5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
The Band KICKS BUTT as does this game!!!
Date of Review: Aug 15, 2000
I really love this game and would recommend it to role playing QUAKE lovers! Many people have labeled KISS critic proof, and it makes sense--either you like KISS or you hate them, and you don't need anyone to try to sway you otherwise. No one buys a KISS CD because it is the best there is; no one bought one of the limited-edition KISS cars because it was the best car on the market; and certainly no one signed up for a KISS Visa card because it was the best deal going. (KISS knows the one area in which they do deserve the title, which is why "You wanted the best, you got the best..." opens each and every live show.) In most cases, if you buy anything KISS-related, you buy it because you're a fan of the band, and you want to label yourself as part of the KISS Army. KISS is more than a band; it's an industry, and to some people, a way of life. They have graced many aspects of media and popular culture, and with KISS: Psycho Circus--The Nightmare Child, they are entering a new arena: computer games...and, as with other areas, you will be buying this game because it is the best.
Each character has two character-specific weapons (his standard short-range weapon and his own BFG), and four common weapons (the whip, a blaster, a scatter-shot nailgun, and a high-tech energy grenade launcher). There are also a scant few items you can pick up throughout the game, including the Rage Orbs and an explosive jack-in-the-box. These items and weapons are interesting, but don't rank up there with the more inspired weapons from games such as Half-Life and Unreal Tournament. If anything, it's yet another spin on Quake's arsenal, and doesn't provide much new. Half of the game's enemies look like something directly out of Quake, but the other half are actually quite inspired, bringing to life the Psycho Circus concept. Wicked clowns and other demented carny folk are spread throughout the game, and although the twisted character design will wow you at first, it gets monotonous because each enemy is obnoxiously recycled throughout the game in droves.