with most levels incorporating usable gun emplacements, although there are some base defense levels where the player is inside a movable gun turret mounted on rails on top of a defensive wall; these levels are played in first-person.
Playable weaponry and equipment in Armed and Dangerous is a mix of shooter staples, including bolt-action and sniper rifles, submachine guns and rocket launchers, but also more unusual fare like the 'Land Shark Gun', which fires into the ground a rapidly-maturing infant Land Shark, a creature that 'swims' through the earth, seeking out and devouring enemies.[2] Other unusual devices include a miniature black hole, a gas grenade that turns enemies against each other and a device that temporarily reverses gravity, causing enemies to 'fall' into the sky, before the device shuts down, returning gravity to normal and returning affected enemies to earth, the fall killing them.[2]
Apart from weaponry, some of the later levels equip the player with a jet pack, allowing flight over moderate distances.
For most levels, with the notable exception of base defence and jet pack levels, the player is accompanied by two AI controlled allies, Q and Jonesy. These allies can be 'killed' during levels, but will return in the next level (where applicable).
[edit] Setting
Armed and Dangerous takes place in a small, fictional country called Milola which is under the tyrannical rule of the evil King Forge. The game centers around a band of thieves and the only militant resistance to the King, a group called the Lionhearts by the people for their bravery. The group is led by a career criminal named Roman, his childhood friend Jonesy, one of the King's tea-obsessed robot bodyguards-gone-rogue named Q, and Roman's adopted father, Rexus.
The eventual goal of the game is to 'pull off the ultimate heist' and recover the Book of Rule, an ancient artifact with the power to destroy the King's empire.
[edit] The Lionhearts
The Lionhearts are three gun-toting rebels comprised of a closely knit team of friends and a senile (not so wise) blind seer. They are the only people brave and crazy enough to stand up and rebel against the rule of King Forge. Trying to stop the oncoming war of Milola, acts committed by the Lionhearts to date include sabotage, theft and (assumed) kidnap, mainly trying to do anything to cause the fall of King Forge. The Lionhearts just so happen to be (unwittingly) part of an ancient prophecy for the future of Milola.
Previously the group, escaped from prison together, stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but aren't well received by the public and are more recognised in the local pub than by their heroic acts.
[edit] Roman
Roman is the game's player character. Raised in poverty and having to scrape by any way he can, Roman is the sort of man that anyone would want by their side when the bullets start flying. He is clever, courageous, and cocky; A master thief and extremely skilled with many weapons...on the outside he appears to believe that the King's iron grip on the world is insurmountable, it's a dog eat dog world, but inside he really has a glowing heart and would do anything for his mates.
- Roman is armed with a Hawkings rifle, Flemming Machine Gun and Sticky Grenades.
- Rexus is his father figure.
- Wears the mask to look like a bandit.
- Has a stereotypical Cockney accent.
[edit] Jonesy
Jonesy is an anthropomorphic mole who happens to be Roman's oldest friend, He's an explosive expert and loves nothing more than a good old-fashioned bomb, as he tends to identify with anything that blows up when messed with. Jonesy's a rather irritable moleman and is short of stature and patience. His homeland was destroyed by King Forge, He cares about nothing and nobody except for Roman and Q; as they're all he has in the world. First and foremost he believes the Lionhearts should look out for themselves and make off with the loot, wherever the loot may be.
- Jonesy laughs at explosions.
- Has a twisted sense of humour.
- Takes on enemies with his twin set of Molmers Pistols.
- Is quite belligerent.
- Curses a lot.
- Jonesy has a Scottish accent.
[edit] Q
Originally one of the King's elite robotic guards, Q became painfully self aware during a tea experiment, and found himself attempting a conversation with a conveyor belt. He tried to convince the other robots to leave with him, but they were programmed to ignore everyone except King Forge's officers. Q was charged and sent to prison, marked for the scrap heap. Where Roman and Jonesy found him, Roman was the first fellow to ever treat Q like a person and so they became good friends. Q has taken upon himself the duty of being Roman's servant, often making him tea and being fiercely protective of him. Q is a vain, well-spoken, and debonair robot... although he never, ever refers to himself as a robot. He is more refined than the other Lionhearts, and tends to have his own level of humour.
- Has his own customised Chaingun.
- Easily distracted, slow witted, calm and relaxed.
- Is known to adopt a 'surfers accent'.
- His plans often don't have the desired effect.
- Gives Roman tea in the midst of battle.
- Believes that Roman wears his mask to hide bad teeth.
[edit] Rexus
Rexus was once a world-famous seer, but a certain head trauma he received 31 years ago has made his ability to remember his past a bit foggy. Actually, he can't remember anything. Over the years he has degenerated into blindness, madness, and smelliness. He is universally hated for losing the Book of Rule, and so moved to Bergog Wasteland to escape persecution. Rexus is ancient, filthy, smells like a cesspit, and is constantly followed by a cloud of flies, which he refers to as "his only friends". Although blind, Rexus has a powerful sixth sense, although he thinks it's due to the huge glass eyes he sometimes stuffs into his sockets.
- King Forge wants him captured.
- Sealed the 'Book of Rule' with a magic spell and made it into a book about basket weaving, which bizarrely causes those who read it to become obsessed with weaving baskets of all sizes.
- Has a bad memory and is going senile.
- Appears to have had an interesting relationship history.
- Has two glass eyes, although he only wears one during most of the game.
- Still has some amount of power, and uses it to help the Lionhearts occasionally, for example getting some of the King's guards to surrender by convincing them they're French causing them to drop their weapons and ran away.
[edit] Other characters
During the cinematics, various characters add to the plot in AnD
King Forge
King forge is the evil ruler of Milola, he is a descendant of a long line of evil Kings, due to a curse many centuries ago. He recently introduced an invention called the Lime Dixon, (a water engine) instead of using natural resources to power his army. Later to be known as the 'Lime Dixon assault', he successfully conquered Milola. voiced by Tony Jay.
Prince Stig
Stig is one of the next generation of kings, and due to an ancient curse on his family is a good-natured dimwit as opposed to an evil genius like his father, King Forge. He has the characteristics of a neanderthal and has to take special medicine. Stig doesn't really know what is going on half the time and has a very limited vocabulary comprising of 'uhhh...' and 'Stig' prefixed to sentences about what he likes, hates or does. He also has a 'interesting' trick involving his head and his table.
Captain Vindaloo
Captain Vindaloo is Forge's right-hand man, sly and cunning, with a serpent tongue; he is an agent for Forges evil actions. Vindaloo commands the army of Forge. He doesn't like Prince Stig in strategic assault formations.
Lily
Lily is a sweet little girl that believes in and befriends the Lionhearts, perhaps a little too happy at times and incredibly rude to Jonesy. The Lionhearts soon find out that she is an important part of the future for the fate of Milola.
Henry
Henry used to be a hero, the oldest soldier in Dick Turpin village, his granddaughter respects him, the mayor and his village respect him. Now he's an old man. an old, senile, half naked, shouting man brandishing a spear and plagued by haemorrhoids. He's not very helpful in the quest, but he just so happens to have invented a 'flying machine' years back. He also continually mistakes people for and rambles about a person called 'Jimmy'.
The Shrub Patrol
The three robots in charge of the towns gardening. They can do anything involving gardening, but are especially proud of their hedge-rows. Even when the bots happen to be reprogrammed into war-bots, these characteristics remain; and force their way into the Milola war, protecting the countryside, green and plants. Citing "Death To the Salad Eaters!" as their motto. Nothing is more important to them then plant life, even threatening to execute a farmer for harvesting his crops, or prioritizing a single flower over a small child in the middle of a battlefield.
Brother Zoltof
Brother Zoltof is the oldest of the basket weaving obsessed Wildwood Monks. He is one of the few monks against King Forge's plan to turn the Lionheart's homeland of Midden into an amusement park. Late in the game he will assist you with information, both about the King's plan and about the Book of Rule. During his and the Lionhearts first meeting (in the book tower) he takes an arrow through the head which apparently does not phase him. Throughout the rest of the game he has still yet to remove the arrow and there it remains, lodged in his brain.
[edit] Reviews
The PC version of Armed and Dangerous scored 8.3 out of 10 with IGN (December 3, 2003)[1]. It received a press average score of 7.6.
The Xbox version of Armed and Dangerous scored 8.2 out of 10 with IGN (December 2, 2003)[2]. It received a press average review score of 8.3.
[edit] Xbox 360 backward compatibility update
On November 28, 2007 Microsoft released the November 2007 backward compatibility update for the Xbox 360 which allows Xbox 360 owners to play the Xbox disc version of Armed and Dangerous. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ Armed and Dangerous Review. gamershell.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ a b Jeff Gerstmann (3 December 2003). Armed and Dangerous review. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Original Xbox Games Playable on Xbox 360. Xbox.com/Microsoft (November 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
