Die Hard-style action thrills
This bizarrely titled game takes its inspiration from a fictional character and a piece of internet slang that is widely used to describe any angry systems administrator. Fortunately, the title isn't the only interesting aspect of the game and while it is far from a classic, a few clever features make it worth investigating. The premise is vaguely interesting but sounds like a rejected outline for a 1990s action movie, with a school being taking over by a bunch of activists and who must be stopped by a lone hero. However, the twist here is that the hero is a furious computer admin manager who is less than pleased to find his beloved network under attack. This involves searching the building for several bombs placed by the terrorists, while rescuing hostages and dealing with their captors, with all this action playing out via an overhead view, similar to Alien Breed or Gauntlet. There are a few neat features that set Servers Under Siege apart, including the fairly strict time limit which adds in some much needed tension to proceedings and gives it the feel of a Hollywood blockbuster like Die Hard. Another clever idea is that the main character starts out unarmed and must take out an enemy to claim their weapon and which again makes the game stand out a little. Visually however, the game is fairly unimpressive with bland environments and small sprites which lack strong appeal, although the myriad background details, like breaking glass and exploding computers do make up for this somewhat. Sound is well implemented, with plenty of cool effects that add to the atmosphere, while the difficulty level is pitched quite high and which means the game presents a fair challenge. Overall, Servers Under Siege is a simple slice of undemanding action that provides some enjoyable blasting thrills and is worth checking out.
