Evil Genius (video game)

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Evil Genius
Image:Evil Genius Coverart.png
Developer(s) Elixir Studios
Publisher(s) Sierra Entertainment
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date USA September 28, 2004
EU October 1, 2004
Genre(s) God game
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
PEGI: 12+
Media CD

Evil Genius is a 2004 simulation video game. A tongue-in-cheek take on the 1960s spy thriller genre, the game casts the player as the villain, allowing control of a secret island fortress complete with powerful henchmen, loyal minions and a wide range of gizmos, gadgets and traps. Developed by Elixir Studios and published by Sierra Entertainment Games, Evil Genius was released on September 28, 2004.

The player is cast as an evil genius of a criminal organization (referred to simply as "the evil organization") plotting to take over the world, from the safety of an evil lair built in the caverns of a mountain hideout. The main story of the game is based on the construction of one of three superweapons, which are launched the very end of the game. The launching of the weapon causes the world to capitulate to your will, thus ending the game. The game features several references to spy films like the James Bond series, and to their parodies such as Austin Powers.

The game received generally favorable reviews, scoring an average critic rating of 77% on Game Rankings.[1]

Evil Genius's music score, composed by James Hannigan, received a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Music in 2004.

Contents

[edit] Evil Units

[edit] Evil Genius

In Evil Genius you choose one of three dastardly avatars — Maximilian, Alexis, and Shen Yu — to put an evil face to the head of your empire:

[edit] Maximilian

A parody of Ernst Stavro Blofeld. If one selects Maximilian as one's Evil Genius, the game promises a reduction to any cash incentive payment used during the research process with 10% (however this becomes redundant if a player downloads a 'research list' from one of the Evil Genius fansites). Maximilian's starting henchman is Jubei. Maximilian's aura is average-sized, with average recovery capabilities. Execution of a minion boosts nearby minion's stats by 5. His execution method is a quick shot to the head.

[edit] Alexis

Possibly a parody of Cruella de Vil, Alexis's unique ability is the loyalty her charisma and sex appeal inspires so your minions lose loyalty 20% slower. She has an enormous Sphere of Influence which means that minions in her vicinity are generally more loyal, and minion loyalty isn't drained as fast as usual. However, her stat regeneration is the slowest of all 3 geniuses. Alexis' starting henchman is Eli Barracuda. Execution of a minion boosts nearby minions' stats by 10. Her execution method involves setting the victim on fire with her cigarette.

[edit] Shen Yu

Also a parody of a fictional evil genius, namely The Insidious Fu Manchu. If you play as Shen Yu it takes a longer time for agents to arrive on the island and agents spend 10% less time on your island. Shen Yu's starting henchman is Lord Kane. Shen Yu's aura is the smallest of the three but has the fastest stat recovery effect. Execution of minions boosts nearby minions' stats by 7. His execution method involves stabbing the victim in the chest.

[edit] Henchmen

As the evil genius gains in notoriety, more master criminals and misanthropes will be amenable to working for them. The henchmen that are available are listed below.

Henchmen have powerful attacks and unique abilities; they are also valuable because they are the only units that can be directly controlled (besides the evil geniuses themselves).

  • Eli Barracuda

A gangster sporting an afro and is a crack shot with a revolver. Best character for stealing on the world map. Also sports a hypnotic ghetto blaster. He's based on blaxploitation films common in the 70's.

  • Jubei

A samurai who can teleport. Like many characters in the game, he is very stereotypical, with a heavy Japanese accent. His costume and hair is reminiscent of anime. The teleport ability makes him one of the best henchmen for island defence. Especially as it allows him to appear behind superagents. He is based on Japanese historical figure Jubei Yagyu.

  • Lord Kane

An old mastermind responsible for everything from the Titanic sinking to Hindenburg destruction to the start of World War I. Can use psychic powers to terrify enemies. Possibly based on the Illuminati and Kaiser Soze.

  • Red Ivan

A Russian General (despite his apparently German accent). He has a Rocket Launcher and isn't afraid to use it. He uses it liberally, in fact, which often results in one's Lair being set ablaze. A mod is available that trades his rocket launcher with Dirk Masters' guns. He also uses some phrases like "Stop whining" and "You lack discipline" possibly to imitate some of the phrases used in the movie Kindergarten Cop, where Arnold Schwarzenegger is the main character. It is also believed that he is a parody of another movie starring Schwarzenegger, namely "Red Heat" where he plays a soviet policeman who comes to the US.

  • Dr. Neurocide

A chemist who specializes in poisoned makeup. Best character for plotting.

  • The Matron

A sweet old granny, formerly a nurse in a psychiatric institute with a penchant for shock therapy.

  • Montezuma

A Haitian Voodoo expert. Has the unique power to turn agents against each other. His top hat and dark clothes seem to be based on Baron Samedi's.

  • Moko

The Legendary Protector of the village of Chichen Itza.

  • The Butcher

Once he was a prodigious surgeon who decided to use his talents to help natives of South East Asia. However, one day while operating on a cannibalistic patient, his pancreas exploded. Wasting no time, he removed the pancreas of his patient and transplanted it into himself, which caused him to acquire a taste for human meat. Though fragile, he has the fastest attack speed in the game allowing him to take out nearly a dozen opponents if he gets close.

  • The Great Mesmero

An obese hypnotist who can lower loyalty of agents. Best character for lowering heat on world map. He has the flashy clothes and sayings of a stage magician.

A British Hunter with a metal leg and a blunderbuss. Also has bear traps and a pet monkey named Pendragon.

[edit] Minions

Minions form the labor pool used to carry out various tasks, both on the world domination screen and your island. Each type of minion has specific advantages and disadvantages There are four tiers of minions, shown below.

  • Construction workers (or sometimes just Workers) are the most basic minions in Evil Genius, the iconic jumpsuit-wearing minions similar to those featured in the James Bond film Moonraker. Where as other minions must be trained, Construction Workers are automatically 'purchased' when required, with the frequency at which these minions come to your island depending on how much you are willing to pay for them. Construction workers are the only minions who can construct new rooms in the evil lair, and are moderately effective fighters and can be armed with pistols.
  • Military Minions
    • Guards are the first minions which are trained specifically for combat. They have higher health stats than the construction minions, and can arm themselves with rifles when the base is put onto yellow or red alert. Guard minions (like all military minions) are better at stealing money from the world map - your main source of income in Evil Genius.
    • Mercenaries are stronger military minions - they have higher health and endurance stats than the guard, and can arm themselves with heavy machine guns or flamethrowers if the base is put onto yellow or red alert.
    • Marksmen wield their rifles with deadly effectiveness - which they carry with them even when the base alert level is set to green. They are very good at stealing money and protecting your other minions on the world map.
    • Martial Artists eschew the ways of the gun, instead focusing inward to find hidden strengths. Even the most armored of enemy agents find themselves defeated by these masters of the fist (provided they get close enough to do their thing). They are very good at stealing money and protecting your other minions on the world map.
  • Science Minions
    • Technicians repair the objects in your base when they become worn or damaged, and can research new items to a certain degree. Technicians (like all science minions) are effective at plotting new acts of infamy for you to commit on the world map and reduce the time to commit them.
    • Scientists, by virtue of their lab coats, are far better at research than the lowly technician. Scientists cannot repair objects, but they are excellent at plotting new acts of infamy on the world map.
    • Quantum Physicists are advanced science minions. Their research skills are better than regular scientists, and they are extremely good at plotting for acts of infamy on the world map.
    • Biochemists are an important part of the science team. After all, what self-respecting Evil Genius doesn't have an army of these super-intelligent scientists carefully dipping things into assorted green goo. Their research skills are second to none.
  • Social Minions
    • Valets are the first level of social minion. Valets can drain an agent or tourist's "attention" stats, causing them to walk into traps blindly and stand around for long periods scratching their heads. Valets will also carry any exhausted workers back to the barracks, and are the only minions able to utilize fire extinguishers. Like all social minions, Valets will also work in the hotel when necessary and reduce Heat when on the world map.
    • Spindoctors are skilled in distracting the agents and tourists on your island through draining their "smarts" - causing them to forget the things they have seen and stand around gawking at the sky for a period of time. Spin doctors are more effective than valets at reducing your heat on the world map, but they cannot perform any of the Valet's special functions, such as putting out fires or assisting exhausted minions.
    • Playboys seduce and distract enemy agents on the island through draining a small amount of their loyalty, attention, and smarts through alcohol and whispering sweet nothings in their ear. Playboys are very effective at lowering your heat on the world map.
    • Diplomats will reduce agents' loyalty by bribing them. If an agent's loyalty gets low enough, he or she will forget their mission and wander around the island like a tourist. Diplomats are very effective at lowering your heat on the world map.
  • Personal Bodyguards will offer their services to the Evil Genius as he or she gains notoriety.
  • Freaks are large blue abominations produced by reanimating a body in the biotanks. They blunder around the island, indiscriminately attacking agents and setting off traps.

[edit] Forces of Justice

The World Domination Screen, showing the territory of the various alliances.
The World Domination Screen, showing the territory of the various alliances.

The world of Evil Genius is divided up into regions that are controlled by five government counter-terrorist agencies:

Each agency will send agents to the secret island to damage the evil operation. As an agency takes more notice of the player, due to acts of infamy and criminal activity within its regions, it will send more skilled and more dangerous agents.

The first enemies on the island are Agents – spies sent to find evidence of evildoing. Agents are not good at fighting, but they still pose a threat if they manage to uncover evidence of evildoing (such as bodies or weapons) and return to their headquarters, which will increase their agency's attention toward the player. On the other hand, an agency's suspicion will actually drop if the agent comes home empty-handed, so eliminating agents is not always the best strategy. One key focus of base-building is putting incriminating objects securely within the base, where agents are unlikely to stumble across them.

Another early enemy is the Burglar, who attempts to sneak into the base to steal valuable items. Losing valuables is not fatal to the criminal organization, but it can be very annoying and impede progress. If the burglar manages to steal a piece of loot won on a mission, such as a rare work of art stolen by the player, the item will be gone for good.

As the player gets more attention from law enforcement, Saboteurs will start to appear. These spooks harass the operation by picking off undefended minions and setting explosive charges to destroy the player's items. A blast in the right place can take out a room's worth of objects. Saboteurs are especially fond of destroying power generators, which can render much of the base useless.

In retaliation for serious incidents, agencies will deploy squads of Soldiers. Unlike most agents, who can be distracted by social minions, it's difficult to confuse soldiers, who often open fire at the first sign of trouble. Soldiers are a threat to even well-fortified bases, and if military minions fail to drive them off, the soldiers may kill many of the workers in the area.

[edit] Super Agents

Each anti-terror alliance has a Super Agent. Parodies of the protagonists found in many action movies, spy films, and karate movies that usually end with the Evil Genius dead or incapacitated, they are elite operatives sent to sabotage the Evil Genius's operation when all other methods have failed. These Agents cannot be killed by normal means. Each Super Agent, however, has a special mission related to them which allows the player to remove them from play, usually in an equally satiric fashion.

In order of appearance:

  • Mariana Mamba: S.M.A.S.H.'s Super Agent. A satire of scantily-clad heroines such as Charlie's Angels, the bikini-clad Mamba can seduce the player's minions into disloyalty. She can be ultimately removed from play by disfiguring her with plastic surgery, leaving her morbidly obese. Mamba's internal name is 'Amazon Warrior Queen'.
  • Jet Chan: A.N.V.I.L.'s Super Agent. Inspired by the heroes in Hong Kong action cinema, Chan's skill is based entirely on martial arts. Chan's internal name is 'Agent Bruce', and his name is an obvious mix of Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Chan's pride is his fatal flaw; he is removed from play if the player captures Chan's former mentor, and learns from him all of Chan's moves. After being defeated in a formal duel, Chan no longer impedes the player's progress.
  • Katarina Frostonova: H.A.M.M.E.R.'S Super Agent. A stereotypical Russian Femme Fatale codenamed the 'Ice Queen', Frostonova has the ability to cloak herself. Having had no family, her weakness lies in her past. If the player captures (and then systematically destroys) Katarina's long-forgotten teddy bear, she suffers a mental breakdown and is removed from play.
  • Dirk Masters: P.A.T.R.I.O.T.'s Super Agent. Capable of using dual machine guns with his huge arms, Dirk's internal name is 'Agent Rambo'. Seemingly unstoppable, Masters can be defeated once the player chooses to torture him in a vat of chemicals that react with Masters' anabolic steroids. When accomplished, Dirk becomes a mindless mutant character, and is no longer a threat.
  • John Steele: S.A.B.R.E.'s Super Agent. While Steele's internal name is nondescript ('A Super Cool Dude'), and his name references the wily masters of intrigue John Steed and Remington Steele, his effect on your operation can only be compared to the ultimate Spymaster, James Bond. Steele is able to tamper with the player's security settings in a random fashion. Unlike the other Super Agents (as well as furthering the satire of Bond), Steele has no practical method of being removed from play during the course of the game. Only at the very end of the game is it revealed that it is impossible to kill Steele conventionally, but if certain conditions are met when the game-ending superweapon is launched, the player is shown a cutscene in which Steele is killed.

[edit] Acts of Infamy

Missions that are carried out through the World Domination Screen are known as "Acts of Infamy". These missions each have an objective to either steal loot, kidnap civilians, or just to cause general havoc in the world at large. All of these Acts increase the notoriety of the player, by varying amounts.

Many Acts of Infamy imply that the "evil organization" is responsible for numerous historical disasters, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Others hint at wishful thinking on the part of the developers, such as a mission in which the player must destroy Nashville in an effort to rid the world of country music.

[edit] Criticism

Upon release, Evil Genius was praised for its originality and engrossing content; however, the game also contained many bugs of varying severity. Most of these bugs, such as random crashes and the notoriously poorly titled "Load Save" screen, were fixed in an official patch soon after the release of the game. Some small bugs and minor character and object problems still exist, however. Some bugs include:

  • Several objects cannot be researched properly.
  • Henchman code is bugged, resulting in henchman having negative effects when conducting Acts of Infamy.

An unofficial patch has been made to remove some bugs which were not fixed in the official patch, as well as other gameplay modifications.[2]

Other criticisms included repetitive gameplay which could be rather slow at times, and lack of player control and interactivity with regards to minions and several gameplay events.

[edit] Mods

While Evil Genius was not designed to be mod-friendly, determined modders were able to tweak with characters, objects, and skins. One such mod, called Arctic Base Mod, changed the island from a desert island to a snowy island, and gave all minions and henchmen snow-themed attire. Another user changed the Freezer (body disposal) into an incinerator which would get rid of bodies much more quickly. There is also a mod that changes the guards' rifles into walkie-talkies that still operate like normal rifles (made as a satire of the digitally-remastered edition of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in which the shotguns used by police were replaced with walkie-talkies).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Evil Genius at Game Rankings
  2. ^ Unofficial patch by "walking fishy"

[edit] See also

[edit] External links