Restricted Area - PC

Platform: PC
Company: Master Creating
Current status: Playable Demo
Release date: <Currently unknown>
Where to obtain: Here

Well, this is an unexpected turn-out, I never expected a game like this to have been made at all. Like Diablo II? Then get this game. Like Fallout 1&2? Then get this game. Like cyberpunk RPGs? Then get this game. Here's my breakdown of it.

Graphics:
Ok, so the graphics aren't exactly photo-realism or Doom 3/HL2 quality, but they're not bad quality like Diablo II or Arcanum either, the graphics engine is very smooth, not to mention the attention to detail. The viewpoint is an Isometric one, in fact by the way it looks in-game you would almost think it had been taken straight from Diablo 2. Some of the details are very good, ok so you can't exactly see the people blinking, but there are small details worth noting, such as when you fire your shotgun, there's the gun flare as well as ejecting shells and even an arm movement when he reloads. The environments are beatifully rendered as well, with the setting ranging from run-down futuristic suburbs with broken down vehicles, ruined buildings and the like all the way to barren deserts and high-tech hidden installations. As for the FMV sequences, they look really nice, very smooth and great visuals, though I've yet to see someone's mouth move in them.

Sound:
Again, nothing to fall over yourself with here, but the sounds do meet the needs of the game, the music in some places is slightly similar to that of Diablo II with a bit of a rock twist in it, particularly the desert mission. Gunshots, explosions and enemy deaths, all pretty standard, plus the pump-action sound of the shotgun adds to the detail. The voice-overs are really good too, they don't have any famous actors doing it or anything but they people they've got really fit the part they play, for instance you don't get a really gruff voice on a guy who's mean to be a total wuss. There is a distinct change in footsteps though, the sound of your feet change depending on what you're walking/running on, as is expected, but it's a nice feature.

Gameplay:
Now this is where the game really surpasses any game it's borrowed something from, you can see a HUGE amount of references to the Diablo II system, including the Skill Tree and character sheet, not to mention the interface, pretty much simple point and click. Though in dialogue you're presented with numbered choices as to what your character responds with (borrowed from Fallout there), and instead of you getting a personalised greeting from a particular character because you happen to be a specific character class, each character has their own name and as such you are called by that name by each NPC, depending on who you pick as your character. The in-game screen is nothing like Diablo II though, the entire screen is taken up by what's going on apart from your health and experience bar in the top left corner and a small status bar at the bottom, giving you links to your mouse button config (explained in a bit), your character sheet, skill Tree, Inventory and Options menu. You get three boxes that corrispond to your mouse buttons, you can set what you want each button to do, there are many choices so you can customise the control system how you like to get a good grip with it, making it much easier for left-handed people to use the mouse buttons effectively. Also there is the addition of cyberware, implants you can buy to increase your character's performance, though these cost money and you can only have so many at a time, though they're placed on your body much like armour and weapons were in Diablo II. The inventory itself has been radically increased compared to Diablo II as well, there's about 5 times as much room to carry stuff around and medikits don't even take up room, they get their own little tab at the bottom of your screen, counting how many you have left.

Storyline:
Now, I didn't get too much about the storyline from the demo but it seems that rather than all four characters doing the same stuff for their own reasons the website says that each character has their own unique storyline, their own reasons for being where they are and doing what they do, which sound bring a good amount of replayability into it. But if I know how cyberpunk works then I can assure you each any every one of the storylines is going to be an excellent one, which will encourage you to play all four characters, which will mean you have to overcome their weaknesses and build their unique strengths to help you on your quest.

Overall scores:
Graphics 7/10
Sound 7/10
Gameplay 10/10
Storyline 10/10

Total 9/10

In conclusion, a very good game to play, even without instructions it doesn't take too long to find out the basics of gameplay, you'll pick up the more advanced stuff as you go along.

For more information on the game, go here.

I hope you all found my review helpful and informative.