G-LOC logo

US GOLD * £25.99

Trying to convert Sega's all-spinning, all-dancing into-the-screen shoot-em-up for the Amiga is not a task for the faint-hearted. But that's what US Gold have attempted here. You are at the controls of an experimental super-plane, the A8M5 MkII.

Laid before you are 36 difficult missions. So difficult, even the manual describes them as suicidal. They would be easier if the designers of your plane (or the game) had spent less time on the weapon systems and more on making it flyable. If you must play this game, use a mouse rather than a joystick because it allows much more aerial manoeuvrability, and means you will be able to complete missions. The game is transformed under mouse control, and instead of binning it, you'll find yourself wanting to play it two or three times before you put it on the shelf.

G-LOC means loss of consciousness due to G force. If you do actually lose consciousness then it will probably be down to boredom. Avoid like the plague.



Die Blei-Ente

G-LOC logo

In der Spielhalle konnte Segas Action-Flugi trotz furioser 3D-Grafik nicht ganz an den Erfolg von "Afterburner" anknüpfen - bleibt zu hoffen, daß wenigstens die Umsetzung besser ausgefallen ist, als das beim Vorgänger der Fall war.

Umsonst gehofft: Zwar hat man sich bei U.S. Gold erkennbar Mühe gegeben, das Flair des Automaten auf den Amiga rüberzuholen, aber schnelle Grafik und mit Sprachausgabe unterlegter Sound allein sind halt nicht genug - G-Loc fliegt geradewegs in die wohlverdiente Vergessenheit!

Warum das so ist, merkt man sofort, wenn die fetzige Titelmelodie verklungen ist und man das kleine Optionsmenü (zwei Schwierigkeitsgrade, die Sensibilität der Stick- bzw. Maussteuerung kann justiert werden) hinter sich gebracht hat. Einmal am Himmel, macht sich im Cockpit des Supervogels nämlich schnell Langeweile breit, es sei denn, man hält stupides Gegnerabballern fürs höchste der Gefühle.

Pro "Mission" (Level) muß eine bestimmte Anzahl der hektisch herumkurvenden Feindflieger abgeschossen werden, die größte Schwierigkeit dabei ist, daß die Beschleunigung auf den Ziffernblock und der Nachbrenner auf die Help-Taste gelegt wurden.

Erschwerend kommt noch hinzu, daß die Grafik außer Geschwindigkeit nicht viel zu bieten hat: Der Himmel ist eine simple blaue Fläche, der Untergrund kommt in der Regel auch mit ein bis zwei Farben (grün, braun oder dunkelblau) aus. Von Stimmung kann eigentlich nur gelegentlich die Rede sein, z.B. wenn gerade Sidewinder-Raketen und Sprachausgabe die Atmosphäre aufheizen.

Die meiste Zeit ärgert sich der Pilot aber über die unzuverlässige Steuerung und den chaotischen Spielablauf - außer, er wäre zuvor schon über der müden Optik eingepennt. (C. Borgmeier)



G-LOC logo

A not very good conversion of a not very good game.

Now look, G-LOC is really not a very good game. Hang on, that's being a bit diplomatic. Oh, what the hell. I'll just come out with it. It's crap. There is absolutely nothing good about it whatsoever. It's utter rubbish. Okay?

The graphics look like they were ported from some ancient 8-bit machine and the sound - well, the sound isn't even as good as that. The box says that it delivers pulse-pounding excitement. More like pulse-pounding hair-ripping apoplectic fury when you see what you've just spent £26 on.

The whole point of G-LOC was the speed that made it playable in the arcades, not to mention the fact that the R360 made your stomach churn while you were playing it. Even with someone tilting my chair by hand it just wasn't the same. Mind you it did make my stomach churn. Well, that's only partly true. In truth, G-LOC just made me want to puke.

If you're still reading this, you may be under the impression that I can't stand this game, and you'd be right. How anyone can justify a £26 price tag is beyond me. £7.99 on a budget label would still be over the top, in fact I would feel ripped off if this was in the Prism £2.99 Pocket Power range that's been in the petrol stations and supermarkets over the last few months.

Hang on, I've got it. It's an initiation stunt by the rest of the lads. They've got a Spectrum emulator running on my Amiga and this is really a Speccy game. No? There's only one possible explanation, then. G-LOC is rubbish.

If you're desperate to throw your money away then why not send it us? We promise we'd put it to really good use. Still, if you're absolutely deadly desperate to buy this game here's what you can expect.

Possibly the worst Amiga graphics ever, terrible sound effects and gameplay that even your oldest granny would find slow, tedious, and unbelievably repetitive. The only possible enjoyment you can get out of this game is trying to work out what the hell the pathetic speech is supposed to be, or what on Earth's actually going on most of the time.

This is possibly the most dismally-programmed, boring, and unimpressive piece of software I've ever seen. They say the game has 36 action-packed suicide missions. The '36' is fine, 'action-packed' is stretching the point to the limit and as for suicide, well, if you've bought this, we could understand how you might considering it. But hey, that'd be silly.

Just don't bother to buy G-LOC. Spend your money on a crate of cheap diet coke instead. Even that leaves a better aftertaste.