Extermination Video Game Review
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Extermination was released in 2001 and was developed by Deep Space. It was published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
Extermination is a survival-horror game that revolves around Dennis Riley, a United States Marines Special Forces soldier. His team, Team Red Light, is responding to a distress call from Fort Stewart, a secret military base in Antarctica. The mission is not routine, however, as the military base has been overrun by an unknown virus that has managed to kill most of the inhabitants of Fort Stewart. Dennis Riley, along with the remaining living inhabitants of Fort Stewart, work together to escape the facility and to avoid becoming another victim of the mysterious virus.
Review:
While Extermination is obsolete by the video game standards of today, the game was a very impressive piece of technology back in 2001, when I first got my hands on the game. As the first “true” survival-horror game for the Playstation 2, Extermination manages to deliver an exciting gaming experience.
The storyline of the game is what you would expect from your typical survival-horror game but there are a few features that set this game away from similar titles. For instance, the usage of an “infection” meter along with a health meter adds to the strategy involved with the game. While you can heal injuries with a health pack, you can only heal infection with a special device, which are rare throughout the game. Additionally, ammunition is hard to come by as well, meaning that you have to use your head before you engage every enemy that you see.
Furthermore, the amount of weapon customization that is available to you is quite impressive, especially for a game that was released in 2001. Throughout the game, you have access to one primary weapon: the SPR-4. With this one weapon, you can create other weapons such as a flamethrower, rocket launcher, and shotgun. You also have access to a combat knife that comes in handy as both a tool and as a weapon. Yet another cool inventory item that Extermination included was the battery pack, which allowed you to power up certain devices, including the device that allowed you to save your game.
In conclusion, while this wasn’t the greatest survival-horror title to come out for the PS2, it was one of those titles that ushered in a new generation of gaming. While this game isn’t ideal for everyone, survival-horror fans should find this game entertaining.
Final Rating: 4.2 / 5