issing cows. Crop circles. Strange weather balloons. For years some people have maintained that these phenomena were proof positive that aliens have been visiting the Earth. Oh, if only they knew how right they are!
Not only have aliens been visiting Earth, they've also been storing data in fields all over the planet. In Crop Circles: Escape from Planet Three, players take on the role of Slinus 181, an alien who has the worst job in the fleet: locating and collecting that data. To accomplish his task, Slinus has been outfitted with the RG/GT Stage 3 Flying Disc, a sleek saucer powered by an air-cooled methane propulsion system. Flitting about in the saucer, Slinus must search the fields of Earth and retrieve the energy data, leaving behind "an artistic circular impression" in the process.
Sounds easy enough, except that Slinus's Flying Disc needs a constant supply of cows in order to keep it running. And the farmers who own those cows are prowling the fields, armed with shotguns they're all too willing to use on poor Slinus. There are other hazards out among the crops as well, including photographers out to take Slinus's picture (and thereby ruin his mission), government agents wielding parts stripped from the Roswell wreck that can hamper the Stage 3's movement, and "helpful" S.E.T.I. scientists whose transmitters can block Slinus's path. Not to mention the occasional mad cow that will try to take over Slinus's ship.
To combat these menaces, Slinus can acquire special abilities by picking up bulls instead of cows. Spotted bulls will give Slinus the power to warp from place to place, brown bulls will let him disguise the saucer as a friendly weather balloon, and black bulls give the saucer the ability to emit a hypnotic beam that drives away farmers and G-Men.
We need more cows!
Crop Circles: Escape from Planet Three is an amusing little arcade game that would be really fun except for a few major problems. The biggest flaw in the game is the never-ending need to suck up cows for fuel, which means players can only travel a relatively short distance before they have to scope out the local cattle scene to try and determine which bovines are mad and which aren't. Although this is fun at first (especially given the fact that some mad cows will stand up and ask to be taken), after a few levels it degenerates into a tedious task that drains the game of all enjoyment, and it also interferes with the crucial task of exploration.
Another problem is the fact that the game's creators chose to superimpose the Stage 3's readouts over the playing field, obscuring what at times is valuable land that players will need to get the lay of before flying over. With methane running low and a critical patch of pasture hidden, players can expect to perform a lot of Roswell nose dives.
The game does have some nice touches, such as when Slinus abducts a mad cow and then must battle it out with the frothing beast for control of the saucer. Or when the ship morphs into an amiable, smiley-faced weather balloon, eluding pesky Earthlings as it bobs along cheerfully. The overall premise of the game will also appeal to most SF fans, as they'll finally get a chance to take on evil G-Men and G-Women while decorating the landscape with pretty spiraling wheat patterns.
Unfortunately, even this look into Area 51's infamous secrets isn't enough to keep Crop Circles interesting for long, which is really too bad...it seems like it would be really hard to make crop circles and cattle abductions dull.
