Utopia City demo

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET Staff on February 27, 2009

A Borg-like entity has taken control of the city and citizens are joining the growing collective daily, yet the population of Utopia City is dwindling. It's up to you to "save" the citizens from virtual enslavement by blasting them with a variety of weapons. The demo for this futuristic first-person shooter provides a lengthy cinematic introduction and some beginning gameplay, including a mission involving locating a secret artifact within a bank vault. Though the download is a bit bloated due to the movie, and loading times are often painful, the Utopia City demo does offer a fair amount of area to explore, as well as a decent tutorial explaining how the game works.

The collective gaze of Utopia is always upon you, and a tricolor meter in the upper right displays your status. If you draw a weapon, your green meter turns yellow. If a citizen spots you with a weapon, the alert turns red and Utopia will begin to attack you in a few seconds. Each citizen has a unique ID card that, when "freed" from its owner, bestows upon you weapons, information, or other items. You also collect artifacts that offer a variety of special powers. These artifacts are activated similar to items, but only last for a certain time. The graphics are good, the voice acting is laughable, and waiting for the levels to load can seem eternal. A decent arsenal, fair amount of gameplay, and quality package make it a recommended download for first-person shooter fans.