Gaming is emotive. The more I write, the more I play, the more I begin to realise. Computer and video games play the player, and the games that do it well are the ones we enjoy the most.
What I'm trying to say is that games force sensory emotion. Let me qualify that or I'll begin to sound like Edge Magazine. I'll give you an example. Return Fire.
Essentially Return fire is a game based on find the Flag. Two teams fighting against each other, trying to find their opponents flag and take it back to their own base. A simple enough concept. Each battlefield is spread over a number of islands. Each player has a base and each base is equipped with the same military vehicles.
A base is populated with hospital tents, missile firing turrets, petrol dumps, roads, trees and beaches. All of which can be destroyed. Each base also has a set of vehicles: A helicopter, a Jeep, a heavy rocket launcher and a tank. You use these weapons to infiltrate the enemies base and as mentioned before, seize the flag.
The graphics are nice, 3D where 2D would might have done in my opinion - but none the less, they scale and rotate nicely, and the camera adopts a wide angled lens view as your vehicle accelerates, which is done to encompass more of the surrounding area - a nice touch.
The controls take a little getting used to but the balance between the helicopter and it's six axis of movement, the cumbersome rocket launcher and the energetic jeep are balanced well.
What was that I was saying about sensory? Oh yes - The music. The music is classical. It takes the game to a different level of emotional play. Not since - for me anyway - we docked a space ship in Elite. For example the helicopter flies to the tune of "Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner. A particularly emotive piece of helicopter related music. Imagine if you will being in-charge of a helicopter gunship, while a full orchestra plays "Ride of the Valkyries" - You feel, embarrassing as it is to admit, 'powerful'. For those that struggle to remember it is the piece of music used in Apocalypse now, during the Helicopter Cavalry sequence. If you don't know it - it's unlikely to havet he same effect on you.
While playing to this tune, it is hard to fight the urge not to make the little helicopter swoop and strafe needlessly. Then launch missiles and cut down the little men escaping while you laugh maniacly. Then to, as gracefully as possible with the 3DO d-pad, circle the gun turrets as they impotently try and shoot you down, then before you run out of fuel, to destroy the mines of the submarine... I could go on.
Baron RK Von Wolfsheild, (what a name!) the designer of Return Fire, couldn't have made the experience better without paying some ex-US military Cavalry Lieutenant to come into your house and throw napalm around - it smells like victory you know.
Yet there is more: The urgency of escaping with the enemies flag with 1812 Overture chirping away, or any of the other brilliantly positioned pieces of classical music associated with the vehicles.
It is satisfying and it's the music that does it. The music is emotionally charged - combine that with what most people associate the music too makes for one hell of a gaming experience.
Return Fire would have been a good game with or without the music. With the music, that touch of inspired game deisgn, the game in my opinion becomes a classic and plays the player in way many games don't manage.
3DO Kid.
One final sub-note: The voice that does the laughing skull when you you lose is R J Mical. Designer of the 3DO chip set and the Amiga Chips set.
This is the best Edutaiment game in my opinion. I really begun to apreciate the classic music thanks to this game. Believe it or not, sometimes, some games can bring us culture even when that was not the intention.