Echelon

While other titles have arisen from their grasp, Sea Dogs was the definitive title that showed that they were now part of the mainstream. With each piece of information leaking about Echelon, starting small with screenshots then bigger with the demo, my intrigue was increasing. When the box was glistening on my desk, I was relieved that my questions would soon be answered. Well, after a long (and I mean long) run with the complete version of Echelon, I give my humble opinion.

The story of Echelon takes place during the middle of the 24th century in a conflict between two previously friendly forces. The Galactic Federation, formed after a civil war that caused the demise of the Galactic Empire is in a fierce battle with the Velians, an alien race utilizing many advanced technologies. Their technology is made up mostly of Zero-Transport (Zero-T) space stations that the Galactic Federation has begun to use. Since the Velians knew Zero-T, they were able to take control of the Federation's space stations and use them to their advantage.

Fighting an advanced alien race requires an exceptional pilot, and only one man can do the job. That man is you.

Graphics

It would have been difficult to portray a living alien world with sub-par visuals. Bethesda must have ackowledged this, as Echelon could easily be classified as the best looking futuristic flight-sim ever made. Echelon features hundreds of miles of rolling hills and valleys, which are detailed beyond comparision. Even Tribes 2, which offers unparelled visuals for a first-person shooter, doesn't offer the quality that Echelon does. Bump-mapping, particle effects, lens flare, you name it and it's here.

The vehicle and architechture models are also done extremely well. The ship design, while simplistic, is a good example of creativity, as each ship will degrade as damage is absorbed. The weapons also offer vibrant lighting effects that contrast well with the rolling clouds that blanket the gorgeously rendered sky. The lighting also enhances the mood when switching levels between a bright day map and a pitch-black night level. When the enemy turns on the jammer, the encompassed area turns into what looks like a giant storm with brown and red clouds swirling above.

One of the most impressive visual examples is the high-altitude flying. Not since Terminal Velocity have I been able to rise hundreds of miles in the air only to dive back down firing at enemies without having graphical glitches. Unlike Black & White you will not see rendering on the fly or the morphing of the mountains. Also, I have only seen two instances of draw-in, and they were so far in the distance that it didn't hinder one second of gameplay.

Buka has outdone themselves and created a game engine that offers scenic landscapes, encompassing spectacular light and furious battles with considerably low system requirements.

Sound

While good on the most part, I have a couple of gripes about the sound.

The in-game music is non-existent. Most of your romp through the world will be accompanied by nothing but the hum of the engine and the chatter of your wingmen. This is truely a disappointment as chest-thumping tunes would have increased the tension. However, I notice in the options menu that there is a music volume control. Maybe it was just my system. If not, this is something that should have been added.

The sound effects, on the other hand, are exceptional. The explosions of enemy aircraft and the firing of both artillery and missles are done wonderfully. I especially like the pitter patter of incoming fire on the back of the ship. You always know that your getting hit one, two or ten times from an enemy craft. The in-game battle chatter is done using a muffled sound to show CB-type frequencies. This can either be good or bad depending on what you like. I enjoyed the sounds and felt that they portrayed a hint of realism, but they are sometimes difficult to understand.

While not up to par with the graphics, Echelon still won't hurt your ears. It is easily better than most other games in the genre.

Controls

Note: This game was reviewed using a Saitek Cyborg 3D joystick.

It would be difficult to fully enjoy Echelon without some sort of joystick to help you navigate your craft. For the first three levels, I chose to use the standard mouse and keyboard configuration for most first-person shooters. While it wasn't impossible, the switch to the aformentioned joystick made a world of difference.

The Cyborg worked very well at controling pitch, altitude, yaw and roll. Due to the simplistic nature of Echelon's controls scheme, I only needed buttons for autopilot, night-vision, closest and most dangerous target, weapon switch and fire. Five buttons should be found on any joystick, and if you only have three, you can easily put the night-vision and autopilot functions on their respective keyboard layouts.

Targeting is done very well, with both the target and the target's next position being available to fire at. Considering the game's high level of difficulty, this was an important addition. Guided missiles change the target to a bright red circle, which turns green when the target is locked. Waypoints are marked visibly on the map, and a miniature version of the map is shown in the lower-right corner.

The game ditches arcade-style controls and focuses a little more on a realistic flight simulator in almost all aspects. Certain ships are heavy, which make them tough to manuever, while others are speed demons that can handle tight turns through canyons. Commanding your wingmen and opening up the engineering bay (multiplayer) is handled by an on-screen menu and the number keys.

Gameplay

Throughout Echelon's 20+ levels, you will be able to fly several different types of missions such as providing cover, taking down swarms of enemy ships, one-on-one dogfighting and building demolition. You will find that many of these are repeated in slightly different scenarios, but they never really get boring due to the action that is always taking place. The only time action isn't presented is when you are flying forty miles across the map to the area of action. Buka has added a time pass fuction that triples the speed of normal flight (only accessible before action takes place).

Since you're battling hordes of enemy tanks, ships and buildings, it is only fair that you possess a nice amount of firepower yourself. Players can fly fourteen different types of ships, ranging from flying fortresses to transports that can be modified with the sixteen weapon types. Some weapons utilize your energy while others have their own ammunition. Whether you're using Plasma Cannons or Torpedos really doesn't matter since each weapon can be mastered and be exrememly damaging.

The difficulty, though, is sometimes extremely unbalanced. While an early level may take you twenty passes before completion (and I'm not kidding), ten levels later might be finished without a scratch. It seems that sometimes the enemy AI is just a little too good, and your wingmen's AI is similar to a jellyfish. Since real-time damage is part of the gameplay you might find that two enemies attack your wing and you will be caught in a nosedive straight toward the ground. The strange thing is that the twenty-first time that you play, you will beat the level without a touch from the enemy. Hmm.

My only real problem with the gameplay is the lack of identification with the character. Since you just control "a pilot," you really don't care about him. The storyline, while wonderful on paper, doesn't keep you enticed. The action that takes place in the levels usually didn't feel very dynamic from level to level. Most gamers will probably give up on reading the mission briefing before they are half-way through the game. Branching levels will be a bonus for those who keep focus, as some of the choices are quite drastic.

The multi-player aspect of Echelon is easily what may give it indefinite replayability. That is, as long as they give some Gamespy support. For now, the only way to get into a game is to know the IP of the computer you would like to join, which makes it a tough task to someone who doesn't know what an IP is. If they can figure it out, they will be treated to an extremely fun Deathmatch or a Capture the Flag-type game that has to be played to be believed.

Despite some of Echelon's shortcomings, I would heartily recommend it to anyone who has the need for space-age flying. Buka has crafted the best futuristic space shooter that I have played in years, and I doubt that too many new games will be able to compete.
-==KapTeNKrYloN==-

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