| Chaser | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Cauldron |
| Publisher(s) | JoWooD Productions |
| Engine | CloakNT |
| Version | 1.50 (2003-12-11) |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | August 30, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) |
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| Media/distribution | Optical disc, download |
System requirements
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Chaser is a first-person shooter action video game developed by Cauldron. The game is built on the CloakNT 3D engine. Unlike many contemporary science fiction first-person shooters like Halo: Combat Evolved, Pariah, WarPath, and Unreal Tournament 2004, Chaser's weapons fire modern day projectiles.
It was released on Steam and GOG.com in 2011.
Contents |
The story of the game begins in the year 2044 on Mars with the UN establishing MARSCORP (Martian Security and Economics Committee) under the leadership of Samuel Longwood. In the years that follow, the UN gradually loses control of MARSCORP, mainly due to the non-transparent license policy of its director. Samuel Longwood uses his autonomous status to create vassal relations between the corporations and MARSCORP. The strong power position of MARSCORP is supported by the companies and thus they acquire additional rights and licenses. Samuel Longwood and his consortium become extremely wealthy from this arrangement. However, dissenting voices in MARSCORP begin to challenge Samuel Longwood's authoritarian policy. They demand the dismissal of Samuel Longwood as director and a complete redistribution of the mining rights.
John Chaser, the game's main character, awakens on board the spaceship H.M.S. Majestic. He does not know who he is, what he's doing there, why he is being sought by men in black uniforms and what they will do to him when they find him. The player's goal in the game is to find out who Chaser really is and why he is being hunted. The story leads the player from the H.M.S. Majestic to the fictional Montack City on Earth, then on to Siberia, and finally to Mars, where the trail ends and hopefully the truth can be found.
There are many different kind of soldiers you encounter in the game. These are the main types:
In Chaser, multiplayer games are played either via LAN or Internet. Multiplayer support is handled via GameSpy as well as dedicated servers. The gameplay is reminiscent of the Quake series due to its rapidity, with the exception of weapons, which are modeled after real-life prototypes.
In this game everyone plays for themselves. You need to kill anyone you see. Each kill is called a frag and winner is the one who frags the most opponents in a specified time or reaches the frag limit first. In the lower left corner of the screen you can see your score and score of the leading player or, if you are in the lead, then the score of the second placed player. Your score is highlighted. Below both scores there is a smaller number which shows current score of the next placed player.
Similar to a deathmatch but players are divided into two teams that fight each other. The winner is the team which has the highest number of frags after a specified time or reaches the frag limit first.
Players are divided into two teams and the goal of each team is to reach the opponent team’s base and steal his flag. The opponents flag then needs to be taken to your own base, where your own flag is located. You can only win if your own flag is still in your base, otherwise you will need to take on your opponents and hunt for your own flag. When you kill a player with a flag, the flag will be dropped. You can take the flag by moving through it.
Shocktroops is a game for two teams in which each team has to achieve specified goals. You can list the goals by pressing the score key. Each game has a time limit (round time) and the winner is the team which achieves their goals first. When a player is killed then he needs to wait until the next round to resume. A killed player can switch between views of players in his own team or his opponents (depending on game settings).
Each player has a rank which is derived from his experience. He can gain experience by killing opponents or fulfilling a goal. Experience can be also lost e.g. by killing a teammate. The higher rank a player has, the more money he gets for each round. Money which is not spent in a round is transferred into the next round. However, each player has a limit to the amount of money he can have according to his rank. A player can spend his money on weaponry or equipment. He can buy them at buy points which are markets indicated by a small dollar sign. Players can buy items a maximum of three times in any one round. The buy screen can be toggled at the buy points with the buy screen key defined in Options\Keyboard screen.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 69.96%[1] |
| Metacritic | 66/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| GameSpot | 8.0/10[3] |
| IGN | 7.5/100[4] |
Chaser received mixed or average reviews from critics. The game currently holds a 66 out of 100 rating at Metacritic[2] and a 69.96% ranking at GameRankings.[1] Scott Osborne of GameSpot gave the game an 8.0 out of 10 rating, saying that Chaser offers "loads of thrilling, old school shooter action".[4] Chris Hudak of IGN rated the game a 7.5 out of 10 rating for "cinematic presentation" and "artful surprises".[3]