Thrilling fusion of shooting and driving action
Redline takes the Mad Max-style setting and vehicle-based combat of Hard Truck and marries it to first-person shooter conventions to great effect, creating a fantastic mix of apocalyptic action that proves immensely satisfying. It's set in a nightmare world where society has developed into two groups, the wealthy and privileged who live inside vast domed cities and those dregs of humanity who are forced to live in the wastelands beyond and who now form roving gangs of violent thugs. The player takes on the role of a new recruit into one of these gangs and is sent on a variety of missions into the deadly world, where you battle on foot in traditional FPS-style levels as well as in your heavily armed and armoured Battle Rig. There are some 12 missions to take part in, taking you to such exotic locales as the Templar Strongholds, stadium City and even the notorious Area 51, while you also get the chance to wield some high powered weaponry and pilot some cool vehicles as you go. While fusing two different genres is often a failure (see Necrodome for example), Redline manages to pull it off with great style and turns out to be a thrilling experience. The action is fast and furious, with plenty of intense moments to get your pulse racing and with evolving objectives and branching storylines to keep you on your toes. Levels are well designed and encourage exploration and while the visuals are looking somewhat dated, the environments are imaginative and interesting. For an unusual take on the shooter genre, this makes for a thrilling ride so if you've enjoyed the likes of Interstate '76 and are looking for more, check this out.
