T-Mek is the latest 3D battle simulator offering from the revamped Atari Games/Time Warner Interactive group. The near-VR 3D immersive experience is heightened by TWI's proprietary CAGE digital surround sound system and Rumbleseat, which allows the players to feel the explosions around them.
You take the role of a Mek pilot competing in a futuristic series of arena battles against hostile foes. Points are awarded based on the amount of damage you do to other players, plus or minus any modifiers. At the end of each stage, you encounter a planet guardian, who you must engage in a battle to the death in order to continue to the next arena.
T-Mek uses a simple arena fighting premise, and takes it a step further. Like a combination between Street Fighter II and Cybersled, the odds are increased as you fight for points rather than kills. The importance of this may not be instantly obvious. What it means is that a variety of styles and strategies can be employed, each with its particular strengths and weaknesses - you don’t actually have to kill a single player in order to win!.
The way points are awarded is simple. Each Mek has a certain kill value. If you take on a Mek whose kill value is 20,000 points with a plasma cannon and hit it, that equates to 10% damage or 2,000 points. Hitting the opponent Mek repeatedly awards points in this fashion. Upon killing a Mek you are awarded a kill bonus modifier, which is then added to your score.
When you vanquish an opponent, a number of things happen. Firstly, you are awarded that player’s rank in the contest. You can also run over the strewn wreckage of the fallen Mek and collect their reactor core, which gives you added defensive power-ups. Beware of other players stealing your kills, as you can spend ages battling another Mek, only to lose both the bonus and the core from a scavenger.
Kamikazee attempts are penalized, the player having points deducted for foolish play or trying to deliberately kill himself.
Meks that are killed in Arena battles are not out of the game for good. The Mek pilot punches out of his crippled craft and is resealed inside another, ready to re-enter the fray. He does this at a cost. A certain amount of his score is deducted and he loses precious seconds while his new Mek is retasked and deployed.
The fighting continues until time runs out, whereupon the grand ruler of the competition, Nazrac, announces the highest scoring player as the winner. The round winner continues to the next for free, all other comers must buy in to challenge.
After you have battled against all-comers on the planet, you are dumped into the home arena of the planet's guardian boss. There are no second chances here. You must either destroy the boss or be destroyed. A kill in this arena will see you fried by the fusion implosion of your reactor core.
Eventually, should you prove worthy, you will meet the great Nazrac himself and fight for dominance of the tournament. Some players may meet Nazrac before this stage, however, if they are doing to well. This humbling experience is so Nazrac can prove his superiority to all in the tournament. None have defeated Nazrac.
Control is handled through two joysticks a la Cybersled. Push one joystick forward and the other back to rotate in place. Push both the same way to head in that direction, or push one a little more in one direction than the other to turn. The harder you push the joysticks, the faster you will move.
There are two button on each joystick. The right trigger activates the long-range plasma cannon. The plasma arcs toward the opponent as designated by your lock-on targeting system. The plasma cannon does heavy damage and can be fired with no limitation.
The left trigger initiates the two short-range blasters which while doing light damage, can fire very rapidly and cause great cumulative damage. These tend to gouge into the ground at any great distance, so are best used up close and personal.
Special weapons are activated with the right thumb, and require you to have an offense powerup. Offense powerups can be collected by moving under the blue light that beams down from underneath the floating reload platforms. Each Mek’s special is different.
The left thumb when held down will initiate your defensive countermeasures. The actual effect will vary depending on the Mek, but the result is that your Mek will be able to sustain any damage for a short amount of time. While you are not using the countermeasures, the charge will slowly build up. Activating your defense will permit you to rotate faster, but will make your weapons inoperable while it is running.
The display is divided up into various segments, relaying the status of your Mek and that of your opponents. As an enemy Mek wanders into your field of view your weapons systems lock onto that opponent. A secondary targeting sight then tracks the Mek until both sights are aligned, whereupon a readout for the Mek is displayed near the central cross-hatch. This information includes the name of the Mek in the player’s colour, and the point value. Watch out for the shade of the player’s name, as the deeper the colour the less shields that player has.
A radar is provided that helps track other Meks as they traverse the arena. Watch out however for inaccuracies in readings as some Meks possess Electronic Countermeasures which can throw off your Mek’s tracking systems. Some Meks such as the LurkerMek are almost impossible to track at all.
A bar at the top of the screen represents your remaining shield energy - make sure this doesn't reach zero because if you sustain any damage you will explode in a most visually impressive way. A readout on the right displays current player rankings. Keep an eye on this especially near the end of each arena so you can boost your ranking with a few opportunistic kills. A display at the left shows your current score and remaining match time.
Currently the units come in deluxe twin player sit down cabinets. These can then be used to either combat another player or compete individually against the computer Meks. Up to three of these cabinets can be linked, providing a huge six-way combat scenario.
T-Mek has broken records in many of the arcades in Milpitas, California where it was site tested, and doubtless it will when we see it here in a few months time. The use of subtle and varying tactics and head-to-head combat is sure to make it a favourite with Australian gamers as well.
This preview is Copyright (C) 1994 by Nathan Cochran for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.