Re-Loaded

''Re-Loaded'' is a science fiction-themed top-down multidirectional shooter developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Interplay. A sequel to '' Loaded'', it was released in 1996 for the MS-DOS and PlayStation, and later on PlayStation Network. A Sega Saturn version was in development, but was cancelled.

The game received mostly negative reviews from critics.

Gameplay

It features the same game engine as ''Loaded'', and even the game menus are the same, although it is a game engine with slightly improved graphics. Four characters from the original game are also in ''Re-Loaded'': Mamma, Bounca, Butch, and Cap'n Hands. Vox, however, is not present and is replaced by two new female characters: a pink-haired, cannibalistic sex symbol named The Consumer, and a malfunctioning android nun named Sister Magpie. Via cheat code, Sister Magpie can unlock hidden character Fwank from the previous game for use in ''Re-Loaded''. If unlocked, Fwank is the best character in ''Re-Loaded'', with the most speed and best armour. All of the returning characters have new weapons and/or variations of their costumes. The characters can also jump. There are twelve blood-soaked new worlds to annihilate, much bigger than the levels encountered in the previous game, and with the added bonus of being able to morph the surrounding terrain with high-powered weaponry and explosives.

Plot

F.U.B., the antagonist of ''Loaded'', had his body destroyed at the end of the previous game, although his brain fled in an escape pod. Landing on a harsh desert world, Kee-Butt-5, his brain has been implanted into the body of a chiselled, bronzed young artist hermit named Manuel Auto. Then he murdered the loyal surgeons responsible for giving him a new body. Reincarnated and renamed "C.H.E.B.", which stands for "Charming Handsome Erudite Bastard", the former raving lunatic supervillain has taken on some of the aspects of his host body, the creative, artistic and thoughtful Manuel Auto. With his matter manipulation powers, C.H.E.B. plans to transform whole planets into "Works Of Art and Genius", starting with his own body, which he grows to the size of a small moon. Once again the group of blood-thirsty anti-heroes gather to bring him down once and for all, and set off for Kee-Butt-5.

Reception

Critical approval for the ''Loaded'' formula had considerably soured by the time the Saturn port of the original was released, and had worsened further by the time the sequel arrived. Critics generally felt that ''Re-Loaded''s more complex level designs and rendered graphics did not do enough to advance the series beyond its by-then poorly regarded predecessor, or even were inferior to it. A reviewer for ''Next Generation'' pointed out that the elements which had made ''Loaded'' popular and critically praised - its transparencies, lighting effects, frantic action, and gory violence - were all commonplace on PlayStation games by the time ''Re-Loaded'' was released.

In addition, some critics remarked that the slower pace and more puzzle-driven approach led to long spurts of wandering around the levels looking for items, making the game much more dull than ''Loaded''. However, Major Mike of ''GamePro'' (which featured ''Re-Loaded'' on the cover of the issue in which it was reviewed) opined that this was the game's strongest aspect, though he acknowledged that "some may find the game too slow and plodding." Additionally praising the graphics, sound effects, and mood-appropriate music, he concluded that ''Re-Loaded'' "adds enough new and diverse elements to rise above the 'more of the same' stigma, yet manages to keep the core aspects that made the original game so much fun." In contrast, IGN said "Almost every great aspect of the original game has been compromised" and concluded that it was "third-rate".{{Cite web, url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1996/12/24/reloaded, title=Reloaded, date=1996-12-24 , website=IGN, language=en-US, access-date=2017-08-01 Jeff Gerstmann of '' GameSpot'' wrote that "the entire ''Loaded'' series is a horrible version of the Atari classic, ''Gauntlet'' ... Take away the blood 'n' guts and all that's left is a pathetic excuse for a game, 32-bit or otherwise." Crispin Boyer echoed Gerstmann's remarks in '' Electronic Gaming Monthly'': "I was hoping this game would be worlds better than last year's dull, repetitive ''Loaded''. Instead, ''Re-Loaded'' is just another mindless action game that hurts your hands and has you jonesing to play good ol' ''Gauntlet''."

References

1996 video games
Cancelled Sega Saturn games
DOS games
Science fiction video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
Multidirectional shooters
PlayStation (console) games
Video games adapted into comics
Video games developed in the United Kingdom