Raw Danger
Score: 58% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Agetec Developer: Irem Software Engineering Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Survival Horror
Graphics & Sound: For those who may not be aware, a number of our staffers call Louisiana home, so hurricanes (both the atmospheric and, for some, alcoholic type) have become a part of our lives. It was during a hurricane a few years ago that I came up with what I thought would be a great game idea; escape from a flooded, hurricane struck area. While recent events would likely keep the game from being produced, at least not without words like "exploitation" and "bad taste" being thrown about, it still an interesting idea. Raw Danger, which despite the name change is a sequel to Disaster Report, is based around a similar idea, only without the hurricane and without the fun. Much of Raw Danger's appeal is lost when it comes to graphics. As with Disaster Report, the game just doesn't have the visual strength it needs to really sell the whole natural disaster feeling. There are plenty of movie-styled action sequences that show potential, but the flat textures, stiff characters and general awkwardness of the entire package don't do much for the game. Sound suffers the same fate. The basic dialogue during stories is bad enough, but the wild range of performances really takes it beyond bad. You may come across one or two good performances, but the overall quality pushes it beyond bad. Some characters are way too over-the-top while others are clearly phoned in.
Gameplay: Rather than follow one character through the course of the adventure, Raw Danger follows the stories of several characters as they experience a massive flood (on Christmas Eve, no less) in the underwater utopia of Geo City. You begin as a college student, Josh, as he helps his friend, Stephanie, find her stepmother. From here you move on to a girl named Amber who is in prison for murdering her brother (a crime she, predictably, didn't commit). During this mission, an overarching story begins to unravel that shows how everything is interconnected. You'll also learn that decisions you made during the opening story impact things that happen in future stories. This mechanic is used throughout the game with varying degrees of success. As in real life, you never know how one decision will influence another, so there is an element of surprise. However, the uncertain nature could make some situations frustrating for players who want to see the best possible outcome. Some decisions that seem like the "correct" one could end up being "wrong." Over the course of the game you'll play as five characters, though how much time you spend with them and their individual fates all rest in the decisions you make during other stories. Eventually, stories begin to overlap; you may meet one character in another story or see the direct impact of a decision. The overall narrative structure is rather complex and appealing - now if only the gameplay and dialogue matched up as well. Every character plays differently, presenting completely different play types. Josh's story is more action-oriented given his athletic abilities, while Amber's story is more stealth based since she spends most of the story bound in handcuffs avoiding the police. There are numerous mechanics at play, which makes for a great deal of gameplay variety. The downside is that none of the styles are particularly strong or play well.
Difficulty: Raw Danger's poor mechanics extend beyond simple gameplay snafus and have a direct impact on the game's difficulty. The controls are extremely sluggish and make some situations incredibly frustrating. It is next to impossible to pick up objects or crawl - two things you will need to do a lot of - and some actions require multiple attempts before the game will recognize them. Some objectives are easy to spot, while others are downright mystifying. It is hard to know exactly what you need to do, which could point to localization errors just as much as poor design, and when you have an idea, it is a vague one.
Game Mechanics: If Raw Danger does anything right, it is in portraying the dangers surrounding a natural disaster. At any time, you can be hit with a flash mudslide or a flash flood. These are some of the game's better moments though the PSX-era visuals hamper their impact. Although graphics typically don't matter that much, there are cases where they can detract from the experience the developers are aiming for. The only mechanic that all characters share is body heat, which is lost by performing activities. Body heat works in the same way that thirst did in Disaster Report; as characters lose body heat they'll slow down, making them less effective. Eventually your vision will start to go and you'll pass out. If you stay in water too long, your body temperature will begin to drop. Body heat can be regained by changing into dry clothes or by finding heat sources. You can also use fire to cook food, which you need to do in order to keep your energy up. The concept behind Raw Danger is a great one and something that could work - it just hasn't. The low key visuals, ambiguous objectives and poor mechanics build up and eventually outweigh the game's better aspects. Price is the game's only saving grace, so if you are remotely interested in the concept behind the game you can check it out for cheap - just don't expect that good of an experience.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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