Indeed, let's discuss redundancy.Īlthough we have 20 allegedly different environments (and I've played each level), there is a sameness to it all that bogs the game down about a third of the way through. Soon these become not only redundant, but a bit annoying. Your group will respond to you, though, when directed to move, with comments ranging from "O.K." to "On my way," to the above organized crime response. Unfortunately, those guards and alarms seen especially sensitive, and the game can be very difficult on "normal" setting.īeyond the Law is a rather quiet game, with little other than ambient sounds during missions. There may be more than one way to solve a particular problem, but discretion is usually the best approach. The puzzle is in finding the correct route, avoiding guards and alarms, and even doing this with minimum casualties. Your little group (typically two to four) can be moved individually or together, much as we might do in an RTS game. Several of the levels have a time requirement, adding to the tension (frustration?).īeyond the Law is, primarily, much like the games after which it is modeled, a "sneaker." Usually, once your group is dropped into a setting, you can pause to look around and get your bearings - see where guards are patrolling, the location of objectives ("turn off the alarm"), and most of where you need to go. Following mission completion, the game is automatically saved, and a quick save/load is possible during the mission. Unfortunately, you can't really guess this very well without failing at least once. For any given mission, you may need particular areas of expertise. These fellows have different skill sets, emphasizing such areas as sniping, tactics, and technical prowess. Your money is limited, and the amount changes, so you have to make some choices. Each of the 20 missions, in five broad categories, loads completely, so that you have the entire location (ship surface, for example) on display at one time.Īfter choosing a difficulty level, you are given a briefing and asked to purchase or rent several mercenaries for your task. Movement around the map occurs with left and right mouse clicks, with arrow or edge of screen mousing displaying more of the environment. Graphics, locked at 800×600 resolution, present a 3/4 top-down view, much like the Commandos series, but with neither zoom nor map rotation. Let's discuss the overall premise, execution and final outcome.Ī haunting musical theme plays during your initial briefings. This title from Magnum Games attempts to follow the formula of such classics as Jagged Alliance, Splinter Cell, Desperados and, of course, the revered Commandos series. If you have a hankering for this kind of heroics and enjoy the prospect of a largely stealth tactical strategy game, in the Commandos mode, you may well find pleasure in Beyond the Law. Imagine, if you will, organized crime at a level where it threatens all strata of society - even to the point of taking over the national government! Imagine, also, that the only way to stop this imminent threat is through your efforts as commander of an elite group of paramilitary specialists - a band that is beyond the law. Together with a group of highly trained specialists - such as snipers, ballistics experts, and technicians - the team must operate in total secrecy to stop the mob from completing their criminal hat trick, and to save the nation's capital from a nuclear disaster. Using bribery, black mail, and corruption, the mobsters have pocketed the city's officials and police force, and have begun operating illegal businesses ranging from prostitution to drug cartels, in order to fund their third and final phase - a nuclear attack. Players will lead their group on a series of 20 missions through hostile locations, in an effort to recover control and halt the criminal enterprise. Merciless mobsters have gathered in New York City, armed with a criminal agenda composed of three phases. Players find themselves responsible for choosing among 50 paramilitary specialists in order to create a super group - one designed to operate beyond the law. Magnum Games enters the PC gaming market with Beyond the Law: The Third Wave, a squad-based strategy-shooter.
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