Conker: Live and Reloaded Hands-On

TOKYO--Rare's Conker: Live and Reloaded will have a fairly substantial multiplayer component, but not much attention has been devoted to the game's single-player adventure. But here at the Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft is showing off a brief demo level that has a pretty good feel to it.

The level takes place in some tight quarters. It opens with Conker in a small corridor. As you move ahead, you'll have to hop over laser beams that damage you on contact. But you'll also have to watch out for enemy soldiers. These bad squirrels are armed with rifles, but their main attack isn't to fire their guns. The rifles are fixed with bayonets, and given the tight confines of the corridor, it's easy to get cut up. You'll also have to worry about flamethrower troops, who occasionally block your progress with a fiery blast, and other time they'll occasionally let up, giving you ample time to proceed. Eventually the path leads to some sort of death chamber, inhabited by a series of evil yet cute doctors who toss needles at you while you mow them down. Upon finishing that, a cutscene plays, and a furry little dude who happens to be strapped into an electric chair asks for your help. There are two switches, and as the cutscene states, one of them will set him free and the other will fry him. We suspect that regardless of which switch you choose, the guy gets fried, since hitting the other switch after the little guy gets cooked opens the door that leads out of the room and, consequently, ends the demo.

As far as effects go, Conker's got a really nice look to it. The ambient light that is cast by the flamethrower radiates off of Conker's fur quite well. The characters have a good amount of facial animation, which keeps the game's overall style fairly whimsical, despite the game's focus on bloodshed.

Aside from this sort of single-player shooting, the game also promises to have a robust team-based multiplayer option when it's released. For more updates, be sure to check GameSpot's coverage of the Tokyo Game Show 2004.