Beyond the Law: The Third Wave Review

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Beyond the Law: The Third Wave

Review by Old RoosterJune 2004

Imagine, if you will, organized crime at a level where it threatens all strata of society—even to the point of taking over the national government! Imagine, also, that the only way to stop this imminent threat is through your efforts as commander of an elite group of paramilitary specialists—a band that is beyond the law.

If you have a hankering for this kind of heroics and enjoy the prospect of a largely stealth tactical strategy game, in the Commandos mode, you may well find pleasure in Beyond the Law.

This new, budget-priced title from Magnum Games attempts to follow the formula of such classics as Jagged Alliance, Splinter Cell, Desperados and, of course, the revered Commandos series. Let’s discuss the overall premise, execution and final outcome.

“Avoid the Three Guards in the Office”

Installation and set-up went very smoothly, with system requirements quite low by today’s standards. A haunting musical theme plays while set-up is occurring and during your initial briefings. Graphics, locked at 800×600 resolution, present a 3/4 top-down view, much like the Commandos series, but with neither zoom nor map rotation. Movement around the map occurs with left and right mouse clicks, with arrow or edge of screen mousing displaying more of the environment. Each of the 20 missions, in five broad categories, loads completely, so that you have the entire location (ship surface, for example) on display at one time.

After choosing a difficulty level, you are given a briefing and asked to purchase or rent several mercenaries for your task. Your money is limited, and the amount changes, so you have to make some choices. These fellows have different skill sets, emphasizing such areas as sniping, tactics, and technical prowess. For any given mission, you may need particular areas of expertise. Unfortunately, you can’t really guess this very well without failing at least once.  Following mission completion, the game is automatically saved, and a quick save/load is possible during the mission. Several of the levels have a time requirement, adding to the tension (frustration?).

BTL is, primarily, much like the games after which it is modeled, a “sneaker.” Usually, once your group is dropped into a setting, you can pause to look around and get your bearings—see where guards are patrolling, the location of objectives (“turn off the alarm”), and most of where you need to go. Your little group (typically two to four) can be moved individually or together, much as we might do in an RTS game. The puzzle is in finding the correct route, avoiding guards and alarms, and even doing this with minimum casualties. There may be more than one way to solve a particular problem, but discretion is usually the best approach. Unfortunately, those guards and alarms seen especially sensitive, and the game can be very difficult on “normal” setting.

“Before You Can Say Organized Crime!” —Group Leader

BTL is a rather quiet game, with little other than ambient sounds during missions. Your group will respond to you, though, when directed to move, with comments ranging from “O.K.”  to “On my way,” to the above organized crime response.  Soon these become not only redundant, but a bit annoying. Indeed, let’s discuss redundancy.

Although we have 20 allegedly different environments (and I’ve played each level), there is a sameness to it all that bogs the game down about a third of the way through. Whether it’s decks of an old freighter or a construction site outside Queens, the goals and play of BTL are much the same, with even the settings just ending up like a different crossword puzzle in this week’s Times. I don’t mean to be unfair, but each level looks dark, shaded, with the same kind of rooms, goons, alarms, obstacles. The storyline isn’t sufficient to motivate you along, and it is hard to maintain enthusiasm after the first few hours.

Budget Gaming

I found Beyond the Law to be an adequate effort, fun for a while. However, its graphics are outdated by at least five years, and gameplay pales in comparison to the titles it seeks to emulate (Jagged Alliance, Commandos). It’s a bit ironic that the developer is entitled “Modern Games.” Of course, you may say, it’s a budget title—what do you expect? That’s fair. And if I were a rabid fan of stealth/tactical games, I may well wish to add this to my library. However, one of the problems with budget titles (typically $20 new) is that they are competing with “bargain bin” games that may be in the same range or less. One thinks not only of the vaunted JA and Commandos series, but also such fairly recent (and better) games as Desperados, Freedom Force and Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood. All of these are tactical/strategy in nature, with varied and colorful settings and good storylines, and they can be purchased new for under $20, often under $10. The question becomes raised as to not only how you wish to spend your gaming money, but also how you wish to spend your valuable gaming time.

There is some fun to be had with Beyond the Law, at least initially. However, with dated graphics, redundant settings and gameplay, mediocre production values, I can only recommend this for fans only—those who have to play every tactical game that comes down the pike, whether its taking on the Nazis, Western bad men, a Nottingham sheriff, or runaway Mafia. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Modern Games Publisher: Magnum Games/Viva Media Release Date: April 5, 2004

Available for: Macintosh Windows

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

PC: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Pentium III 800 MHz 128 MB RAM 500 MB free hard disk space

Mac: Power Macintosh G3 128 MB RAM 800×600 pixels (16-bit color minimum) System 10.1 or later

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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