Enemy Zero

Sega, with nothing to lose, has been picking riskier games to keep gamers interested until the Dural arrives. One of biggest chances it's taken lately is Enemy Zero, an FMV graphic adventure from Warp, the designers of the mildly successful D. Luckily for Sega's product team, it's almost as good as they had hoped.

In FMV games, it's the story and mood that set the quality level. Warp does both very well. Laura Lewis, Warp's CG-rendered mascot, travels from present-day D to the future to face invisible one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eaters on a remote space station. Basically, it's Alien told from a '90s point of view, but still quite gripping. There's nothing like running from a creature that just ripped your friend's head off to get that adrenalin pumping. The CG quality is high, and the animators have a fine cinematic style that's sure to catch your attention.

Enemy Zero is a breath of fresh air in the graphic adventure genre, balancing a solid set of puzzles with good, old-fashioned bug hunting. Unlike Riven or Myst, you won't have to suspend disbelief and just take it for granted that the switch to open the door is on another side of an island. Nope. You need to open the door to George's storage closet to get his gun, which you use to shoot the monsters.

But where are the monsters? That's the kicker. You can't see them. Only hear them through the audio motion detector. Since you don't have an automatic rifle, timing the gun to shoot once the alien gets within five feet is a white-knuckle moment, and you're going to have lots of those. But that's all part of the fun.

However, this game's not for beginners. You can die easily if you don't time shots quite right, and the save function is brutal -- the battery runs down every time you save AND restore. There isn't much room for mistakes, so players may find themselves backtracking back one disc down in order to keep those last few volts running in your voice recorder.

Overall, Warp has done a fantastic job with Enemy Zero, and it still feels fresh despite its age. If you like to try a difficult, demanding, nerve-wracking yet exciting adventure, this one adds up to a must for your Saturn.