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Moving about in Giants is done through a standard AWSD configuration not unlike the ones used for games like Quake and UT with aiming being achieved by using the mouse. Hotkeys are normally used to perform different actions or switch weapons and are also remappable, which is a big bonus. The Meccaryns basically move about on land (entering the water proves to be rather fatal due to vicious piranhas) but with the added ability to use their jetpacks to fly about the Island. Confined to the land, Kabuto is able to sprint and jump various distances, but can’t enter the water or else he starts to lose health. On the other hand, Delphi can both walk on land and swim in the water. In addition, Delphi gets to participate in various “Reaperski” races which puts her in control of a jetski. Navigating throughout the world isn’t too difficult due to the small size of the mission areas, and a handy mission map is provided for your use that marks off the land that you have gone over. I’m really being nitpicky here but what would have been really nice, would have been the inclusion of mini version of that map that could be called up as part of the HUD display (it gets slightly annoying switching back and forth between the screens) and perhaps a compass that indicates the direction that you’re facing.

A Kabuto & a great view of the Island

What really separates Giants from other FPS type adventures however, is the inclusion of RTS elements such as building and resource management in some missions. Somewhat reminiscent of Battlezone, these missions have you manage your base building from a building menu accessed from the command center/pad while you are able to move about in the environment to help your base. The aforementioned Smarties serve as the Giants equivalent of a peon as they are the ones that handle building. However, they cannot repair structures or gather resources: you and you alone are responsible for that.

Wait a second… Resources?! What kind of resources can be possibly used in this game? Well, the Island is also home to the herding animals called vimps. Once slaughtered, a full-grown vimp provides three food units for your Smarties and a soul for spell use (for Delphi). Thus, it is up to you to kill and gather as much vimp meat as you can in order to feed the Smarties so that they can continue working to build and upgrade your buildings. Occasionally you’ll have to defend your base against enemy attacks, for which your portable turrets are a godsent (and you can even control them from the command center!). Finally, I’ve been noticing that lately it has been the trend to have games that lack in-game saves. For some games it really isn’t much of a problem. However, as soon as you throw in mission objectives that are not necessarily hard to complete but are relatively time consuming, it does become a factor. It’s frustrating when you’ve gone through a mission carefully for about half an hour to an hour only to be killed or lose the mission objective and be forced to replay the mission all over again. It’s even more frustrating when you have to keep at it for a long period of time. This problem can be vividly illustrated by using games like Alien vs. Predator and Ground Control as examples. They were great games that were hampered by the lack of an in-game save feature. That being said, be prepared for some long stretches in front of your computer when you play Giants because some missions do take that long to complete properly and would take longer to complete if you have to start all over again….

Graphics/Sound

Right from the get-go, Giants excels in both. From the camera work during the opening game menu to the absolutely gorgeous looking mission environments, Giants is a visual feast for the eyes. The lighting effects are well done in this game, as is the water. Upon completion of the missions, you are treated to various cutscenes that show off the game’s engine. For the most part, everything runs smoothly with full detail at 800x600 on my P3-866 with a GeForce 2 MX, but I did find a noticeable slowdown in certain pitched battles even with this setup. However, large-scale battles like these shouldn’t happen too often if you manage to pick your enemies off from a distance with long ranged weapons before they get a chance to converge. All in all, there really isn’t much to say or gripe about with the graphics except that they are really well done. Aurally speaking, Giants has got to have one of the best musical scores in recent memory. The score consists of sweeping, epic, orchestrated music that fits the action going on screen at the same time. It definitely managed to evoke an atmosphere appropriate for a land of deadly beauty. From plinking peashooter gun to the thud of explosives, sound effects were really well done. One of my most memorable experiences from playing Giants was the first time I encountered a large pack of rippers (think giant man eating plants). As the rumbling from their burrowing in the ground (that’s how they move about) seemingly came from all directions and grew louder and louder as they approached, I stood there paralyzed with terror, my dinky peashooter weapon clutched in my poor hands thinking about my impending doom… It’s been awhile since I’ve actually felt fear in a game and Giant’s ability to invoke fear though sound is a testimony to the game’s great sound engineering. Finally, the voice acting of this game has to be heard in order to be believed. From the cockney accents of the Meccs to the seductive voice of Delphi, to the Scottish sounding Smarties (all Kabuto does is roar but I don’t think you’d want to stick around to talk to him), the voice actors have to be commended for doing an excellent job in portraying the characters. Especially funny were the voices that did Timmy and Grandpa Borjoyzee, who sounded like Pink from Pinky and the Brain and Scrooge McDuck respectively.