Genre: Action
Perspective: 1st-person
Gameplay: Arcade, Shooter
Vehicular: Helicopter, Tank
Published by: Blue Byte Software GmbH
Developed by: Blue Byte Software GmbH
Released: 1997
Platform: DOS
Extreme Assault is a bright and colorful 3D arcade helicopter shooting game. It is characterized by the fact that it was released specifically with support for MMX technology. Also, from the distinctive features of the game, it is worth noting the presence of support for 32-bit color, which simply could not but affect the quality of graphics in the best possible way.
You are the pilot of a combat futuristic helicopter, but at times you will have to combine the military specialty of the driver of an equally futuristic tank. The plot in the game is explained very indistinctly, however, judging by the totality of the briefings at the beginning of the missions, our planet is still (finally) captured by some alien aliens. For the most part, the briefings themselves are actually the source of the plot description. From the "dry" texts of the briefings, as well as from some "poster" images in the game, the idea is created that the invaders are typical representatives of the already publicized and "five minutes away" existing race of aliens - the "gray". The game starts at a fairly normal pace. At first, it will seem to the uninitiated: it seems that there is a routine struggle against another manifestation of terrorism, or even a new battle for “freedom” has begun, but gradually, as the missions are completed, it becomes a little uncomfortable, it is felt that something is wrong here. Unfamiliar aircraft are starting to appear, produced by a clearly non-terrestrial globalized economy, and so on. And already in the final, you will not only see with your own eyes, but also defeat the rather large main ship of the gray enslavers with the weapons of your rotorcraft. But for this you will need to go through the whole game ...
Your "helicopter" is not just some kind of helicopter. This is an ultra-modern experimental model AH-23 Sioux in a single copy, of course. But here, as they say, I am tormented by vague doubts - some kind of semantic catch is felt. Let's take a look at the alphanumeric designation of the model of this helicopter. Well, "AH" is understandable, "assault helicopter" is an attack helicopter; in the game, you will see that it is really too shocking, according to the nomenclature, everything is indicated canonically correctly. Further, number 23 - I don’t remember something like this in modern combat models, however, your helicopter, especially in the silhouette from behind, in terms of wings and underwing suspension placement elements, surprisingly resembles the Soviet Mi-24 - well, in general, you understand. And the Indian name “Sioux” is already a banter over the American “Our-Everything” - “Apache”, which was also named after one of the aboriginal peoples living on the North American continent. Your helicopter (and this term is appropriate in the context of this game) is armed with two types of rifle cartridges and rockets. And why do you need more - everything ingenious should be simple. Even in the game, you will sometimes periodically lose the opportunity to use the third dimension, but in fact you will control a T1 tank, which, apparently, also, judging by the unfamiliar name, is the result of some experimental innovative breakthrough in the field of tank building. It is precisely such rigidly dictated transitions from 3D control to control in 2D conditions that make you truly understand and appreciate the importance of the third dimension, since the presence of an additional degree of freedom allows you to dodge enemy shells and missiles much more effectively. And just a periodic change in the entourage of the cockpit, as well as the combat weapon itself, will always only benefit the player. I hasten to please - there are many times fewer missions on a tank than on a helicopter, however, they will "strain" the player very seriously, because it becomes impossible for the tank to dodge shots in the game without the ability to "dive" up and down; here management and tactics will undergo serious adjustments ...
As it has already become the order of things, many unfortunate classifiers, without understanding, a game of this type was immediately “thrusted” into the “helicopter simulator” category. And this despite the fact that not a single information parameter about the flight process is even close to indicated on the display of such a helicopter (speed, altitude, range, etc.). And all this should be called a helicopter arcade, since almost all moments in the game are reduced to an arcade. From movement - 6 keys (2 per dimension), shooting and target acquisition - 3 keys, nothing more. The selection of ammunition from the battlefield is classic arcade. Various themes with an enviable frequency spill out of an incredible amount of technical means of the enemy, lined by you throughout the game. And the format of the battles, as you may have guessed, will be expressed by the classic formula: "one against the entire army of invaders." So, to be extremely brief and precise, the developers have prepared for us a first-person 3D helicopter arcade game with a simple action doctrine: “destroy everything that moves”.
Actions take place first in the usual green, "home" area (Valley); there are missions in Mexico, and there are even missions in Antarctica. The difficulty in the game will upset experienced players. Rather, this level of difficulty was initially focused exclusively on older students and even younger children. There are four levels of difficulty in the game. The gameplay is sluggish and simple at first, but with an increase in the number of opponents along the missions, it becomes no longer boring and very “fun”. But the player will definitely not have to strain the gyrus.
The graphics of the game is a separate item. Only true 32-bit color can provide such rich colors and smooth color transitions in games. As one of the main "chips" in this game, fog and transparency of some surfaces are implemented. Especially colorful, these "buns" are implemented with the support of MMX technology. Sound effects - nothing special: shots, hits on the body of a helicopter and the like. Ambient sounds, especially the howling of the wind, are very interesting and pleasing to the ear. By the way, for technical reasons, the complete absence of sound on my computer did not prevent me from selflessly "hacking" into this "helicopter" many years ago, which again indirectly testifies in favor of the attractive power of the game's graphics.
I don’t know if it’s possible to allow a person who had the very first computer game in his life to write a review, but in my case this is exactly the case. At least I tried to be objective and unbiased here. And with Extreme Assault, I will primarily associate the words "brightness" and "colorfulness". It was game creations with such "juicy" graphics that perfectly illuminated those times of the sunset of the great DOS era. As if for the last time, a bright ray of the solar disk setting beyond the horizon flashed, after which dull twilight set in, the medieval gloom of which will often be just so typical for the dark screens of games created a little later - in the era of the final dominance of graphics accelerators.
