Ghen War
Ghen War | |
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Single player |
Ghen War (ゲン ウォー) is a
Story
The game takes place in the
The exploration team, composed of humans led by a man named Jenners and Ghen led by Commander Xylan, is harvesting minerals on Titan when the story begins. For reasons unknown, Xylan orders his Ghen to enter their spacecraft and take off. Boxhead, an android scientist, informs Jenner that there is stronium activity (not to be confused with strontium) nearby. After hearing that the Ghen have left, Jenner orders everyone back to the ship, including the 'Lieutenant' (the player character), in his exoskeleton.
The human team (including their pilot Gina and wise-cracking Akira) take off in their own ship, the Da Vinci, and try to make contact with the Sunstar station. The Ghen attack and destroy the station before turning their attention to the human ship. The humans escape and begin disabling Ghen stronium reactors and thwarting their attacks, with the help of the Lieutenant and his exoskeleton.
The Ghen blame the crew of the Da Vinci for destroying Sunstar and Titan and invading Mars, and use human figureheads under their control like Commander Braxton to try to trick them into returning to Earth for disciplinary action. The Da Vinci realize their deception. Relay Commander Reynolds (their only contact due to the interstellar communications blackout) informs them that the starship Goliath is dry-docked on Moonbase 12. After returning from the Moon, they wire Boxhead into the ship's communication systems to send a transmission directly to Earth, only to find Reynolds has also fallen under Xylan's control. After Xylan's transmission is intercepted by Wilson, now leading an underground resistance against the Ghen, they discover the Ghen are using the implants to sedate everyone on Earth. They head for the implant manufacturing plant in Australia to liberate the sedated humans.
The game has multiple endings. In the best ending, the player and the crew of the Da Vinci score a major victory against the Ghen. The Ghen take a few hundred captive humans with them as they retreat from the Earth. The crew of the Da Vinci are hailed as heroes, and given medals and a Ghen ship capable of lightspeed. In prison, Xylan explains they were using humanity to test their only means of stopping the Bo-Kyat, which would have made them all slaves to the Ghen's war machines, but by blindingly clinging to the notions of freedom and independence, humanity has sealed its own doom. As the crewman questioning him and the player are left to wonder which of them will be proven right, the crew excitedly take off in their new ship.
Gameplay
Ghen War is a 3D
The game features 20 levels in six different locations, including Venus, Mars, Deimos, and the moon. There are also two locations on Earth: Australia and NORAD.
Among its
Ghen War features an early example of
Audio and visuals
The story of Ghen War is told through a series of cut-scenes, done mostly in
The soundtrack of the game was written by Brian Coburn, and it changes dynamically to meet the action taking place within the level.[3]
Reception
Publication | Score |
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AllGame | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4.875/10[4] |
GameRevolution | C+[5] |
Next Generation | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Sega Saturn Magazine | 78%[7] |
Ghen War divided critics, who expressed contradicting opinions on most of the game's major aspects. While Andrew Baran, Mike LeFebvre, and Mike Desmond of
Critics were also divided in their overall assessments of Ghen War. Some concluded that its negative aspects completely outweighed its merits or at best made it a game that only a select few would have the patience needed to appreciate,[4][5] while others felt that it offers enough enjoyment and sparks of originality to make it worth getting.[6][7][9] In 1998, Saturn Power ranked Ghen War 99th on their Top 100 Sega Saturn Games summarizing: "Varied level design and clever gameplay makes Ghen War a more interesting and challenging mission-based Doom-like affair. Although they criticized the slow gameplay.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e Ghen Wars at MobyGames
- ^ a b Ghen War at GameFAQs
- ^ "Ghen War".
- ^ a b c d e f g "Review Crew: Ghen War". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 77. Sendai Publishing. December 1995. p. 44.
- ^ Game Revolution. June 6, 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- ^ Imagine Media. July 1996. pp. 76, 78.
- ^ Emap International Limited. pp. 80–81.
- ^ Jon Thompson. "Ghen War Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ a b "ProReview: Ghen War". GamePro. No. 89. IDG. February 1996. p. 60.
- ^ "Top 100 Sega Saturn Games" (PDF). Saturn Power (9): 95. January 1998.