Overview

In 1999, Interplay and Outrage Entertainment made a great game. It was a continuation of the classic series known as Descent. It is a 3D flight-sim in a spaceship on a planet. (You understand soon, just read on.) First, I’ll address where Descent comes from.

Origin

Descent was among the first 3D games to come out for computers. It was made by Interplay Productions and Parallax software. It was similar to Quake and Doom, but not having played these games I don’t know what the relation is. Anyway, the point of the game was to fly a spaceship into underground mines on planets of the solar system. The mines were built by the Post Terran Minerals Corporation (PTMC). However, there was an unexplained virus in the mines that caused the robots to malfunction. Your mission in the game is to save the hostage miners, blow the mine reactor, and exit to the surface via the exit tunnel before being incinerated but the explosion of the reactor. The entire game spanned 27 levels, and was a very popular multiplayer game. The game was first developed for DOS, then moved to Macintosh. (You can tell because graphics are improved, and MIDI level tracks are replaced with heavy-metal/synthesizer arrangements. Descent II came a few years later, with extra weapons, and new ship features (Afterburner, headlight, etc.). It had 24 levels, multiplayer capability, and a new feature, known as the “Guide-Bot”. The Guide-Bot was implemented for those non-explorers who wanted action, but no searching around for the access keys. Anyway, Descent II used Movies (Animations) in some areas, so it looked a little better. The end of Descent II leaves you hanging, so Descent 3 picks up where it left off…

Story

There is a spoiler here. I’ll have to say the end of Descent II to give you the gist of what’s going on. At the end of Descent II, you warp core suffers a malfunction, and you are sent somewhere in space. The ship (Pyro GX) is badly damaged. The intro to Descent 3 shows it picked up, and the pilot is removed. This is the first time you see the pilot, as opposed to the ship. You hear the voice in Descent II, but can’t see the pilot at ALL! The first movie in the game introduces you to the people you’ll be working with. Apparently, your former boss sent a signal to your warp core to purposely overload it. So far as you know’ he thinks you’re dead, and you can get him back. Your allies (Saviors) are a bunch of others burned by your former employer. You get to be the dummy they send in to do all the dirty work to collect your money and expose the employer.

Gameplay

Using a new fighter, the Pyro-GL, you fly on a planet into facilities, outposts, etc. The gameplay is far different than Descent or Descent II, because you are not simply blowing up mines. There are 15 event-based missions to do, such as the first mission. The mission is to collect data on an informant that could help you. You need to get access keys to enter more rooms, disable force-fields, enter specific areas, and collect the data, then escape. Graphics are improved a lot since Descent II, and the game looks a lot better in general. Weapons are changed, but the number of weapons remain the same as Descent II. Your ship carries 10 primary weapons (Cannons, guns, etc.) and 10 secondary weapons (Missiles). In Descent and Descent II, you had mines, but in Descent 3 you have countermeasures. These are different, depending on what you pick up. The guide-bot is now a part of your ship. You control whether he stays inside or outside your ship. If he becomes damaged, he automatically returns to ship. You need to sacrifice shields to fix him, however. Unlike the previous games, you don’t have lives. You can die as many times as you want, but it will only affect the end-of-level score. Also a new feature is the extra ships available as you play through the game and unlock them.

Music

If you liked the other descent music, this one sure won't dissapoint you. I only wish I could find something to open the cabinet file and extract the files. I suppose it'll be pretty hard but it's definitely fitting the mood of each level.v I like it, but it can't really climb the charts of stuff I listen to. I would, though if I could extract it from the movies...

Multiplayer

This game came out in 1999 and people STILL play it online! I still need internet on my computer with the games, so I haven’t gotten on. You coiuld've played Descent 3 over Parallax Online, but they closed or something. It doesn't work. You can use gamespy, but you need to pay to be a server... You can go over LAN connections at home, but you need more copies of D3. The classic modes are still available (Anarchy, coop, Team Anarchy, CTF, etc.), but new modes such as monsterball are now available in Descent 3. You can also choose which ship you want!

Related Sites

A great place to see stuff about Descent 3 is Planet Descent. It is a site devoted to the whole series. It lets you download files such as levels created by fans, patches, extra ships, skins, new aiming reticles, and other fun stuff. All of the directions are listed on the site. Also here is a guide to almost everything about Descent 3, such as news, media, etc. It also shows where you can play multiplayer online. Go to it!

Extras

There are levels downloadable at Planet Descent for all 3 games, and a level editor / creator is available in a patch, or the expansion pack. The expansion pack, Descent 3 Mercenary. It’s a total of 8 levels in a campaign playing as a henchman of the evil employer. It takes place around the time of the first few Descent 3 levels. Also included are a few multiplayer levels, and a new ship, the black Pyro.

Final Score: 10/10