How refreshing to play an adventure game that does not take place in
outer space or some other make-believe world, does not contain any horror or fantasy
elements, and is actually rooted in reality. Not that we do not appreciate all
types of adventure settings, but it seems that very few are situated in a real-life
atmosphere. Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin, if you have not already
guessed, is based on the 1999 Warner Brothers movie starring Will Smith and Kevin
Kline. The movie was in turn a spin-off from the irreverent television series
that aired from 1965 to 1970. Now, before you get your dingleberries in an uproar
and begin to bellow, “But the movie was a flop!” rest assured that even
though the James West and Artemus Gordon characters have been recreated from their
movie counterparts, the game is closer in spirit to the original television series.
Yet, as dismal sales records have proven, basing a game on any filmed medium is
a risky proposition at best (i.e., Men in Black, Congo), and more often
than not the game is scorned by the buying public. Can WWW break this trend
and score a bull’s-eye, or is it another crossover title shooting blanks?

(A Just Adventure factoid: As everyone knows, before Nintendo became known
for Mario and Zelda, it was Japan’s leading manufacturer of playing cards. It
seems SouthPeak also has similar roots. Before it became a leading producer of
games like Dark Side of the Moon and Temujin, SouthPeak manufactured cork bottle
openers in the mid 1800s, but the machines were so convoluted to use and were
often missing so many parts that the company soon went bankrupt, only to reemerge
a century later as SouthPeak Interactive. For further confirmation, see the front
desk in the Surratt House scene.)

The Steel Assassin
takes place a few months after the events of the movie. You must take on the
role of either James T. West (Will Smith) or Artemus Gordon (Kevin Kline). President
Grant has asked for your assistance from an assassination conspiracy set to be
staged at the infamous Ford’s Theater–five years to the day from Abraham Lincoln’s
murder. The game is broken into 10 segments–four each that can only be played
as West or Gordon, and a finale and epilogue in which both characters finally
team up. West follows the five-year-old trail of John Wilkes Booth, President
Lincoln’s assassin, as he suspects that Booth had a partner (Oliver Stone writing
for SouthPeak!), and Gordon slinks about the Baltimore wharf and Ford’s Theater
as he searches for clues that will link a suspicious murder to the threat on President
Grant’s life. The rousing finale reunites the two Secret Service men in a race
against time. SouthPeak’s writers (and designers) have done an excellent job of
bringing the 1870s to life and are to be commended for their accurate portrayal
of that era. This faithful recreation allowed us to immerse ourselves fully into
the game. But the story left me wanting more–there were never any startling revelations
or plot twists; it felt like an episode of the television show minus the commercial
breaks. Play a chapter as West with a concluding shoot-out, play a chapter as
Gordon with a life-threatening puzzle. Some subplots indigenous to the social
issues of that period or more than just a reference to the graft and corruption
that was rampant in Grant’s term would have been welcome. What story we do have
is fine, but seems to be more aperitif than entree. Grade for plot: C+.

WWW
is billed as an action/adventure game, but is more of an old-school, point-and-click
adventure game than any product currently on the market. Artemus Gordon is the
brains of the duo. Die-hard adventure gamers will have a field day as Artemus
dons disguises, deciphers messages, and investigates clues. The gameplay is very
similar to such classics as Sherlock Holmes & The Rose Tattoo. Conversations
with other characters provide hints, and relevant information is automatically
recorded in your notebook. The amount of leads provided is dependent upon the
game’s difficulty level. In what may be a first, SouthPeak has allowed the gamer
the option of changing the difficulty level on the fly. If you are stuck on a
particularly hard puzzle or gun battle, you may customize the game to your preference
for just one scene or the entire episode. Did I say gun battle? Well, this is,
after all, a western, and James West is the quick-on-the-trigger-finger member
of the duo. There will be times when gunplay is necessary, but there are also
numerous occasions (and SouthPeak is to be congratulated for this) when a shoot-out
can be avoided if you are alert and study the surrounding area. Sandbags and oil
slicks, if used correctly, can be just as deadly as a bullet. The majority of
the puzzles do involve items that are indigenous to the period–cannonballs, spittoons,
etc. They are, for the most part, fair in their conception, but there is a chessboard
puzzle that should have been left on the cutting board. The action sequences,
especially the shoot-outs, are enjoyable, but as is often the case when a game
attempts to be everything for everyone, there are two sequences–a water chase
and a sword duel–that feel stilted and unwelcome. Overall, highly recommended
for puzzle lovers–grade B+.

The graphics for WWW are 3D models
against 2D backgrounds rendered in a process SouthPeak calls SoftImage. The result
is crisp and often stunning images. This is one of the few games where the animation
for the gameplay itself is superior to the cutscenes. The cutscenes are occasionally
blocky, especially after playing Outcast and Nocturne, and the lack
of lip-synching is frustrating–even more so if you turn on the closed captioning,
for then the captions on the screen are always at least three sentences ahead
of the actual conversation. The entire game is conveniently mouse-driven, and
the characters are very responsive and detailed. Some of the outdoor locations
are stunning. The Wanderer, the train that serves as a meeting place between missions
for the agents, is extremely detailed. Besides housing weapons and gadgets, Gordon’s
disguises and laboratory are on board, and everything is at your disposal. Immersive
graphics are always a huge plus: B.

WWW wisely uses the movie’s
Elmer Bernstein score in the game. Bernstein is an Oscar winner, and his music
is universally acclaimed. It is catchy and toe-tapping to say the least (and,
no, before you ask, Will Smith’s rap version of the theme song is not in the game).
SouthPeak has implemented DirectMusic technology into the game, whereby the music
will change mood, tempo, etc., depending on what’s happening in the game. Movie
westerns such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly have employed this to their
advantage, and it is encouraging to see game developers applying these multimedia
tactics. Though the main characters strongly resemble their movie counterparts,
their voices are done by Andre Ware (West) and Jim Ward (Gordon). Ward has the
stronger lines and even had me laughing a few times (as did a memorable tribute
to Return to Zork). Sound effects are passable; occasional explosions and
gunfights are just not as noisy as they should be. Two sounds in particular are
memorable: the jingling of West’s spurs (though this sound should have been toned
down when West was in sneak mode) and the leather pouch that West uses to store
his supplies. Grade for music and sound effects: B.

In the final
analysis, Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin is fun. It was fun riding
a horse, it was fun participating in an Old West shoot-out, and it was fun playing
a game that has some historical basis. It ships on two CDs, one for install and
one for gameplay, and it also contains a great preview of 20,000 Leagues. Sequels
would be welcome but are probably a moot point unless the game is an unqualified
success on its own accord. SouthPeak has taken a novel approach to marketing by
including a trailer of the game and a rebate coupon with the Wild Wild West
video release. Let’s hope this approach succeeds and convinces other companies
to utilize unorthodox methods to market their adventure products. Until next time,
keep your six-shooter dry, watch out for that tumbleweed, and happy trails.

Final
grade: B.

System Requirements:
266 MHz Pentium-class CPU
3D hardware accelerator with 8 MB RAM
Windows
95/98 or Windows NT
DirectX 6.1 (included)
64 MB or more of RAM

200 MB free hard disk space
8x or better CD-ROM drive
DirectX-compatible
video card with 4 MB VRAM