The plans for multiplay look especially promising because this mode actually add layers of gameplay features to the single player mode rather than just stripping it down for deathmatch or capture the flag play, which is all too common in multiplay modules for action games. You can choose which of the planet's races to play (including the giant Kabuto) and play capture the Smartie. The new wrinkle is that multiplay mode (for up to ten participants) adds some real-time strategy elements like base-building, food collection, and weapon upgrades to the mix.

Players collect Smarties and bring them back to their bases, where the industrious little minions can be assigned to build bases, which allow you to buy weapons upgrades. You have to spare some time for Vimp slaughtering as well, for the Smarties are forever hungry and will tend to wander away if you don't keep them fed.

As one who thought that MDK2 never got its due as a highly polished light comic adventure, and one of the best gaming experiences of the past year, I have to admit I am hopeful that the well-hyped Giants will vindicate its approach to design. The game engine is top-notch. It is very easy to control, gives a fluid sense of character movement and offers breathtaking vistas. The character design, script and voice delivery carry a whimsy that is too rare in a medium where millions of dollars are spent on graphics and marketing while so little attention is paid to these basics of entertainment. And while Giants is not pretending to be a laugh riot, it does seem to be on track to get humorous gaming beyond its checkered legacy of bad math club humor.

Steve Smith
Contributing Editor